# STERN MANAGEMENT CHANGES

**Source:** Pinball News Website  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2022-12-20  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2022/12/20/stern-management-changes

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## Analysis

Stern Pinball announced executive leadership changes on December 20, 2022, with founder Gary Stern stepping down as CEO to remain as Chairman, Seth Davis (former Disney/GE executive) promoted from President to CEO, Michael O'Donnell retiring as CFO after 35 years, and Nick Parfitt joining as new CFO. The announcement highlights Stern's revenue growth over three years and expansion of the Insider Connected digital platform.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Stern Pinball achieved successive revenue records across Pinball Machine, Accessory, and Merchandise businesses in the past three years — _Official company announcement_
- [HIGH] Seth Davis spent 21 combined years at Disney and General Electric prior to joining Stern Pinball — _Official biography provided in press release_
- [HIGH] Michael O'Donnell served as CFO for 35 years and is retiring — _Official announcement_
- [HIGH] Shelley Sax-Eldridge retired after more than 36 years of service as Logistics Manager — _Official announcement_
- [HIGH] Insider Connected enables players to track progress, earn achievements, and participate in Challenge Quests across connected machines globally — _Official product description in press release_

### Notable Quotes

> "Insider Connected is transforming how players interact with pinball machines. Operators are benefiting from new tools that drive repeat play and help maintain games remotely while players can earn special entertainment location badges."
> — **Seth Davis**, December 20, 2022
> _New CEO emphasizing strategic importance of digital connectivity platform to both operators and players_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Stern Pinball, Inc. | company | Major pinball manufacturer undergoing executive leadership transition |
| Gary Stern | person | Founder of Stern Pinball, stepping down as CEO to become Chairman |
| Seth Davis | person | Promoted to CEO from President role; former Disney/GE executive with 21 years experience |
| Michael O'Donnell | person | Retiring as CFO after 35 years of service; remains shareholder and board member |
| Nick Parfitt | person | New CFO joining from nVenia/Duravant; 20+ years financial and strategic management experience |
| Dave Peterson | person | Continues as Vice Chairman; controlling shareholder |
| Shelley Sax-Eldridge | person | Retiring as Logistics Manager after 36+ years; worked with Gary Stern since beginning as Administrative Assistant |
| Insider Connected | product | Stern's digital connectivity platform for pinball machines enabling player tracking, achievements, and operator tools |
| The Walt Disney Company | company | Where Seth Davis worked for approximately 11 years in various roles including Disney+ and ESPN+ executive team |
| General Electric Company | company | Where Seth Davis worked for 8 years in financial management before Disney |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Executive Leadership Transition, Digital Connectivity Strategy (Insider Connected)
- **Secondary:** Financial Management Continuity, Company Growth and Revenue Performance, Long-Serving Employee Retirements

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.75) — Professional announcement highlighting growth, strategic leadership with external expertise, and continuation of founder/shareholder involvement. Tone is celebratory of leadership changes and Insider Connected expansion.

### Signals

- **[business_signal]** Leadership transition reflects Stern's strategic shift toward digital connectivity and subscription-based player engagement models (confidence: high) — Seth Davis's background in Disney+ and ESPN+ is emphasized; Insider Connected described as key growth initiative
- **[community_signal]** Insider Connected introducing achievement badges and Challenge Quests as community engagement mechanisms (confidence: high) — Platform description includes 'game specific achievements' and 'Challenge Quests' for player participation
- **[market_signal]** Stern reports successive revenue records across three business lines (machines, accessories, merchandise) over past three years (confidence: high) — Opening statement: 'In the past three years, SPI has achieved successive revenue records across the Pinball Machine, Accessory, and Merchandise businesses'
- **[personnel_signal]** Seth Davis promoted from President to CEO; external hire from Disney/GE brings subscription and digital product management expertise to pinball industry (confidence: high) — Official announcement of promotion and detailed biography highlighting Disney+ and ESPN+ experience
- **[product_strategy]** Insider Connected platform expansion is strategic priority with operator tools, remote maintenance capabilities, and global player tracking infrastructure (confidence: high) — Dedicated section describing platform capabilities; emphasized by new CEO in quote about platform transforming player interaction

