Fleetwood hosts open house
By Cole Boehler
When we pulled into the parking lot at the Regal Street Fleetwood Gaming facility in Billings at just after noon April 13, a barbecue was in progress on the concrete loading dock. Fleetwood owner Jon Dehler, only partially visible through a big cloud of grill smoke, was in charge of steaks, a big pork loin and the bratwurst.
Inside were baked potatoes, coleslaw, rolls and more food as well as paper plates, cold sodas and beers. A mix of Fleetwood Gaming personnel and licensed operators were talking on the deck, despite the gusty, chilly and damp spring weather. Inside the warehouse were tables lined with hungry diners attacking steaks and sausages.
It was another annual Fleetwood Gaming Customer Appreciation Open House.
As I eyed the grill and steaks hungrily, I noticed one familiar guy off to the side who seemed to recognize me. Soon he walked over, stuck out his hand and said, "Mr. Boehler."
Yes, I knew him then! It was Jim Shires who graduated two years ahead of me at Fairview High School, and we had been friends even then. Last I knew, he was running a bank in Spokane following at least three, probably more, bank presidencies here in Montana. I hadn't seen him since the late 1980s, I believe.
As we renewed acquaintances, I learned he had also been in banking in Portland and Scottsdale since Spokane. He told me he had gotten tired of that rat race and returned to Montana looking for something new. While hanging out in Billings, Jim ran into Dehler. While Jim was president of the Rocky Mountain Bank in Billings back in the 1980s and 1990s, he and Dehler had structured a number of mutually beneficial financial transactions.
Turns out Dehler happened to be looking for an operations manager for his various enterprises while Shires happened to be looking for a new position in a new field. Bingo! Shires is now Operations Manager at Fleetwood and other Dehler companies. It was good to see him again, and good to see old friends getting a new start in a great industry.
I visited with Jon, Brian Duval, Art LaGaly and Roger Tuhy at some length and found Fleetwood is not resting on its laurels. It has a steady stream of innovative new games in the development pipeline and some entirely new peripheral products close to completion. Watch the Montana Tavern Times for future coverage on these.
We had the latest games demonstrated including "Piggy Pays," which we've been told by operators may be the most popular game in the field right now. We also saw "Montana Big Game" which ought to appeal strongly to Montana male players and has some very cool bonus features based on bagging big game trophies.
We saw a lot of operators that we've come to know over the years and all were ready to report on business conditions at their establishments, in their towns and in their regions. Even Thom Propp, former Fleetwood general manager, now of Town Pump, was there to see the newest games and talk with Fleetwood engineers.
From a social perspective, the Fleetwood Open House was certainly a success: good food, beverage and conversation with good people.
It was the same from a business perspective: good visits with knowledgeable peers, new and valuable information shared, more ideas to explore for possible implementation.
When's the next one? We'll be there.