PRESS RELEASE
BOARD RETREAT SPARKS NEW IDEAS AND GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES
AAMA and AAMCF Board of Directors Meet at Wingspread for Bonding and Strategic Planning
Elk Grove Village, IL – May 24, 2022– The Board of Directors (BOD) for both the American Amusement Machine Association (AAMA) and American Amusement Machine Charitable Foundation (AAMCF) came together for joint retreat on May 17-19. The BODs met at the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Wingspread Retreat and Executive Conference Center in Racine, WI. The two BODs worked cohesively despite having different goals and objectives. “Going into it, the organizing team was concerned about having a joint retreat of both boards,” AAMA President Joe Camarota said. “Would there be times when a conversation about the wants, needs and desires of one board occurred as a waste of time to members of the other board? I can say with great conviction, that never became a problem.”
The Wingspread staff declared this retreat group was the first to sing around the campfire accompanied by guitar. That guitar player was AAMA’s EVP Pete Gustafson who explained, “What goes better with a campfire than strumming a guitar?” The music didn’t end there; the group gathered around a vintage Seeburg jukebox, custom-built into the building (pictured above). There was plenty of music, eating, drinking, and enjoying each other’s company; however, the BODs were able to accomplish plenty of strategic planning. The AAMA and AAMCF BODs gained insight into where the respective organizations are today and benefitted from input from members of the adjacent BOD.
“The real work begins after the retreat,” AAMCF President David Cohen said. “We were successful in gaining very valuable clarity on where we want to take both organizations and with that, we’re much better able to create initiatives to lead us there.” The BODs are excited to use the work of the retreat as a starting point for growth and opportunity. About the American Amusement Machine Association The AAMA is an international not-for-profit 501(c) 6 trade organization representing the manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, professional service providers and location owner/operators of the coin-operated amusement industry. Our mission is to make the industry better through collaboration, education, advocacy, and networking – we never stop playing. About the American Amusement Machine Charitable Foundation Since 1983, the AAMCF has contributed over $2 million dollars to more than 125 organizations and foundations. Serving as the charitable arm of the American Amusement Machine Association (AAMA), our success is due to the support of AAMA members, colleagues, vendors, families and friends. Our mission is to inspire our community to support, bring joy, and enrich the lives of children and their families through our charitable activities. About Wingspread Retreat and Executive Conference Center The meetings were held on the shores of Lake Michigan at Wingspread Retreat and Executive Conference Center in Racine, WI. Wingspread was commissioned by Herbert Fisk Johnson, owner of S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc, (since renamed SC Johnson) and designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. It was the Johnson family’s 14,000 sq. ft. home from 1939 until the early 50’s and eventually donated to The Johnson Foundation in 1961 to be used as a conference center. Since then, its five fireplaces have been the gathering spots for individuals who come to private Wingspread conferences from around the world including Eleanor Roosevelt, Buckminster Fuller, David Rockefeller, Julian Bond, Frank Lloyd Wright, Les Aspin, and others. National Public Radio, the National Endowment for the Arts and the initial blueprint for arms control all had their roots in Wingspread Conferences. In 1990, the U.S. Secretary of the Interior designated Wingspread as a National Historic Landmark.
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