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## Transcript

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| **CHICAGO, IL – December 20, 2022** – Stern Pinball, Inc. (SPI) today announced two executive leadership appointments to support the company’s continued growth. In the past three years, SPI has achieved successive revenue records across the Pinball Machine, Accessory, and Merchandise businesses as well as a successful digital connectivity expansion with Insider Connected.  Company Founder, Gary Stern, will step down as CEO but continue as Chairman of the Board. Dave Ashley Peterson will continue to serve as Vice Chairman of the Board. Gary and Dave will remain the controlling shareholders of the company and serve in executive roles on a project basis.  Seth Davis, who joined the company as President in October 2021, will take on the additional role of Chief Executive Officer (CEO). A life-long gamer prior to joining Stern Pinball, Seth spent a combined twenty-one years at The Walt Disney Company and the General Electric Company. He served in a wide variety of functions and in intrapreneurial roles at increasingly senior levels. Seth led and managed both small and large teams spanning business, creative, and technical disciplines.  Immediately prior to joining Stern Pinball, Seth served on the executive team responsible for the highly successful subscription-based streaming services Disney+ and ESPN+. Earlier in his career Seth served in Disney Corporate Financial Planning leading business transformation projects; as Head of Product Management for Connected Experiences within Disney Games and Consumer Products as part of Walt Disney Imagineering; as leader of Disney’s Digital Games Console and PC line of business; and as Director of Disney Games’ Strategy, Market Analytics, and Product Planning.  Before Disney, Seth spent eight years at the General Electric Company. He served as Senior Manager – Finance at GE Capital responsible for Strategic Analysis and Marketing. He started his GE career in the Financial Management Program where he completed four national rotations through GE business units and earned his Six Sigma Black Belt Certification.  Seth earned his MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania where he majored in Entrepreneurial Management. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Syracuse University with a double major in Accounting and Information Management and Technology.  After 35 years of service, Michael O’Donnell will retire as SPI’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Michael will remain a large shareholder of the company and continue to serve as a Board member. He will also lead special projects and assist with the transition of the CFO role.  Nick Parfitt will join the company as CFO. Nick, a native of South Africa, brings over 20 years of broad financial, accounting, strategic, and growth management experience to the company. Nick started his career with Fortune Brands at Jim Beam Inc., the world’s third largest producer and distributor of distilled beverages. Nick subsequently joined MillerKnoll, Inc., the NASDAQ-listed multi-billion dollar collective of dynamic brands designed and produced for commercial and luxury residential markets. Most recently, Nick served nVenia, LLC as the finance lead to implement a consolidation strategy for a newly formed business unit within the Duravant family of engineering businesses.  Nick earned his MBA from The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University where he majored in Finance and Marketing. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Indiana University Bloomington with a double major in Finance and Operations Management.  Shelley Sax-Eldridge, who is one of the longest serving employees at Stern Pinball, also announced her retirement after more than 36 years of service. Shelley started as an Administrative Assistant to Gary Stern and became the company’s Logistics Manager. Shelley communicated regularly with the company’s customers and distribution partners, facilitating the distribution of pinball games around the globe.  **About Insider Connected** Insider Connected is a comprehensive technology initiative to connect the universe of Stern pinball machines. The platform is designed to enhance and extend player engagement with the games across both home and commercial environments. It also presents professional operators of the pinball machines a robust set of tools to drive location play, build player loyalty, analyze performance, make adjustments remotely, and maintain the machines.  Registration for Insider Connected is available at insider.sternpinball.com. Players can also register at a connected game by scanning a registration QR code on the machine. Once a player registers, they are issued a unique QR Code that can be used to identify that player at any connected Stern pinball machine anywhere in the world. When a player scans into the machine, they can track progress, earn new game specific achievements, engage with the player community, and participate in promotions and Challenge Quests.  “Insider Connected is transforming how players interact with pinball machines. Operators are benefiting from new tools that drive repeat play and help maintain games remotely while players can earn special entertainment location badges,” said Seth Davis, President and CEO of Stern Pinball, Inc.  **About Stern Pinball, Inc.** Stern Pinball, Inc. creates compelling entertainment that inspires a lifetime love of games, sparks passion, forges friendships, and connects people everywhere through fun, innovative, technologically advanced pinball games, and experiences. Headquartered minutes from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport in the heart of North America, the company creates, designs, engineers, manufactures, markets, and distributes a full line of technologically advanced terrestrial and digital pinball games, parts, accessories, and merchandise. Stern Pinball serves digital, consumer, commercial, and corporate markets around the globe.  Recent Stern Pinball titles include James Bond 007, Rush, Godzilla, The Mandalorian, Led Zeppelin, Avengers: Infinity Quest, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Stranger Things, Elvira’s House of Horrors, Jurassic Park, Black Knight: Sword of Rage, The Munsters, The Beatles, Deadpool, Iron Maiden, Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Wars, Aerosmith, Ghostbusters, KISS, Metallica, Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Star Trek, AC/DC, Batman, and Spider-Man. A broad range of players enjoy Stern Pinball’s games from professional pinball players who compete in high-stakes competitions around the globe to novice players who are discovering the allure of the silver ball for the first time.   To join the fun and learn more, please visit [www.sternpinball.com](http://www.sternpinball.com). |

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 9b993337-85b4-433e-9935-d5d9eaf629ea*