THE WORLD'S ONLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED EXCLUSIVELY TO THE BUSINESS OF BOWLING

PUBLISHER & EDITORScott Frager

frager@bowlingindustry.comSkype: scottfrager

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHERDavid Garber

garber@bowlingindustry.com

OFFICE MANAGERPatty Heath

heath@bowlingindustry.com

CONTRIBUTORSDavid Garber

Fred GrohPatty Heath

Cameron LinderJackie Wyckoff

EDITORIAL DIRECTORJackie Fisher

fisher@bowlingindustry.com

ART DIRECTION & PRODUCTIONDesignworks

www.dzynwrx.com(818) 735-9424

FOUNDERAllen Crown (1933-2002)

12655 Ventura BoulevardStudio City, CA 91604(818) 789-2695(BOWL)

Fax (818) 789-2812info@bowlingindustry.com

www.BowlingIndustry.com

HOTLINE: 888-424-2695SUBSCRIPTION RATES: One copy ofInternational Bowling Industry is sent free toevery bowling center, independently ownedpro shop and collegiate bowling center inthe U.S., and every military bowling centerand pro shop worldwide. Publisher reservesthe right to provide free subscriptions tothose individuals who meet publicationqualifications. Additional subscriptions maybe purchased for delivery in the U.S. for $50per year. Subscriptions for Canada andMexico are $65 per year, all other foreignsubscriptions are $80 per year. All foreignsubscriptions should be paid in U.S. fundsusing International Money Orders.POSTMASTER: Please send new as well asold address to International Bowling Industry,12655 Ventura Boulevard, Studio City, CA91604 USA. If possible, please furnishaddress mailing label.Printed in U.S.A. Copyright 2015, B2B Media,Inc. No part of this magazine may be reprintedwithout the publisher’s permission.

MEMBER AND/OR SUPPORTER OF:

6SHORTS

• Brunswick’sKurt Harz retires• Reflections on

Bent Peterson• Imply shows off new

products at IAAPA• QubicaAMF under

control of Qubicalegacy partners

By Patty Heath

10FUNDRAISINGThe Fundraising

Dynamo!At the tender age of nine,

avid bowler and animallover Abbigail Hickman

founded Pins for Pets.By Jackie Wyckoff

16SPECIAL FEATURE

Steady-StateRemembering TwelveStrike’s first 25 years.

By Fred Groh

20COVER STORY

Be Our GuestDoug Lipp, a former

Disney corporateexecutive, shares lessons

for employee training fromone of the world’s most

powerful brands.By Fred Groh

CONTENTS VOL 23.1

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38

IBI January 20154

20

26BUSINESSA Relevant RenovationHow Rich Glomb stayedrelevant (and profitable) tohis demographics.By Fred Groh

34WHAT BOWLINGMEANS TO MEService BusinessmanCameron Linder explains hisview on the differentmeanings of ‘service.’By Cameron Linder

38CENTER STAGEA BowlingHomecomingQubicaAMF Worldwidechairman of the board andproprietor Pat Ciniellodonates lanes to his almamater Monmoth University.By Fred Groh

42TRADE SHOWAll Fun and GamesA look at the 2014IAAPA expo.By Fred Groh andDavid Garber

46REMEMBER WHENSpace: The FinalFrontier of Bowling?Star TrekBy Patty Heath

48 Classifieds

53 Datebook

54 Showcase

In 2014, IBI acknowledged the efforts of centers serving theircommunities and supporting charitable organizations. The eventsbelow were some that capped the end of the year and helped startoff the New Year.

The Coastal Empire Special Olympics held a bowling tournamentat Frames N’ Games in Savannah, GA. Students got the chanceto show off their bowling skills and have some fun. One parent saidchildren with special needs have no limits.

The Emmanuel Cancer Foundation hosted its first bowl-a-thonto “strike back at cancer” and raise money for pediatric cancerpatients. The event was held at Brunswick Zone in Deptford, NJ,which donated the pizza, drinks, shoes and balls.

Indianapolis Colts star wide receiver Ty Hilton teamed up withStrikes for Kids to host a charity bowling event benefiting four localhigh school seniors. Expo Bowling Center in Beech Grove, IN,hosted, with all proceeds going toward college scholarships.

Santa held his second annual Bowling with Santa at Tri-CountyBowl in Jerseyville, IL. Besides a nice visit with Santa, everyoneenjoyed bowling and the kids got goodie bags as an extra treat.

NBA champion and former NY Knicks guard Trent Tuckerhosted an All-Star Celebrity Bowling Event, benefitting the JuvenileDiabetes Research Foundation. Frames, New York City, was thevenue and guests included NBA stars Patrick Ewing, CharlesOakley, and Scottie Pippen. Football made its presence known withNY Giants Super Bowl stars Michael Strahan and Eli Manning.

The Telegram & Gazette of Worcester, MA, has promoted aT&G Santa Fund for 76 years, working with its readers andcompanies gathering donations to help buy toys for children in needin central Massachusetts. Children 12 and younger who wouldotherwise not receive any holiday gifts are eligible to receive at leasttwo toys each. This year, a senior league of women, all over theage of 65, who used to bowl in other leagues but “dropped out,”joined in the cause. The Dropouts, who bowl every Thursdaymorning at Colonial Bowling Center in Worcester, MA, pooledtheir funds to help this worthy cause.

Raising the Woof Bowling Party was held at Rose BowlLanes in Marshfield, WI. It was a fundraiser to support MarshfieldPet Shelter.

The Greene Community Health Foundation hosted its fifthannual Bowling for Babies fundraiser at Beaver-Vu Bowl inBeavercreek, OH. The focus of this year’s event was to raiseawareness of the issue of infant mortality through education aboutsafe sleeping practices and sharing the value of breastfeeding fornewborns and infants.

Airport Plaza Bowl in Bethalto, IL, hosted Strike Out Cancerbenefitting the Relay For Life which was sponsored by ComputerSpecialists.

