Tim Carson, long time president of Summit Gaming, resigned his position effective October 18. Summit is a leading manufacturer of video gaming terminals in Montana and is headquartered in Billings.
"It was a great ride," he told the Montana Tavern Times the day after. "And believe me, it was one of the most difficult decisions I've ever made in my life."
Jay Meilstrup, President and CEO of Summit's parent company Game-Tech, said, "We're certainly disappointed to be losing Tim, but we completely understand his position. He's looking to downshift a little, get a different perspective on life.
"He's done a fabulous job of creating a premiere company in Montana," Meilstrup added, "and now we're looking forward to continuing business in a new customer/supplier relationship with Tim's route business."
GameTech named Kevin Peterson as General Manager Oct. 22 to assume responsibilities for the Summit Gaming.
According to a GameTech news release, Peterson previously served as General Manager for United Coin in Reno, Nev., overseeing their northern Nevada routes. Prior to his position with United Coin, Peterson was Director of Business Development for Nova Gaming. He also has held the position of Director of Sales for Innovative Gaming.Summit Gaming was spun off from the Dynamo company 12 years ago and Carson has overseen the ascendancy of the firm since. It has the number two share of gaming machines in the marketplace and is licensed in a number of other jurisdictions.
The sale of Summit to Game-Tech of Reno, Nev., was announced in August 2006 and the deal was finalized in March of 2007. At that time company principals said there was no intention to move the company, but rather to see it grow in its Billings home while capitalizing on efficiencies and synergies. Game-Tech is the leader in remote electronic bingo gaming technology.
Carson, along with his wife, Natalie, has been building a vendor route company called Amusement Services, which "is getting to be a large entity," he said. It operates 500 video gaming machines and 1,000 amusement devices in 300 locations.
He said he plans to spend his time continuing to nurture that firm while spending more time with his wife and family.
"I have some friends who wish they had made this kind of decision (to slow down).
"I've been doing two jobs and I want to watch my kids grow up," he said. "I'm just tired. I need to recharge. I've been working 18 hour days at Summit for the past 12 years. I want to slow down, live a little," he said, noting he had gotten out on his motorcycle just once this past summer and didn't make it to his Madison River fishing lodge at all.
Carson repeatedly emphasized a very optimistic outlook for the future of Summit, a company he launched.
"Summit is stronger than its ever been," he began, "and now Summit has the strength of GameTech behind it. They have an extraordinary mix of new products under development. The team there is incredible, very dedicated. They are capable of doing the job and doing it well. It is a great company and I wish them the best. It will be business as usual at Summit. I look forward to (Amusement Services) being a customer of Summit."
He also assured his many friends in the industry that he will "continue to work for the industry. I won't be any less visible; this is my life and has been since 1976."
Carson is a member of the state's Gaming Advisory Council and has participated in the various related business associations including the Montana Coin Machine Operators Assoc., the Montana Tavern Assoc. and the Gaming Industry Assoc.
Source: The Montana Tavern Times, November, 2007, published monthly by Continental Communications, 125 W. Granite St., Suite 102, Butte, MT 59701.