# Stern Appoints New Consumer Sales Position **Source:** Pinball News Website **Type:** article **Published:** 2017-05-22 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/news/sternconsumersales.html --- ## Analysis Stern Pinball appointed Erik Gilly as Director of Consumer Sales on May 22, 2017, recognizing the growing importance of home buyer sales. Gilly, formerly US Sales Manager at Bandai-Namco overseeing Dave & Buster's and Chuck-E-Cheese accounts, will lead expansion of Stern's US dealer network and grow sales of machines, accessories, and merchandise. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Stern Pinball recognized the large and growing importance of sales to home buyers, prompting the new appointment — _Official announcement and article headline_ - [HIGH] Erik Gilly was formerly US Sales Manager for Bandai-Namco with responsibility for Dave & Buster's and Chuck-E-Cheese contracts — _Stern's official announcement and article body_ - [HIGH] Gilly will focus on growing the US dealer network for Stern Pinball — _Official announcement statement_ - [HIGH] John Buscaglia is Chief Revenue Officer of Stern Pinball — _Official announcement quote attribution_ ### Notable Quotes > "Erik is a great fit for Stern and has an industry background rooted in interactive gaming. Erik also shares our vision for Everything Pinball." > — **John Buscaglia, Chief Revenue Officer of Stern Pinball**, May 22, 2017 > _Official endorsement of new hire; references Stern's 'Everything Pinball' vision for integrated product ecosystem_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Erik Gilly | person | Newly appointed Director of Consumer Sales at Stern Pinball; former US Sales Manager at Bandai-Namco | | Stern Pinball | company | Major pinball manufacturer based in Elk Grove Village, IL; self-described as world's oldest and largest producer of arcade-quality pinball machines | | John Buscaglia | person | Chief Revenue Officer of Stern Pinball as of May 2017 | | Bandai-Namco Entertainment | company | Company where Erik Gilly previously worked as US Sales Manager (October 2012 onwards) | | Dave & Buster's | company | Major account managed by Gilly at Bandai-Namco | | Chuck E Cheese | company | Major account managed by Gilly at Bandai-Namco | ### Topics - **Primary:** Personnel appointment and organizational structure, Home consumer market growth and focus, Dealer network expansion strategy - **Secondary:** Revenue and sales organization at Stern ### Sentiment **Positive** (0.85) — Announcement presents strategic hiring as positive development reflecting market growth; no critical commentary or concerns raised ### Signals - **[business_signal]** Stern Pinball creating dedicated consumer sales leadership role signals strategic prioritization of home collector and direct-to-consumer market segment (confidence: high) — Article opening states recognition of 'large and growing importance of sales of machines and merchandise to home buyers' - **[market_signal]** Expansion of US dealer network is being prioritized, indicating Stern's confidence in market growth and distribution channel strategy (confidence: medium) — Job responsibilities include 'expanding its rapidly growing U.S. dealer market' - **[personnel_signal]** Erik Gilly hired as Director of Consumer Sales from Bandai-Namco, representing strategic talent acquisition from interactive gaming industry with major account management experience (confidence: high) — Official announcement of hiring with detailed background --- ## Transcript Date: 22nd May, 2017 In recognition of the large and growing importance of sales of machines and merchandise to home buyers, Stern Pinball has made a new appointment to the post of Director of Consumer Sales. Erik Gilly, the former US Sales Manager for Bandai-Namco with responsibility for contracts with Dave & Buster's and Chuck-E-Cheese amongst others, takes up the role to promote sales of pinball machines, accessories and merchandise. Erik Gilly He will also be looking to grow the US network of Stern Pinball dealers, pushing the company's products into new area. Here's how Stern Pinball made the announcement. Stern Pinball Announces The Hiring of Erik Gilly New Director of Consumer Sales Elk Grove Village, IL – May 22, 2017 – Stern Pinball, Inc., the world's oldest and largest producer of arcade-quality pinball machines, announced today the hiring of Erik Gilly Director of Consumer Sales. Erik most recently worked for Bandai Namco Entertainment where he served as U.S. Sales Manager since October 2012. Erik was accountable for managing a sales portfolio that included Dave and Buster’s, Chuck E Cheese, and other National Accounts. Erik will lead SPI in expanding its rapidly growing U.S. dealer market while focusing on growing the Stern brand portfolio including pinball machines, merchandise, and accessories. “Erik is a great fit for Stern and has an industry background rooted in interactive gaming. Erik also shares our vision for Everything Pinball,” said John Buscaglia, Chief Revenue Officer of Stern Pinball. About Stern Pinball, Inc. Stern Pinball, Inc., headquartered just outside Chicago, Illinois, is the oldest and largest producer of arcade-quality pinball games in the world. Stern Pinball’s highly talented creative and technical teams design, engineer and manufacture a full line of popular pinball games, merchandise and accessories. Recent Stern titles include Aerosmith, Batman ‘66, Ghostbusters, Game of Thrones, WWE WrestleMania, The Walking Dead, Mustang, Star Trek, Metallica, The Avengers, X-Men, Tron, Transformers, Avatar, Iron Man, Batman, Spider-Man and many more! All of Stern Pinball’s games are crafted by hand and assembled by Stern Pinball’s expert team. A broad range of players enjoy Stern’s games from professional pinball players that compete in high-stakes international 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. Back to the News page Like this page? Share it with your Facebook friends: Back to the front page _(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: ece96ab2-358c-4613-a202-d38d12101f80*