What is your center doing? Email Patty Heath atheath@bowlingindustry.com.

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6 IBI January 2015

SHORTS

Imply, headquartered in Santa Cruz do Sul,Brazil, introduced its reinvented MiniBowlingand licensed games based on the Flintstonescartoon characters at IAAPA Attractions Expoin Orlando, FL, in November.

With compact lanes and enhanced designs,MiniBowling offers six themes: Pop Art, Pub,Retro, Hipster, Space, and Bowling Classics. Tocomplement the players’ area, a colorful rangeof sofas, tables, and lighting effects adds to thecomfort and enjoyment.

“The compact lanes make the game mucheasier. It is a new approach to the bowlingexperience, focused on family entertainment,”said Imply CEO Tironi Paz Ortiz.

In addition, Imply has joined forces with thelicensing division ofWarner Bros., creatingnew and exclusivegames with some ofthe most popularcharacters from TheFlintstones. “BammBamm Strike” and“Yabba Dabba Doo!”are its new gamereleases.

Ball Square Bowling, an 8-lane candlepincenter, in Medford, MA,celebrated 50 years inbusiness. Owned andoperated continually bythe Foster family—Herbert Sr. and Jr.(Butch)—it is an original“original.” There havebeen no renovationsmade, just a well-maintained operation.

Happy birthday!

Happy Birthday toa Retro Original!

IAAPA visitor tries outIMPLY’s latest attraction.

Imply Debuts NewProducts at IAAPA

Photo: The SomervilleNews Weekly,William Tauro

8 IBI January 2015

SHORTS

QUBICA LEGACYPARTNERS ACQUIREFULL OWNERSHIP OF

QUBICAAMFJust when you thought the bowling

world had settled down, QubicaAMFWorldwide (QubicaAMF), one of thelargest manufacturers of bowlingproducts, is shaking things up onceagain. The company announced thatthe Qubica legacy partners—RobertoVaioli, Luca Drusiana, Emanuele Govoni,Guido Sorba, Pat Ciniello, FrankMascadri and Rich Albright—havefinalized a transaction with BowlmorAMF to acquire Bowlmor’s ownershipin the company. After nearly a decadesince the creation of QubicaAMF, thecompany will operate under a singleprivate ownership.

Since its founding in 1993, Qubicahas installed equipment on over 35,000lanes in more than 50 countries.Emanuele Govoni, former CEO ofQubica Worldwide and QubicaAMFChief Marketing Officer, will serve asthe CEO of QubicaAMF. Pat Ciniello,former president and chairman ofQubica Worldwide and president ofQubicaAMF Worldwide, LLC, will bethe chairman of the board.

“With this transaction, we are goingback to our roots, and believe we arepositioning our company, and the entirebowling industry, for a new era. We areextremely honored after 20 years ofexperience in this great industry, to nowhave the opportunity to take thelegendary AMF brand, along withQubica, to the next level,” stated Govoni.

Ciniello added, “QubicaAMF isuniquely positioned, and fully dedicated,to continue on the path of deliveringthe most innovative, high-qualityproducts to make our customers moreprofitable and make bowling a fun andtop-of-mind entertainment destination toattract millions of new consumers.”

KURT HARZ RETIRES FROM BRUNSWICKBrent Perrier, president of Brunswick Bowling and Billiards,

announced the retirement of longtime industry leader andBrunswick vice president of capital sales–Americas, Kurt Harz.

Harz began his career at Brunswick in 1975 after graduatingfrom Western Illinois University. A rarity in a world that seesmany changes, he spent more than 39 years with the companyin a variety of sales roles from junior salesman to vice president

of capital sales–Americas. “Of all of the outstanding leaders in the history of our company, I dare say that

no one has done a better job of serving our customers, serving our fellow teammembers and exhibiting unwavering devotion and commitment to the Brunswickbrand,” Perrier said. “Certainly he deserves his well-earned retirement, but it’s goingto be tough to say goodbye.”

SHORTS

New Home for New Center ConsultingTouchDesk III management systems and TouchScore3 are in a new home for building, testing and

repairing scoring components. The new 2,240-square-foot facility, located in Auburn, MI, has two floors whichwill allow New Center Consulting, Inc. to keep production and warranty in a separate location from its usedparts inventory, currently located in the metro Detroit area.

Techno Geeks BewareNo matter where you turn, people can be seen with heads lowered over their extended connective tissue,

their cell phones. Well, listen up.A new study published in the journal Surgical Technology International analyzed the amount of time the

average person spends bent over his phone and the impact it has on the spine. The average person spendstwo to four hours a day hunched over to read, text or watch videos; teens and younger adults spend evenmore time in this position.

When the head tilts, it puts pressure on muscles in the neck. This can cause poor posture or worse—damageto the spine resulting in wear and tear, degeneration, and possibly surgeries.

Here is a visual to conjure every time you look down at your cell phone: looking down at a cell phoneis like putting a 60-pound weight on a person’s neck. An even better visual? It is equal to four adult-sizedbowling balls!

A Grand Gesture Gone AwryIn Cinderford, Gloucestershire, UK, Grandpa Graham Wildin had

an idea to add pleasure to his family’s frequent visits. He removed9,000 tons of soil on his property and built a wonderland ofentertainment which included two lanes of bowling, a 16-seatcinema, squash courts, a private casino and a bar. It also boasts indoortennis and badminton courts and a 25-foot, three-story doll’s house.

At the beginning of the construction, he was under the impression that no permission was necessary.However, as things progressed, that was not the case. All it took was one disgruntled neighbor and the councilofficials declared that, on closer inspection, the building breaches planning laws and have ordered him toreturn the land to its original state.

“This is my family home, all my children and my grandchildren come to visit. It’s the place they all go.”Wildin is appealing the decision and the council has said it is looking for a workable solution.

