PEORIA, Ill. — A well-known brand in the arcade industry has moved its headquarters from Salinas, Kansas to downtown Peoria.
Pop-A-Shot, which produces the original basketball arcade game, unveiled its new digs at 918 SW Adams Street, in the Warehouse District, Thursday afternoon with a ribbon-cutting.
So, why Peoria? Owners Tony and Kelly Stucker have a Peoria connection. Kelly Stucker grew up here.
“One time we were back here a couple years ago, and thought okay, maybe we should look for a property here. We fell in love with the Warehouse District, and looked into a number of properties there. I lived in Chicago, so I love old warehouses you see in the Midwest. You sure don’t see them in California, where we’re from,” Stucker said.
Stucker told WMBD’s Greg and Dan, Pop-A-Shot had outgrown its headquarters and staffing capabilities in Salinas, a town of about 40,000 people.
After scouting out the area, Peoria seemed like a good fit.
Mayor Jim Ardis said it’s great seeing people who are from Peoria come back home.
“We need that happening more often. Unfortuntely we hear so many stories in Illinois about the other direction,” Ardis said. “So, when you get a story like this, it’s really exciting and really special. We have to talk about it. We have to encourage other people that left however long ago that there’s a lot of good things going here.”
Stucker said Pop-A-Shot needs to create a whole new staff for its headquarters on SW Adams.
“Everything from H.R., Sales, Accounting, Marketing, Customer Support, Warehousing. Most of our games are made in China, but we do a lot of customization of games. Some of that is done here in the U.S.,” Stucker said.
Stucker said Pop-A-Shot hopes to hire 10-12 new employees by the end of the year.
Councilwoman Denise Moore said the Warehouse District is electric.
“A lot is happening. It means more employment, it means more added to the tax base that will lessen the pressure on other individuals who live in the city. So, it’s a wonderful thing,” Moore said.
For more information about Pop-A-Shot, click HERE.
