Jersey Jack Pinballgets New Investors

Pinball News Website·article·held·Aug 7, 2015

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.020

TL;DR

JJP secures major investment from Abess, Paul, Flanders; backed by proven business leadership

Summary

Jersey Jack Pinball announced a significant investment from three high-profile investors: Leonard Abess (ThinkLab Ventures founder, former City National Bank majority owner), Andrew Paul (Tudor Investment Corporation Managing Director), and Scott Flanders (Playboy Enterprises CEO). The investment provides financial stability for JJP and is framed as validation of Jack Guarnieri leadership and the company's product strategy. Jack Guarnieri confirmed the investors are pinball enthusiasts and existing customers, and denied speculation about a Playboy-themed pinball game.

Key Claims

Leonard Abess is former majority owner of City National Bank of Florida, sold in 2008 for $927m
high confidence · Pinball News article citing public record business information
Abess gave $60m in bonuses to all 399 bank staff and was recognized by President Obama
high confidence · Pinball News article; Reader's Digest recognition cited
The three investors are all pinball enthusiasts and existing customers of Jersey Jack Pinball
medium confidence · Jack Guarnieri quoted by Pinball News; investor statement in press release
Scott Flanders' Playboy Enterprises involvement does not signal a Playboy pinball game from JJP
medium confidence · Jack Guarnieri explicit denial to Pinball News; speculation addressed directly
JJP will manufacture 'The Hobbit' line of games in fall 2015
high confidence · Jersey Jack Pinball press release statement about product pipeline
JJP has announced collaboration with Pat Lawlor on original game to launch spring 2016
high confidence · Jersey Jack Pinball press release; Pat Lawlor collaboration confirmed
As of August 2015, Jersey Jack Pinball machines are in 16 countries worldwide
high confidence · Jersey Jack Pinball press release about international distribution

Notable Quotes

“With this capital infusion we can now take our company to the next level. Our goal is to consistently deliver the finest games in the industry and the best game experience for our players.”
Jack Guarnieri @ August 7, 2015 press release — JJP CEO's statement framing investment as enabling product quality and scale
“I have been a pinball fan my entire life. In Jersey Jack Pinball I saw company that has both the creative vision and technical abilities to renew and reinvigorate this industry.”
Leonard Abess @ August 7, 2015 press release — Lead investor's validation of JJP's strategic positioning in industry reinvigoration
“I have been a pinball fan since my teens and with Wizard of Oz, Jersey Jack is delivering absolutely state-of-the-art product.”
Andrew Paul @ August 7, 2015 press release — Co-investor endorsement of JJP's technical product quality and innovation
“Jack told Pinball News that the three investors are all pinball people and customers of the company. However he denied that Scott's involvement with Playboy Enterprises meant another Playboy pinball is on the way from JJP.”
Jack Guarnieri (paraphrased by Pinball News) @ August 7, 2015 — Addresses speculation about Playboy licensing; confirms investor base of pinball enthusiasts

Entities

Jersey Jack Pinballcompany Jack GuarnieripersonLeonard AbesspersonAndrew PaulpersonScott FlanderspersonThinkLab VenturescompanyTudor Investment CorporationcompanyPlayboy EnterprisescompanyCity National Bank of Floridacompany

Signals

?
business_signal: Jersey Jack Pinball secures significant investment from three high-profile, experienced business executives (Abess, Paul, Flanders) providing capital for company scaling and product development
high · Official press release and Pinball News reporting of material investment by ThinkLab Ventures, Tudor Investment Corporation participants
?
business_signal: Investment framed as validation of Jack Guarnieri's leadership, JJP's product quality, and the company's strategic vision for industry 'renewal and reinvigoration'
high · All three investors emphasized company's creative vision and technical capabilities; Abess quoted seeing JJP as uniquely positioned to reinvigorate industry
?
machine_intel: The Hobbit line of games confirmed for fall 2015 manufacturing release
high · Official JJP press release: 'will manufacture the much anticipated Hobbit line of games this fall'
?
machine_intel: Collaboration with Pat Lawlor on original game announced for spring 2016 launch
high · Official JJP press release: 'collaboration with famed pinball designer Pat Lawlor on a new, original-game to be launched in the spring of 2016'
?
product_strategy: JJP pursuing dual strategy of licensed IP (The Hobbit) and original designer collaborations (Pat Lawlor) to drive product pipeline
high · Press release lists both The Hobbit licensing deal and Pat Lawlor original game as upcoming products

