Did you know that Chicago was once the capital of pinball machine companies? Bally, Gotleib, Midway, Stern, and Williams were all Chicago-based pinball machine companies. Today, Stern is the only survivor, and the company is breathing new life into the industry with a newly expanded 110,000 square-foot factory serving a new trend among millennials to play pinball. They have classic machines from the 50s and 60s in-house as well as the latest electronic pinball machines.
But how do you know the pinball machine you order is going to work when it arrives? Did you know that somone’s job is to play that game and make sure it works before it leaves the factory? Zach Feary is a 27 year-old game tester at Chicago-based Stern Pinball.
Zach Feary, pinball pro
“1 in one hundred million” is a site devoted to sharing the personal stories of people who do the many important and too-often unrecognized jobs upon which we all rely. Check out the site and subscribe if you like what you see. From their very first days, Kronos solutions has always focused on the work that people do. That’s why they’re proud to celebrate these special individuals who reflect the character, the commitment, and the passion of today’s workforce.
“1 in one hundred million” website has a whole series of videos highlighting people in various professions from Justina Pratt who is a Safe Start Swimming Instructor at the YMCA, Lake Nona, FL, in Episode 10 to Zach Feary game tester at Chicago-based Stern Pinball in Episode 13.
Zach works at the end of the assembly line and has to play each pinball machine and tweak it before it can be shipped. He receives the machine already put together, ensures all visuals are perfect, the game looks flawless, and tests the working functional parts, including a running a diagnostics process to make sure the customer receives a perfect game. He is one of 300 workers in the plant. The machines are 100% made in the U.S.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPMrAFOZ5bE
Stern is the only factory in the world that mass-produces pinball machines, shipping 400 to 500 games weekly.
“We all compete with each other at the factory and at arcades.” According to Zach, “I was born with a controller in my hands.” He loves pinball because of the physical aspects you can’t get with video games. It’s tangible, in your face, loud, fun.
Pinball is experiencing a renaissance as the industry is becoming more and more popular. There’s a whole new “Barcade” scene in Chicago that is expanding throughout the U.S.
Visit “1 in one hundred million” to learn more about Zach and other Everyday Workforce members.
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