Merit is the Manufacturer of the Year

Merit is the Manufacturer of the Year

Merit Industries, Inc. nabbed the prestigious Manufacturer of the Year award at the annual 2001 ASI tradeshow in Las Vegas, marking the 3rd time in the last 4 years the company has been so honored. Manufacturer of the Year, voted upon by distributors, was accompanied by an additional accolade – the award in Achievement in Booth Design at the ASI show. The honors are two more votes of confidence in Merit Industries, long a mainstay in the coin-op industry.

During the weeklong show, operators and allied tradespeople flocked to Merit's booth to investigate new products and new innovations (including the much-anticipated TournaMAXX™ tournament system). Merit proudly presented each new offering while at the same time reinforcing their core philosophy of business – finding new ways of serving customers while remaining a stable, reliable source of support for operators.

Approximately 200 distributor representatives also attended Merit's annual Breakfast Meeting, which included a spread of food and presentations by Merit representatives. David Logan, Merit's C.E.O., outlined the history and the future direction of the company, stressing its long-term commitment to producing superior products that keep operators healthy. Vice President of Marketing & Business Development, Dave Myers, was also present to introduce the audience to Merit's latest products, on display at the venue's award-winning booth.

"The turnout at the Breakfast Meeting and throughout the entire week in Las Vegas was astounding," said Myers. "Operators really responded to our new products, especially the new compact MAXX Elite with internal bill acceptor, and the reaction to our new TournaMAXX Global Player Ranking System™ was overwhelmingly positive. "

In addition, a special "ASI Attendees Only" TournaMAXX™ tournament was held to introduce the system. Over 300 operators and distributors competed on the 30 TournaMAXX-ready machines in Boxxi™, Tri-Towers™ and Photo Hunt™. "It was a great event and the booth was packed," said TournaMAXX™ Director Bob Mills.

Two-time winner Trent Augenstein, who operates in Delaware, OH, commented, "Everything really worked well. I like the process of the TournaMAXX™ system."

Operators also had an opportunity to learn more about Merit's strategic partnerships with the Merit Industries/TouchTunes seminars that concluded the week. Close to 100 people attended the informative presentations, which provided information on how linking Megatouch™ units with TouchTunes jukebox interfaces can raise jukebox returns an average of $25.00 per connected countertop per week in most locations.

"Tavern entertainment is an impulse-buy and combining these two fantastic products has already proven to be a huge revenue generator," said Dave Myers, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development at Merit. "Convenience plus entertainment is a winning combination and operators recognize that."