SHORT SHORTS

9IBI January 2015

SHORTS

Edwin Korzen, proprietor of Illinois centers StardustBowl in Addison, Hillside Bowl in Hillside and Classic Bowlin Morton Grove, died in his Beverly Hills, CA, home atthe age of 83. Bill Duff, executive director of Illinois Stateand Chicagoland BPAs, shared that Korzen was at onetime owner of six bowling centers in Chicagoland and northwestIndiana, including the 76-lane Town and Country Bowl in Northlake,IL. He is survived by his wife, Carolyn, three children and fivegrandchildren.

IN REMEMBRANCE

Anne-Marie Board, QubicaAMF World Cupmanager, announced a very sad farewell to AMFlegend Bent Petersen, 1932-2014. Formerexecutive vice president, Bent died peacefully athome on Nov. 21. A much loved and respectedmember of the AMF family, he retired from thecompany in 1998 after 36 years.

Bent joined AMF in 1962 in Sweden and washeavily involved in the development of bowlingin Sweden and Denmark. From there he movedto Japan, ultimately becoming president of AMF’soperation in Japan and the Far East. Next was the United Kingdom withresponsibilities for Europe and the Middle East, followed by a move tothe U.S. as president of AMF International based in New York. Toround out his global influence, Bent returned to the UK in 1988, handlingall bowling sales to countries outside the U.S., and in 1995 wasresponsible for the development of bowling in Eastern Europe and theIndian sub-continent.

Paul Lane, who worked with Bent in Japan, England and New York,shared some comments sent to him regarding Bent’s passing:

Nick Keppe, Bowltech UK: “The term ‘icon of the industry’ is ringingin my ears. A very sad day but the memories are many and all of thembring a smile to my face.”

Brent Perrier, Brunswick: “Bent was one of the great men of my life.”Len Charney, Len Charney Service Management, Israel: “Sad news.

He was responsible for a very special period in my life.”David Trend, BowlingVision UK: “I freely acknowledge that Bent

was a huge, positive influence on my life!”Steven P. Mella, ComStar International, Inc., New York City: “Bent

and I spent a lot of good times together in our AMF days…a specialman! He lived a very full life…can’t imagine he left anything in thebucket. RIP.”

Bent is survived by his wife, Julia; children Karin, Jens and Anne Marie;grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The Illinois State BPAelected a new slate of officersand directors at its annual fallmeeting held in Sandwich, IL,in November. Jeff Johnson,who owns 4 Seasons BowlingCenter in Freeport, will takethe helm as associationpresident for the next two

years. Joining Johnson on ISBPA’s 2015-2016executive committee are Bob Stubler, vicepresident, Kimberly Stanek-Sims, secretary, and BillBrennan IV, treasurer.Photo: Lydia Rypcinski, ISBPA

Winners of ISBPA’s specialawards for 2014 wereannounced during the generalmembership luncheon. JimSmith, Park Lanes in LovesPark, won the Louis P. PetersenAward, given to an ISBPAmember who has devoted alifetime of service to the sportand industry. Smith began his career at Park Lanesas an instructor and lane maintenance supervisor.After taking a four-year break, Smith returned asgeneral manager and eventually became one ofthree co-owners of the 32-lane center.

Brunswick Bowling andBilliards reconfigures its salesefforts with the promotion ofDan Borgie to vice presidentof modernization sales–NorthAmerica. Borgie began hiscareer at Brunswick in 1984,progressing through the salesranks to his latest position.

Also, John Roush has beenpromoted to vice president ofnew center construction–NorthAmerica. Roush has been withBrunswick since 1994. Bothpromotions are effectiveimmediately and concurrentwith the retirement of KurtHarz.

PEOPLEWATCHING

Jeff Johnson

Jim Smith

John Roush

Dan Borgie

THE BOWLING WORLD SADDENED BYTHE PASSING OF BENT PETERSEN

FUNDRAISING

10 IBI January 2015

n 2013, when the Matt Hickmans of Tracy, CAdecided they needed to add a cat to theirmenagerie, they went to the local animal shelterto choose their new pet. Abbigail Hickman was

appalled at the condition of the small shelter. “It was really old and smelled bad because it is right

next to the sewage treatment plant,” said Abbi. “Ithought I might be able to do a fundraiser to helpthem, so I combined my love of bowling and animalsand came up with Pins for Pets.”

It’s not so amazing that an animal lover would wantto help the shelter. The amazing part is that Abbi wasjust nine years old at the time.

Her first step was to discuss it with her mom,Sunnee, who said she would help with the project.Then she talked to the center manager where shebowls and he said he would help. She was off to theraces at this point. Abbi hoped to raise $1,500 but thisadolescent over-achiever ended up with more than$7,500 in cash and goods that first year, and her totalin 2014 was more than $10,000.

Pins for Pets is designed as a fun bowling event inwhich people of all ages and skill levels can participate.Attendees pay $10 per person for two hours ofbowling during the specified time period. They areencouraged to bring a donation item for the shelter(food, bedding, pet toys, etc.) and participate in theother activities such as the chance drawing. Thegenerous donations of animal food from the 2014event carried the shelter for the entire year.

Never one to rest on her laurels, Abbi’s goal for theFebruary 28, 2015 fundraiser is $15,000.

The event is held annually at West Valley Bowl inTracy, CA. Manager Herb Hunter donates the venuefor the event. Abbi said, “Well, we do give him a boxof Krispy Kreme donuts.” Sunnee said if they maketheir goal, as they did in 2014, they compensate thecenter, although not nearly at the going rate.

The center staff comes in to help on their day offand Abbi recruits her friends and family as well.Members of the West Valley Bowl Travel League actas volunteer lane monitors and runners. “Momager”(mom/manager) Sunnee takes care of the books and

By Jackie Wyckoff

THEFUNDRAISING DYNAMO! I

Avid bowler andfounder of Pins forPets, Abbi Hickmanis a fundraising star.

