Author: Cat Cooley
GameTruck Aligns With Make-A-Wish®
TEMPE, Ariz., May 16, 2012 — GameTruck Licensing, LLC is now a proud sponsor of Make-A-Wish and its mission to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. GameTruck—the original and only patented mobile video game theater—joins other well-known national corporations in their efforts to support the Make-A-Wish vision of granting every eligible child’s wish. GameTruck franchise owners will participate in more than 500 Make-A-Wish chapter events throughout the year.
“We are extremely excited to support a great organization like Make-A-Wish,” said Scott Novis, founder and CEO of GameTruck. “GameTruck already focuses on making kids’ dreams come true every day, and this is the perfect way for us to raise the bar. This alliance allows us the ability to get involved with volunteer opportunities, event participation, donating GameTruck experiences and cause marketing promotions.”
“For Make-A-Wish, companies like GameTruck are essential to fulfilling our wish-granting mission,” said David A. Williams, president and chief executive officer of Make-A-Wish, America. “GameTruck goes above and beyond to create wish experiences that make life more enjoyable for wish kids and their families.”
About GameTruck
GameTruck offers a premier party experience for both children and adults in an interactive, multiplayer environment that accommodates 16 or more players. Self-powered, climate-controlled GameTruck trailers are outfitted with comfortable seating, four to as many as eight flat-screen HDTVs, enhanced sound systems, more than three dozen of the latest multiplayer video games and all the major video game consoles (XBOX360®, Nintendo Wii™ and Playstation®3). A GameCoach manages each event, promoting fair, interactive play. Since it was founded in 2006, GameTruck has grown to 60 franchisees operating 80 GameTruck rigs in 150 territories across 23 states and Lagos, Nigeria. Expansion is underway in Canada and Trinidad and GameTruck expects to add 30 new franchisees and 60 new territories in 2012 alone, with long-range projections for 200 to 250 units covering the U.S. and Canada. GameTruck is the owner of U.S. Pat. No. 8,029,368 issued October 4, 2011.
About Make-A-Wish
Make-A-Wish grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. According to a 2011 study of wish impact, most health professionals surveyed say a wish come true can affect their health outcomes. Kids say wishes give them renewed strength to fight their illness, and their parents say these experiences strengthen the entire family. Based in Phoenix, Make-A-Wish is one of the world’s leading children’s charities, serving children in every community in the United States, its territories and in 47 countries on five continents. With the help of generous donors and more than 30,000 volunteers worldwide, Make-A-Wish grants a wish somewhere in the world every 23 minutes. It has granted more than 280,000 wishes since its inception in 1980. Visit Make-A-Wish at www.wish.org and discover how you can share the power of a wish®.
Akron: Video game truck brings the party to the kids
AKRON — It’s hard to miss the 33-foot, lime green trailer towed behind a matching pickup truck.
But it’s what’s on the inside of GameTruck that’s really the head turner.
Six HD, LED flat screen TVs, a 20-foot leather couch and an endless supply of video games and controllers.
Scott Beskid owns the first franchise of the new company in Northeast Ohio.
The former social worker from Hudson has spent the last eight years as a stay at home dad for his two sons, ages 7 and 9, while his wife has a full–time job.
About nine months ago, the Beskids began looking at franchise opportunities that would allow Scott to work, but still be home during the hours when his kids are not at school.
They looked at restaurants and stores, then stumbled upon GameTruck.
GameTruck is an Arizona-based company that’s relatively new — it formed in 2006 — like a “family room on steroids” the franchise owners take the truck to events around town.
It’s an entertainment idea for parties, so up to 24 kids can play interactive video games together at once, in a safe, air conditioned environment.
Parents can pick the games they want included and the amount of time for the rental.
It’s also making stops at local businesses, which are renting the truck for presentations and teaching seminars.
GameTruck recently partnered with NASA to create learning games geared for children in K-5th grade.
Just six weeks into partnership and Beskid has a full calender of kids’ parties, corporate events and even some upcoming educational opportunities for schools.
The only other GameTruck in Ohio is the Columbus area, but Beskid thinks there will be more throughout the state in the near future.
Whether or not it’s a success, his kids — and all the kids who step inside — give GameTruck a resounding “Yes!”
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MOBILE VIDEO GAME THEATER CONVERTS TO GAMETRUCK
(Indianapolis, Ind.)—Joao Belo had the right idea but chose the wrong company when he bought a mobile video gaming theater last year. Belo—a long-time finance and marketing professional and an entrepreneur at heart—has always had a passion for innovative products and ideas, so when he discovered mobile video gaming, he jumped at the chance to own his own trailer. Soon after he purchased a trailer from a less-than-reputable company last year, he discovered GameTruck, a patented mobile video game theater concept that is the longest- running of its type in the country. Belo decided to convert his trailer to become a GameTruck franchisee and will begin servicing the greater Indianapolis area in late April.
GameTruck is in the midst of an aggressive Midwest expansion campaign and plans to add at least 10 licensees in Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio over the next two years. The company is confident Belo will help grow the brand in central Indiana and beyond.
Since moving to the U.S. from his native Latin America to pursue his MBA degree at Northwestern University several years ago, Belo has held a series of high-level leadership positions in both finance and sales and marketing in the medical and pharmaceutical fields. Despite his coveted success in the corporate world, Belo—who also has a bachelor’s degree in international business—has always yearned to follow his entrepreneurial side.
“I’ve always had a passion and interest in breakthrough categories, so when I discovered the mobile video gaming concept I was hooked,” Belo said. “I jumped at the chanceto buy my own mobile video game theater, but looking back I should have done more homework before choosing a company.”
Belo, whose total enthusiasm for mobile video gaming resonates even over the phone, was shocked when he discovered several safety issues with the trailer he purchased. The wrong gas tank was installed, creating a potential fire hazard, and the vehicle failed to meet regulations set by the Environmental Protection Agency. And to Belo’s frustration, the corporate office of the company offered no support to its mobile video game trailer owners, leaving him and others on their own to deal with the problem.
So Belo decided to meet with representatives from GameTruck, the only mobile video game theater franchise that holds a patent for its innovative technology of bringing ultimate video game parties anywhere. As a passionate believer in quality mobile gaming, GameTruck found Belo to be a perfect fit for the franchise, and invited him to join the team by converting his existing trailer to a GameTruck mobile video game theater.
As GameTruck and Belo prepare for the launch of GameTruck in Indianapolis, GameTruck is working on renovating the trailer to ensure that the strictest safety standards are in place. Belo’s conversion also means it is being outfitted with all the video gaming systems that create a premier party experience for both kids and adults in an interactive, multiplayer environment that accommodates up to 16 players.
“I reached out to them and said, ‘I’m operating something in which you guys have a patent for, and I want to be part of your team,’” Belo said. “I’m used to doing business with premium brands, and in this industry GameTruck is the only premium brand. I’m also used to doing things the right way and conducting myself with integrity, and I expect that from my business partners as well.”
For Belo, the patent made all the difference. “The patent lends so much legitimacy to this business model,” Belo said. “Combined with the honesty and support that comes from the corporate office, GameTruck was a perfect fit for me to grow my mobile video game theater business.”