Daniel Schrementi VP Gaming Sales & Marketing, Incredible Technologies
Every night when I got to sleep, I think of the millions of other folks also lying awake, staring at their ceilings, wondering just what tomorrow bring and how they can make a difference the next day. I’m sure I’m not alone in trying to keep positive and keep anxiety of the unknown at bay. It’s like walking into a batting cage with a malfunctioning ball machine … you just don’t know when and where the next ball will come from and at what speed; it’s hard to get into a rhythm.
If we are to find anything positive during this global crisis, is that most folks are making the time to connect on a personal level and expressing vulnerability and honesty and help each other with these curve balls. We’re seeing folks in their personal spaces, with their dogs and their kids, their unshaven faces, well, just being human.
In the next several weeks, I’ll be sharing some email conversations I’ve had with different colleagues and friends in the industry to just share what they’re thinking personally and professionally, to highlight the common threads that run through our lives.
Today you’ll hear from Dan Schrementi, from Incredible Technologies. If you don’t know Dan personally, you would definitely recognize his big smile and his contagious enthusiasm. He’s one of my favorite guys I seek out at every tradeshow, as he always inspires me. Here’s what Dan had to share …
Taking Inventory
“Through history, disasters are proven to cause people to stop and take inventory of their lives. They bring an appreciation for the small things and trigger a kindness in humanity. Historically, this attitude wanes as time passes post-disaster but some glimmer of impact is left that makes us stronger.
“Nothing in our lifetime is comparable to the scale of the COVID-19 pandemic and it’s my hope that nothing will be comparable to its lasting impact. Since the lockdown began, COVID-19 has triggered a closeness with my family, friends, coworkers and customers. I’ve spent more time this month talking to contacts in the gaming industry about their families, their careers and personal lives than I have about selling slot machines or increasing ‘Win Per Unit.’ We have a common thread – we’re in it together.
“Connecting to the human side of work has also offered me some personal therapy. Since the lockdown began, each day I start the day with a blog post to our team at Incredible Technologies. It’s helped me stay connected and set a general tone for the day. It’s also helped share an authentic glimpse into my personal life with people I respect and care about. Our team works off of a ‘good humans first’ approach to business and this time has allowed us to put our philosophy into action.
“There will come a time where the world and the gaming industry will write about COVID-19’s impact in the past tense. In that time, my advice to us all is to read the very words we’ve been writing in these days – be it blog posts, emails or text messages – to remember why we’re stronger from being ‘in it together.
“The situation with IT is unique – being a smaller, private manufacturer we’re blessed in the fact that we do not operate on a heavy debt burden and we do qualify for some assistance. We are beyond grateful that our ownership have been able to keep all staff on board so far. That said, clearly, our resources are not infinite. We are working hard to keep the company alive during lockdown, moving many projects forward working virtually so we can be ready to thrive on the other end. We’re being optimistic, but yet very realistic in our expectations.