FUNDRAISING

11IBI January 2015

paperwork and drives Abbiaround town to garner sponsorsfor the event. They sell tables tovendors for $25 each, and thevendors donate a prize for the chancedrawing. There is a DJ, clown, facepainting, and the Cupcake Ladybrings a mobile bakery to the venueand donates a portion of theproceeds. “She is cool,” said Abbi.“She even makes ‘pupcakes’ soyou can buy a treat for your dog.”

Family friend and fellow bowlerAndrew Espino is the official

photographer, graphic designer and webmasterextraordinaire for Pins for Pets. Abbi and Andrew have collaborated ona new logo for 2015, below. Each volunteer receives a logo shirt for hisefforts and Abbi’s “staff” has plenty to keep them busy during the event.

This year Abbi plans to add a silent auction for the bigger prizes andhopes to add a photo booth if she can find a company to donate onefor the day.

She writes a letter explaining the event and takes it to local businessesto request donations. In 2014 she visited more than 100 businesses inTracy. She also writes a letter or email which she sends out. She hasgarnered donations from the San Francisco Giants, the Oakland A’s,Great America, Marine World and other prominent NorthernCalifornia venues. According to her momager, she has about an 80%success rate securing donations. Mom drives her around but staysin the car or just inside the door of the business when she goeson her sales calls. Abbi does the rest on her own.

One of the ways they distribute the multitude of smaller prizesis the dance-off. The DJ plays a song and calls a dance and thedance winner gets a prize. Abbi is the judge and said, “My science

At the tender age of nine, avid bowler and animal loverAbbigail Hickman founded Pins for Pets.

The Hickman family.

The silent auction is full of great items.The FUN-raising team at West Valley Bowl who help to make Pinsfor Pets so successful.

teacher was so great. She won the Funky Chickendance. She was doing it all over the lanes.”

For the upcoming event, Abbi wanted to dosomething for the serious bowlers as well as thecasual bowler. So she is hosting a youth/adultscholarship tournament to benefit Pins for Pets on theday after the fundraiser. The tournament directorwill be Mike Hillman, proprietor of Cloverleaf FamilyBowl in Fremont, CA and co-founder of the YouthBowlers Tour. “Abbi charmed me into it,” notedHillman. “She is a great salesperson.”

This all started with Sheldon the cat who found hisforever home with the Hickmans. Abbi admits hersister, Madison, “is the real cat whisperer in thefamily,” and Abbi jokes that she raises money tosave animals and Madison, who is active in 4-H, killsthem. The lucky Sheldon joins the family menagerieof Jasmine the dog, Rosie the rabbit, Sam and Normiethe guinea pigs, Stashey (named for its moustache)the cat, and an assortment of fish and chickens.

Abbi fell in love with bowling at age six when dad,

14 IBI January 2015

Matt, a once-a-week league bowler,first took her to the lanes. She joined her firstleague at age seven and joined the prestigious NorCal Travel League at age nine. Currently sheaverages around 130, bowls in two leagues a weekand often practices just as much. She has amassedover $3,000 in SMART scholarship money alreadyand has set her sights on attending Wichita State.The practical Abbi told us, “The difference betweenbowling and every other sport at my age is that Ican go to a bowling tournament and win money forcollege. No other sport lets you to that.”

(SMART—Scholarship Management andAccounting Reports for Tenpins—is a USBCprogram that manages bowling scholarship moneyand serves as a clearinghouse for scholarshipinformation for USBC members.)

She is not sure if she wants to do a stint as aprofessional bowler before going into politicsbut she hopes the new PWBA tour is still aroundwhen she finishes college. Those are loftyambitions for someone who hasn’t yet started highschool. Her favorite subject is social studies andshe loves to read; the Twilight series is her currentfavorite. The pint-sized philanthropist wasawarded the 2014 American Red Cross YouthSamaritan of the Year and a $1,000 scholarshipfrom the Kohl’s Cares program.

The Tracy shelter is home to Clover, the live-indog. Abbi says, “She is the cutest and sweetestlittle pit bull I have ever met. She has skin cancerand can’t be adopted so she is the shelter mascot.Last year we bought a dog bed and a huge bone

for Clover.” The dog is afrequent visitor to thecenter and takes centerstage during the fundraiser.“I really love all the animalsat the shelter. I wish I couldtake them all home.”Abbi said they debated

having a pet adoption on siteas well but decided against itbecause so many peoplehave animal allergies andthey didn’t want to makethem uncomfortable comingto the fundraiser. They planto have a photo collage of

the available animals at the event this year sopeople can see what pets are available for adoption then go to the shelterto finalize the process.

Tracy is a typical mid-size California Central Valley town. It boastsagriculture to the west and south as well as industrial development in thenorth and east. They are building a new animal shelter which is slated toopen sometime before the end of this month. The $5 million-plus projecthad been on the back burner for several years before the local media gotwind of Abbi’s Pins for Pets project, which helped to highlight the abysmalconditions of the current shelter and drive approval of the funding.

According to animal shelter staff, the new facility will be just under 6,000square feet. Because they are working with a shoestring budget, some ofthe amenities will have to wait until phase II. This first phase will include32 indoor-outdoor dog kennels, with a separate area for small dogs andpuppies. The issue of constant loud barking in the old location has beenaddressed by sound-damping acoustic wall panels that will allow forquieter spaces.

There will be approximately 36 cat cages spread over three rooms, andthey will also have a cat socialization room. The new layout will be moreinviting to visitors and volunteers, which could translate into increasedadoption rates—something everyone wants, especially the amazing Abbi!

