11 Mar ACS Goes International, Eh?

So our company has finally crossed the United States Border!  I can’t tell if the significance of this has quite hit me yet, or if it is something significant enough to have importance in the grand scheme of things. About 8 years ago, Jim and I decided to take this company to limits that it had not yet reached. My father, who started ACS over 40 years ago, had a drive in him that my brother and I looked up to. The drive that we saw in him then was just a simple thing; an ethic to provide for his family that consisted of the kids and my mother. After many years of decision-making, traveling, and making commitments to this company that my father started, I have realized that it was much more that actually drove my father.

When I write these posts, I make sure to be authentic and honest. Because that is what business partnership needs. Honesty is something that the arcade industry has lacked since it has existed. But honesty is something that my company guarantees. I can’t even count the times that I have seen honest people make dishonest companions in this industry, only to get screwed over later. My dad knew that partnerships, in which both parties were equally profitable, would create healthy, honest relationships. That is why ACS has continued partnerships with customers over the years throughout this country, and now across the border.

Now I am not much of bragging man, because we like to keep our company’s most recent moves away from our competitors. But now that we operate internationally I finally have realized what the significance of ACS operating arcade games internationally is: we are the best at what we do. Within the past 5 years, we have successfully operated arcade game rooms on the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts. Now in 2016, we operate games in the United States and the Province of Alberta, Canada. I want to know how many operators in this industry can say that they have done these things. The negative reputation of some game room operators has driven family entertainment center startups to consider operating their own games. Well I want to say that you don’t need to do that. The capital to do so is not something feasible for all entrepreneurs. So that’s why ACS is here. We can bring the most popular, awesome games into your family entertainment center.

Traveling up to Canada a few weeks ago, something that I hadn’t done since I was 19 so I could legally drink beer, was something I was looking forward to since this deal broke ground. Not because of nervousness, but more curiosity. I have met people all over the US, so I was excited to see what doing business in Canada would be all about. To be honest there wasn’t any major culture shock or anything like that. Everything and everyone was really nice. Really the only difference was the amount of snow. I guess it is mandatory to own a truck up there, because my rental was a white Hyundai sedan and it didn’t fare well in the snow. Everyone had trucks. The people were all really nice and welcoming. Everything went well and they have a really great location set up.

So it was just like any other game room install but it wasn’t in the United States. Now we get to say we operate arcades in multiple countries as well as all across the US. What is our next goal you ask? I’m not entirely sure, but maybe we will be operating in two continents by the end of the year.

-Jeff