The head of the Iowa Lottery spoke to members of the Greater Burlington Partnership on Friday to encourage local businesses to capitalize on new ideas and embrace new technology.
Terry Rich, an author, former journalist and former television executive, delved into his past during the meeting , discussing his use of newly developed Satellite Uplink technology back during his early career to immense success, and using everyone favorite has-been camera company, Kodak, as a warning.
“Kodak didn’t fail because it missed the digital age–it actually invented the first digital camera,” explained Rich, “But they said ‘eh, it’s a great idea, but lets not act on it because people are always going to want to print pictures. They’re never gonna use this Facebook thing or Twitter. Being nible and embracing change is so important.”
The Iowa Lottery itself has been a victim of the new millennium and the changes that come with it. In September, a former lottery official was sentenced to 10 years in prison for rigging a computerized Hot Lotto game in 2010 in an attempt to win a $14 million jackpot in Iowa.
He wasn’t able to successfully cash the ticket, but Rich says that the incident was a valuable lesson.
“There will always be people who try to take advantage of the system,” Rich told KBUR, “The tough part in managing people is, when you think about it, you have to trust somebody, and if they violate that trust, you have to have the checks and balances to try to counter it.”
Rich spoke at the Greater Burlington Partnership’s Manufacturers Luncheon at the Pzazz Event Center. It was attended by representatives from a whole slew of area businesses.