If you are interested in helping Abbi with her fundraiser, contact Pins forPets at pinsforpetsbowling@gmail.com, call 209-914-4291, or visitwww.bowlingpinsforpets.com. For more information about the SMARTprogram, call 800-514-BOWL or e-mail smart@bowl.com. ❖

Jackie Wyckoff, who started bowling in 1968, is a San Francisco Bay Area native,avid Giants fan and gourmet chef. She was president of the Bowling WritersAssociation of America, 2009-2011. Wyckoff has worked and volunteered in thebowling industry since 1972 with jobs including center manager, WIBC president,and writer and promoter for all things bowling. She was a PWBA regionalplayer, with several state and local titles to her credit.

FUNDRAISING

Abbi (center) and her friends show off their

balloon art.

Abbi along with her sister Madison practice their favorite sport.

Abbi getting ready forher television interview.

ome companies have a history of storm and upheaval, close calls, last-minute saves. In other companies, as an owner thinking back, you seea steady march forward on pretty even terrain. What stands out inyour mind then are the things that contributed most to the mission.

That’s how it is for Twelve Strike president Ron Richmond. In the company’sfirst 25 years, three things stand out—two, if you don’t count his happymarriage to Susiy about eight years ago.

But the Richmond family connection to bowling goes back further than thecompany, about 10 years further, to father Rex’s days as a proprietor.

He was a general contractor in Southern California whodecided in the late ’70s that bowling would

be a profitable business to

get into. He wasn’t at all a bowling man buthe bought a 20-laner called Crown Bowl in theseaside city of Long Beach and proceeded towork at his two careers for the next 15 years.

Not long into proprietorship, he neededautomatic scoring. “As the story goes,” saysRon, “and this is only a story,” Rex couldn’t getterms with a certain manufacturer, wentlooking for another brand, and discoveredEasiScor, a now long-gone company in Denver.

Whether that much is true or false, Rex didmake a deal—for the scoring, that is—andliked it so well he purchased it—the company,

that is, and went into his third line of

S

SPECIAL FEATURE

16 IBI January 2015

By Fred Groh

17IBI January 2015

business, supplying his scoring toa Florida capital equipmentcompany (now defunct).

When he and the Floridaoutfit went separate ways, Rexneeded a new name for hisscoring line. Charles Wood,today as then Twelve Strike’ssoftware developer, doesn’tremember the exact day, “we’retalking 19 years ago. But aperfect game, 12 strikes, ‘Thatsounds good, draw up a logo,’ soI did.” It was the familiar ‘XIIX’—Roman numerals for ‘12’ and ‘X’for strike—still in use.

Rex closed the bowling centerin ’92 because margins weremuch better in the scoringbusiness. When he passed awayin 2003, Ron took over. Fairly soon afterthat, “I needed cabinets to get made,computer cases and/or other structuresthat are always needed,” Ron says. “Acouple of local businesses weren’t ableto supply me with product at areasonable rate, so I started weldingand making brackets and other thingsI needed.”

What began as do-it-yourself becameone of Ron Richmond’s highlights of thepast 25 years: a full machine/sheet metalshop. Called Fab Metal Shop, it occupiesa separate building on the Twelve Strikeproperty in Long Beach.

“We can bend, roll, make all kinds ofdifferent parts, and we do that for allkinds of different people.” From makingparts of the scoring systems, he’s nowmanufactured parts for C-17 aircraft andwheel hubs for an off-road shop, amongmany projects.

Fab Metal Shop makes every metalcasing (pedestal) for Twelve Strikescoring. “Any metal that goes out thebuilding—the pedestals, the bracketsthat hold the LCDs, the bracket thathouses the camera down-lane on thecapping, the cabinet that holds all theelectronics for the computers—all thatis made by Ron,” says company rep

Gregg Pasdiora.Richmond’s other highlight of the first quarter-century is the conversion of his scoring

from the old DOS operating system to Windows. “Having the Windows system hasbeen a wonderful experience. We can log right into [a customer’s] system [by remoteaccess], see exactly what’s going on, and most of the time fix issues they’re havingright on the spot.”

Windows is a delight because it enhances customer service, in other words.The Windows OS dates back to around 2005 on Twelve Strike scoring. While it

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SPECIAL FEATURE

In the back row, left to right are Ron Richmond, James Walters III and Juan Morales.Seated in the front row left to right are Ivan Martinez and Susiy Richmond. Not pictured are Darryl Seals, CharlesWood and Gregg Pasdiora.

SPECIAL FEATURE

18 IBI January 2015

was available in consumer PCs long before that, Wood says it was too unstable forbowling scoring, crashing too easily and too often.

Other manufacturers may have been using DOS or a proprietary system back then,he volunteers, “but I haven’t looked at the competitors. That’s not what we reallydo. We just kind of talk to the customers and see what they want, and we add thefeatures they want.”

That includes custom programming in some cases. “If [customers] have an ideathey let us know and I’ll investigate it with them, and we’ll try and add that featureinto their system,” Wood reports. “Usually the custom stuff I’ll leave open enoughso if other centers want to use that feature, they can.” It may then become part ofthe standard product, as was the case with the 40-frame game, now a standard featurewith the scoring.

“We don’t have big panel meetings,” Richmond confirms. “As Nike would say,‘We just do it.’ When Juan wants to make a hardware change, he goes ahead andbuys different hardware pieces and he finds the one that works the best and that’sthe one we usually go with.” Juan Morales is the principal builder of computers atTwelve Strike and handles first-line tech support. Just about everyone in the companyhas a hand in developing product, says Richmond.

Which—unusual in the bowling industry—relies on off-the-shelf components.“Because the last time we got something developed, probably back in ’92, it was avery long, drawn-out, expensive process.”

By contrast, “being [at that time] under a DOS platform, we were able to purchasehardware—video cards and/or camera capture cards or those kinds of things—right from the open market. The only thing we had to do was program those items.

“There is nothing in the system that I can think of that we’ve developed specificallyfor us,” Richmond offers. “With the magic of good programmers, we’re able to do

wonderful things.” The payoff? “Loweroverall cost [and] if I was to disappeartomorrow, they would still be able tomaintain their system because it is all off-the-shelf parts.”