Transcript

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Date: 7th August 2015 Three new investors have taken a 'significant' stake in the Jersey Jack Pinball manufacturing business, it was announced today. The Jersey Jack Pinball factory The three have been revealed as Leonard Abess, Andrew Paul and Scott Flanders. Leonard Abess is Chairman and Executive Officer of ThinkLab Ventures based in Miami, Florida and is the former majority owner of City National Bank of Florida, which he sold in 2008 for $927m. He was voted Reader's Digest's America's Top Boss after using $60m of the proceeds to give bonuses to all of the 399 staff at the bank. His generosity was acclaimed by President Obama in his State of the Nation speech. Andrew Paul is General Counsel and Managing Director of Tudor Investment Corporation, an asset management firm based in Greenwich, Connecticut. The company manages assets worth in excess of $14bn. The third member of the group is Scott Flanders, who became CEO of Playboy Enterprises in 2009. He is a former CEO of Macmillan Publishing and CEO of Columbia House Company, the world's oldest and largest direct seller of music and video products. The three have teamed up to invest in Jersey Jack Pinball in a deal which should provide a stable financial foundation for the company and is a vote of confidence in President and CEO of JJP Jack Guarnieri. Jack told Pinball News that the three investors are all pinball people and customers of the company. However he denied that Scott's involvement with Playboy Enterprises meant another Playboy pinball is on the way from JJP. Here's the company's press release: JERSEY JACK PINBALL ANNOUNCES MATERIAL INVESTMENT LAKEWOOD, NJ, August 7, 2015 /PRNewswire/ - Jersey Jack Pinball LLC, the New Jersey based award-winning pinball manufacturer and innovator, is pleased to announce a significant investment led by ThinkLAB Ventures, the family office of Time 100 honoree and Reader's Digest's "America's Best Boss" Leonard Abess, and joined by Tudor Investment Corp Managing Director Andrew Paul and Playboy CEO Scott Flanders. Jersey Jack Pinball Founder and CEO Jack Guarnieri commented, "With this capital infusion we can now take our company to the next level. Our goal is to consistently deliver the finest games in the industry and the best game experience for our players." Jack continued, "This vote of confidence in me, in our Team, and in our products leaves no doubt that Jersey Jack Pinball will have the resources to develop and manufacture many more great games for our expanding worldwide player base for many years to come." Lead investor, Leonard Abess says, "I have been a pinball fan my entire life. In Jersey Jack Pinball I saw company that has both the creative vision and technical abilities to renew and reinvigorate this industry. I have known Jack Guarnieri for many years and delighted in watching him develop the ultimate pinball game to date, The Wizard of Oz." Co-investor Andrew Paul added, "I am pleased to be associated with Jersey Jack Pinball. I have been a pinball fan since my teens and with Wizard of Oz, Jersey Jack is delivering absolutely state-of-the-art product. I am excited to be part of Jersey Jack Pinball as they develop the industry's most significant innovations and exciting games." About Jersey Jack Pinball, LLC. Jersey Jack Pinball, headquartered in central New Jersey, is a renowned manufacturer of modernized real, full-sized arcade commercial pinball machines. The company leads the industry with design and innovation. Veteran amusement industry figure Jack Guarnieri started in 1975 when he began servicing electro-mechanical pinball machines. Since then he has participated and led in all sides of the industry, from developing amusement centers, designing games, creating the online site PinballSales.com in 1999, and bringing Shuffle Alley back to life in 2002. In 2011, Jack Guarnieri saw a need for premium, technologically-advanced, and easily serviceable pinball machines and founded Jersey Jack Pinball. As of 2015, Jersey Jack Pinball machines can be found in 16 countries around the world. Following the success of its first game, The Wizard of Oz, Jersey Jack Pinball will manufacture the much anticipated Hobbit line of games this fall, and has announced a collaboration with famed pinball designer Pat Lawlor on a new, original-game to be launched in the spring of 2016. Back to the News page Like this page? Share it with your Facebook friends: Back to the front page