Steve Sutherland and Lori Nelson-Kraft have been named recipients of the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers’ 2024 Memorial Awards.
Sutherland will receive the Jens Halle Memorial Award Honoring Excellence in Commercial Gaming Professionalism and Nelson-Kraft will receive the Peter Mead Memorial Award Honoring Excellence in Gaming Media & Communications.
Sutherland has more than three decades in the gaming-supplier sector, including 25 years at Konami Gaming, where he currently serves as president and CEO and is a member of the board of directors.
“Throughout his entire career, Steve has been someone with an executive mindset who knows how to lead, manage, and operate a business at an extremely high level,” said AGEM Board of Directors Chair Bob Parente in a statement. “He brought his knowledge from the technology industry into the gaming-supplier sector and made a lasting impact on the companies he has led, all while helping mentor countless other commercial executives who now are themselves leaders of gaming supplier companies with global reach.
“He’s the real deal when it comes to our industry and epitomizes excellence in commercial gaming professionalism. Our supplier sector salutes Steve for all he continues to accomplish and happily presents this year’s Jens Halle award to him.”
Nelson-Kraft, now the senior vice president of corporate affairs for the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix, has been a leading voice for gaming interests for nearly three decades. After starting her career advocating for gaming interests at R&R Partners, Nelson-Kraft served as public spokesperson for Station Casinos (now Red Rock Resorts) on its corporate and community efforts inside and outside Nevada for nearly 15 years before joining the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority as its senior vice president of communications in 2019.
“Lori and her stewardship of our gaming industry message have benefited gaming suppliers, operators, employees, and communities in countless ways over the last few decades,” said AGEM President Daron Dorsey. “We have been so fortunate to have her energy, creativity and drive throughout our ongoing journey for both legitimacy and respect.
“In fact, we see just how far we have come within our industry when tens of thousands of attendees come to G2E in Las Vegas each October to see tomorrow’s gaming innovations and experience world-class hospitality, leisure, and entertainment in multibillion dollar properties along Las Vegas Boulevard, all within a short trip from an international airport hub. We needed champions like Lori as our industry matured and now rely on her and others like her to help tell the next chapter of our growth. We are proud to honor Lori with this year’s Peter Mead award.”
AGEM will recognize Sutherland and Nelson-Kraft at the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas. This year’s awards ceremony will take place on Wednesday October 9 at 2 p.m. at the G2E Networking Lounge on the exhibition show floor.
Previous winners of the Jens Halle Award are Len Ainsworth, Rick Meitzler, Gavin Isaacs, Tom Nieman, Robert “Bob” McMonigle, Sebastian Salat, Roy Student, and Bob Manz. Previous winners of the Peter Mead Award are Howard Stutz, Roger Gros, Frank Legato, Dave Palermo, David Orrick, Alan Feldman, Frank Fantini, and Victor Rocha.
Rege Behe is lead contributor to CDC Gaming. He can be reached at rbehe@cdcgaming.com. Please follow @RegeBehe_exPTR on Twitter.