Ron Richmond is a busy man thesedays. So busy he had to give up most ofthe installing he did personally for years.(But he’s tough in holding installers tospecifications that standardize the layout,the more easily to handle problems ifthey arise, Pasdiora comments.)

Richmond spends a lot of time in themetal shop, but tells us that’s probablyhis favorite part of the job. “I really doenjoy taking a raw piece of metal andmaking something out of it, making it

into a shape that was hidden inside.That’s very similar to the scoring system,”he reflects, like “when a customer callsup and asks for a feature and we look atit and say, ‘We can do that.’ Like the 40-frame game.” ❖

Ron Richmond at Twelve Strike working in the metal fabrication shop.

Fred Groh is a regular contributor toIBI and former managing editor ofthe magazine.

Remembering Twelve Strike founder Rex Richmondas he always was, busy.

COVER STORY

20 IBI January 2015

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21IBI January 2015

n 1973, just 20 months after the opening of Walt Disney Worldin Orlando, the company faced a severe problem. Doug Lipp, whorose at Disney to become head of the employee training team atDisney corporate headquarters, calls it a crisis.

Employees were exhausted, having looked after almost 11 millioncustomers in just the first year. Operations were relentlessly proceeding24/7/365 without a sign of seasonal slowdown. The economy was softening.Necessary layoffs increased the stress on those who remained. Opportunitiesfor career advancement had slowed.

The annual turnover rate stood at 83%, which compared to the serviceindustry average then of 55%.

Dick Nunis, a driving force behind the company’s training program, calleda meeting of divisional vice presidents. Underscoring the seriousness of theoccasion, he set the meeting in a cramped, unpainted space in Cinderella’sCastle left over from construction—the iconic building for visitorsto Disneyland in California and now at the Magic Kingdom inDisney World as well. Attendees had to reach the space by climbinga narrow staircase or riding a construction workers’ elevator.

Out of a series of weekly meetings that followed, the Disneytraining program—called Disney University—morphed from atraditional role of orientation programs, handbooks and newslettersinto a program for employee “development, communication, andcare,” writes Lipp in Disney U (McGraw-Hill, 2013). The book is hisinsider’s, highly detailed look at “How Disney University developsthe world’s most engaged, loyal, and customer-centric employees,”as the sub-title of the book reads; few would dispute that description.

Two years after that first meeting, mission accomplished. Turnoverrate was down to 28%. Retention was up from a miserable 17% to 72%.

It was a spectacular reaffirmation and extension of the four cardinal

values behind Disney University, four requirementsfor successful training, in the Disney view: aninnovative outlook, organizational support for training,knowledge to impart, and entertaining methods.

✴ ✴ ✴

The Walt Disney Company is a $46 billionenterprise (sales) employing 175,000 worldwide,according to a Forbes report last May. Yet Lippmaintains that the lessons to be learned from DisneyUniversity work just as well for a 16-lane bowlingcenter with a dozen employees.

“Everything is applicable. It’s just [that] in asmaller business every [employee] represents muchmore impact on the bottom line, or the guestexperience, because the odds are [better] that apaying guest is going to come in contact with[them]; they have that much more of an opportunityto make an impact.”

I

By Fred Groh

Doug participates in the Donald Duck 50th Birthday Party Quacking Contest.Doug won the contest while Wayne Allwine (right), the voice of Mickey Mouse,and Clarence Nash, the voice of Donald Duck, look on in amusement.

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22 IBI January 2015

Successful employees have to “buy into”a company’s goals and methods, as everybusiness owner knows, but Disney U aims atmore. Employees need to “live” the values,Lipp says.

“‘Living it’ is when it becomes part of yourculture,” he explains. “When I would doorientation programs for cast members[Disney employees], we would talk all dayabout teamwork and cleanliness andfriendliness. Okay, they see it, that’s fine, but‘I’m not sure I buy it yet.’”

When new hires were then taken to thetheme park, they would see senior executives picking up the occasional pieceof trash or stopping to chat with customers, even though that was obviously notpart of the executive’s job.

“‘Oh! I buy it. That’s cool,’” Lipp mimicks the employee’s reaction he sawrepeatedly. “Over time, after I’ve left the University and the glow of that has wornoff, I see over and over again cast members, supervisors, managers doing all the

things I’ve been taught to do. So when I walkacross the park and I see a piece of trash I justpick it up. I don’t even think about it. Then I’mliving it.”

✴ ✴ ✴

“Living it” begins with the first meetingbetween a job applicant and the Disneypeople. “Hire right, train right, treat right,”Lipp says, reciting a mantra, “and how are yougoing to get the right people on board ifyou’re just putting them in an interview? SoDisney [has an] experiential interview processwhere you weed people out—help themweed themselves out—by giving them thehonest feedback of what this company is allabout, how much work it actually is.

“If you’re going to create the happiestplace on earth, you know that some folks aregoing to come in having had a bad day,whether they’re a fellow cast member or aguest. If you have a short temper, if you can’tdeal with that, you’re not going to make it. Ifcast members who don’t come into directcontact with guests have a surly attitudetoward each other, ultimately that’s going towind up on stage [before the public].”

“So,” says Lipp, “it really doesn’t matter ifthey’re day-shift, night-shift, on stage,backstage, Disney hires for people that have[a] team approach, want to help other people,

Doug Lipp started at Disney with a six-month internship as part of his last yearat California State University Long Beach. Working in the Disney training division,called Disney University, he helped put together training programs for smallcompanies that didn’t have the budget or resources to hire their own trainers.

Wanting to be a YMCA director and lead international exchange programswith high school and college kids, Lipp was minoring in Japanese. After hegraduated in 1978, he was off to Japan for two years of grad school and to immersehimself in the language. Meanwhile, Disney closed a deal with its Japanese partnerfor the building of its first international theme park, Tokyo Disneyland.

