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DARL DAVIDSON RETIRES FROM SEGA WITH YEARS OF CONTRIBUTIONS
Elk Grove Village, IL - Sega Amusements USA, Inc. (SAU)
To some he is known as the Vice President of Parts for Sega Amusements USA, to some he is known as the “Double D” mascot for Derby Owners Club - World Edition, to most he is a legend in customer service, and to his team he is the leader of their family. Darl Davidson is retiring from Sega leaving the company with a legacy and lessons taught in dedication to the customer, teamwork and online service.
Darl began his term in the coin-operated industry in 1977,
In 1987, former Atari figure turned President of SAU, Tom Petit, gave Darl the opportunity to revamp and reorganize their Customer Service operation. “When I became Director of Customer Service for Sega, I knew what I had to do,” says Davidson, “I had to bring with me the best parts crew in the industry, my coworkers from Atari. Together, we made it our mission to make Sega a responsive and caring organization that puts customer service #1.” It was with the addition of Darl that Sega became the first coin-op company to stock game parts in advance of sale in order to meet customers' service needs. This launched an industry trend and established a Sega standard. By 1993, Darl became the corporate Vice President and since returned to parts as Vice President of Service when the San Francisco functions transferred to the Chicago office in May of 2005.
Darl has been a man of many accolades for Sega.
Darl has always been held in very high regard at Sega. The company has learned much from him and thanks him and the Fremont office staff for their many great contributions. “Darl has created a great reputation for Sega. His service department had excellent follow-up and reaction, and he excelled at troubleshooting customer service and building trust among our customers,” states Vice President Takeshi Inoue. He thanks Darl “for his long-term dedication and great personality. There is not a person in the industry that doesn't enjoy Darl. His contributions will be missed.”
Darl is looking forward to a relaxed future after Sega. He plans to reside in Albany, Oregon with his supportive wife of 39 years, Diane, and he will neighbor his daughter Sheri and son Scott. “I may be young to retire (at 60 years), but funny enough, I've always been the oldest at every company I've worked for,” Darl laughs, “I am looking forward to being in Oregon with my family.” When asked what his new hobby will be, Darl claimed, “I plan to follow the footsteps of former President Carter, the woodworker.” His projects will include perfecting dovetails and the rocking chair.
In closing, Darl thanks Sega and the many people he has worked with over the years. “I had a good career, but the people I've worked with made my life. Seeing my team progress as young, sometimes old, adults, and build their families has been so exciting to me. Work was always secondary. They have enriched my life. A special thanks to my team of parts experts: Judy Hernandez, Han Rockhill, Ken Westerfield, Carol Washington, Lisa Krupinski, Bobbi Nuttal, Al Vernon, Brian Springs, and Brad Hill. I also want to express my appreciation for great lessons and advice from the late Al Bettelman of C.A. Robinson, the late Lou Singer of Central Distributing, and Joe Robbins of Bally Corporation, the father of the coin-op industry. Also, my wife for being so supportive throughout my career. Lastly, I'd like to thank the company of Sega for a great ride together. We've proven that the most important thing is the customer and I am happy that Sega will continue supporting the industry with the great staff in Chicago.” |
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First Look
announces today the official retirement of Darl Davidson. Darl has contributed 15 solid years to Sega and made groundbreaking initiatives for the company and the industry as a whole. 
bringing with him an education in Electronic Engineering. He worked for Atari running their Printed Circuit Board Building, and one year later was promoted to a position that, at the time, he could not imagine would provide the very foundation he would carry throughout the remainder of his professional career. In 1978, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Frank Ballouz, offered him a job in Customer Service and gave him the freedom to hand pick a team to work underneath him. Darl selected a staff of dedicated professionals that would later follow him in his transitions, including Judy Hernandez, Elaine Shirley and Al Vernon. 
In addition to enhancement of customer service and response, Darl was able to create a new relationship between the manufacturer and distributor. He traveled often to visit nearly every distributor and teach them how to service Sega games, while also collecting feedback on how to better meet their needs. The most instrumental accomplishment of his was the development of Sega's service website, in which Darl thanks Sr. Graphic Designer Han Rockhill for his undying dedication and creativity to the project. He states, “This website was crucial for the industry as it finally gave operators the ability to help themselves online. There's still nothing else out there like it. We created something that benefited everyone, but most of all, the customers.” However, when asked what meant most to Mr. Davidson, he remarked it is the people that he had with him along the way. “We hired professionals who cared about their jobs, were the best at their position, and had to prove themselves. The reputation was if you were a part of Sega service, you were the best in the industry. We supported each other and got things done, 100% on our own. We were one cohesive group. In fact, I never thought of Sega as a company. It was my extended family.”