Returning to the U.S., Lipp was snapped up by Disney to work here withJapanese managers who were going to be running the Tokyo park. Then he wastapped by Jim Cora, head of the Tokyo project, for a rigorous six-monthmanagement intern program for future leaders of the company, and a fewmonths after he finished that, Cora told him, “We’re going to Japan. Help meopen up the park over there.”

“In an international project, you wear lots of hats,” Lipp said when we talkedwith him. “Everybody did a lot of different things. I helped with the hiring andtraining of 4,000 Japanese, helped set up the Disney University [in Japan],helped babysit and helped relocate 250 American ex-patriots and their families.”He laughed. “You do what you’ve got to do to get the park up and running.”That included a year in Japan after the park opened and doing quality controlon the training program there, the first international version ofDisney University.

Today Lipp consults with Fortune 100 companies and travelsinternationally, sharing the lessons he learned at Disney University.He is the author of eight books, of which Disney U is the latest.We spoke to him after he keynoted this year’s Bowl Expo.

Doug worked in many different positions at Disney ashe moved up the corporate ladder. In 1981 he workedas a pirate.

Doug Lipp (L) at Disneyland Japanconstruction site in 1981.

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24 IBI January 2015

other-centered, and,” heemphasizes as we talk, “they’reall about producing a greatshow”—what the company ispresenting to the public.

“Hire attitude and train skills”is the Disney method becauseattitude is a “non-negotiable”value for the business Disneydoes, Lipp states. The lesson forsmall businesses: look for the“core, fundamental drivers” ofyour business that need to beconveyed to customers and toemployees; once you have clarityof mission, you have a start onlooking for specific traits inemployees that will help youachieve that mission.

One more thing is needed: anidea of how you’re going to “roll

out” the training. Lipp means the training methods you will use.He calls himself “a huge proponent” of training hands-on, where “people

can see, smell, hear, touch, use all of their senses.” New Disney hires getplenty of it when they move into the field for on-the-job training in theirspecialties. It’s rigorous.

“If I’m a McDonald’s, I train my store managers in the restaurant and Ihave them flip burgers and I purposely make a machine break down. I’mgoing to throw as many curve balls at them as I can. If I want to train myemployees on how to deal with somebody who walks up to the counter andslams down the product they’re upset with, I’m going to practice that overand over again in role-plays so that when they get out in the real world theyknow how to deal with it.”

As his reference to role playing suggests, Lipp isemphatic that a limited budget needn’t-and shouldn’t-derail a good training program. “Maybe it’s fiveminutes in every staff meeting devoted to role-play.Maybe it’s that pre-shift huddle, that quick touch-basewith an employee every hour for the first few hoursthat he’s on a job every week for the first four weeks—there are so many ways to roll it out. What are mystandards? What do I want to see replicated on thejob? There are as many ways to do it as there are starsin the sky,” he says, invoking the cardinal Disney Uvalue of taking an innovative approach in training.

“But I firmly believe in experiential training,” hecontinues. “And making it enjoyable, engagingand fun is always appropriate, regardless of thetechnological challenges the trainees are facing,”recalling another Disney University core value,training that’s entertaining.

Some companies aren’t ready for training, Lippnotes. Spending money on it would be a waste forthem. First you need the clarity of mission he’smentioned and SOPs—standard operatingprocedures—in place. If not, you don’t know whatyou are training for and there is nothing to trainemployees in—you fail in another of thefundamental values of Disney U: having somethingimportant to impart.

Training goals should be quantifiable, Lipp adds.Turnover rate is a useful metric for a company thesize of Disney, but even in a small business, “If it’simportant enough to do, it should be measurableto some extent. You could say to a trainee, ‘Westrive to establish eye contact and acknowledgepeople when we get within 10 feet.’ Someorganizations use that rule. They’ll say, ‘At 15 feetor 10 feet or five feet, you nod or smile or “goodafternoon” or “good morning”.’”

Just as important, what is trained at the traininglocation must be “supported on the front line bysupervisors or managers. What’s taught is notcountermanded as soon as people go into the field,

and the people that are doing thetraining know what’s going on inoperations so they’re not operatingin a vacuum.

“And everybody needs to gothrough training.” Even the CEO,as Michael Eisner was surprisedto discover when he joined Disneyin the 1980s.

Strong organizational support

Disney was a magical place for Doug to fall in love withhis future wife (and Disney candy maker), Pam, 1984.

Doug's business has taken him around the world. He poses withBahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) executives at their sports clubwith his wife, Pam, in 2013.

COVER STORY

25IBI January 2015

Fred Groh is a regular contributor toIBI and former managing editor ofthe magazine.

for training, the fourth core value of Disney U.✴ ✴ ✴

While Disney University is a training program, it is not merelywhere employees go to prepare for a job routine. “That’s notgood enough,” Lipp quotes Disney U founder Van France. “Trainingneeds to instill a spirit, a feeling, an emotional connection. Trainingmeans creating an environment of thinking and feeling,” France said.At the same time, like any business, Disney wants consistency.

Ensuring both is the role of the Disney training program. “[DisneyUniversity] is the company’s conscience regarding the Disneybrand,” Lipp quotes a Disney HR specialist. “It is responsible forsetting the ‘big picture’ to ensure a consistent delivery of product.”

Lipp draws a parallel to quality control. “If a quality control groupis at the end of the production line, their efficacy is going to be limited. If they’re woveninto the culture of that production line from engineering all the way through the final stepof production, quality is going to be much higher.”

Woven into Disney culture, Disney U is holistic in its orientation, detail-minded in itsoperation, and immersed in Disney tradition.

It teaches the same. Employees learn to be all about “good show,” think nothing ofpicking up occasional trash, and never lose sight of the Disney Way that company policyand people keep vital all around them.

Bowling centers, observes Lipp, “are getting more and more complex.” What a bowlingproprietor needs to think about in that environment if he wants to make changes forbetter employee performance, and wants the changes to stick, is whether his supervisor,his manager, he himself are living the change he wants to see, every single day.

“It goes back to when does trainingbegin and end,” Lipp reflects. “It neverreally does end if it’s part of the culture,being done every single day, becausepeople [are] living it.” ❖

As the keynote speaker at Bowl Expo 2013, Doug inspired attendees topractice the art of hospitality.

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26 IBI January 2015

hen it comes to surviving in anupscale market, bowling has it

figured out pretty well. You put ina boutique module, upgrade the

F&B, maybe turn yourself into an FEC.But suppose you don’t have the demographics tojustify it. No boutique for you, no FEC.

Rich Glomb did want to upscale, and he madenight-and-day changes in Merri-Bowl when he boughtthe Livonia, MI house last year. But it may mattermore what he changed it to.

There was no question he was going to renovate.The 40-lane center (built 1962) was “tired,” the 36-yearindustry veteran sums up. The list of problems waslong: carpet he figured was about 15 years old,original Formica on the reception desk (and carpet onthe sides), 12 loudspeakers over the lanes but all ofthem blown, mini bar blocked from service to themeeting room, no storage room, bare cinder blockwalls, everything painted shades of purple exceptthe bright orange meeting room.

On top of that, in this bowling state par excellence,no less than seven bowling centers operate within fivemiles or so of Merri-Bowl. Livonia, a city of 95,000 withthe midpoint of household income at $69,000 (U.S.Census, 2008-2012), isn’t poor. But still, seven centers.

Glomb liked the prospects anyway. He had a vision.g g g

He says he fell in love with the game way back,partly because he’s a musician.

“You’re always trying to duplicate shots and stayin a rhythm [in bowling], and music is all about rhythmand consistency.”

He cleaned tables and the parking lot at his uncle’s

By Fred Groh

W

Rich Glomb, the man behind the look.

Photos by Shawn Smith, Strike Photo, Joelton, TN.

How to give a traditionalcenter a new lease on lifewithout buying the moon.

WelcomeHome

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27IBI January 2015

center in the West Palm Beach, FL area and got goodenough at the game to make the West Palm Beach andAmerican Junior Bowling Congress halls of fame. Heworked in the pro shop, at reception, and (limited, ofcourse) in the bar. All in all, growing up bowling.

When he went to work, it was for BRC (Brunswick) at theirFlorida center in Melbourne. In five years, operating out ofseveral centers in the state, he specialized in formingbowling clubs representing local companies. He had “somesuccess” with BRC, he says—Glomb tends to understate.He floored 38 teams in less than his first month on the job.

In succession, he quit Brunswick, formed his owncompany, and went through south Florida building merchantbowling clubs. He signed on to head sales and marketingfor a center a few miles outside West Palm Beach, joinedJoe Schumacker as director of sales for Schumacker’schain, and ended up as general manager of Don CarterLakewood Lanes for five years, putting a Proprietor of theYear award from BPAA on his mantle in 1999.

In 2002, the sun set in Florida. Glomb moved toMichigan and took on oversight of five centers for the GreatLakes Bowling Centers chain. Through center broker SandyHansell he met Jerry Anderson, who hailed from Michiganand works in Texas oil. Anderson “was always interestedin owning a facility but he didn’t have the expertise,” sothe two formed a partnership.

When Merri-Bowl was broached by Hansell, Glomb likedthe idea.

Merri-Bowl was just a couple of miles from one of theGreat Lakes centers he was overseeing, Cloverlanes Bowl.Cloverlanes wouldn’t be a competitor, however. “Completelydifferent demographic.”

And he had been friends with Merri-Bowl owner MarkVoight for a long time. “Mark and I openly share things thatare going on in our marketplace. We have a good ethicalworking relationship. I also know that Mark’s numbersare going to be true. He’s not going to sugar-coat them.”

The numbers showed nine consecutive months ofimprovement over the prior year after Voight mademanagement and marketing changes. “When I walkedinto the center, I felt a different aura, a different spirit. Itwas uplifting. There was a good positive energy.

“I saw a great potential because I know the market quitewell. I believed that if we could transform this [center]and give the bowlers what we as a bowler would want ina classic bowling center, I would be able to retain mybowler base and in year two, grow my bowler base.”

Glomb and Anderson closed the Merri-Bowl deal lastMarch 28. The same day, Glomb convened his core staff.Two weeks later, he had met with all his league officers—the house is more than 50% leagues. All of it to learn

what they wanted and expected to see under his management.From his staff, “I got such a mixed bag, a lot of ‘I’m not sure.’ I

got some pushback.” The bowlers were fairly skeptical.No matter. Glomb had vision enough for everyone.

g g g

‘Warm’ is the first word he uses to describe what he had in mindfrom the start. He’s not moved by the look of corrugated tin,cement or rusted metal—the industrial look currently fashionablein high-profile bowling venues.

“The industrial look, although it’s interesting, it leaves me a bitcold. I feel cold. I don’t feel like I want to be there for a longer periodof time. In our industry, now that the smoking ban has been aroundsince 2008 [in Michigan], proprietors say all the time [about theirbowlers], ‘When they get done, all they can do is high-tail it out; theycan’t wait to get out.’ I wanted to create that desire to stay.”

He also wanted high-end.“Because I know that when I walk into a Brunswick Zone, a

Lucky Strike, the Emagine theaters, when you go to their conciergedesk and you have black granite countertops, and you go to a fancyrestaurant and you’ve got smoked-glass entryways—it just makesyou feel better.”

Glomb could hardly have had better schooling for his warm-and-upscale vision. While he went to college he worked as a waiter inthe main dining room at the ne plus ultra Breakers hotel in WestPalm Beach for three years, and just across the street at the poshRoyal Poinciana Playhouse for four as assistant maître d’ andcaptain. He was taking care of some of the richest people in theworld, he says. Occasionally he worked in their homes and ontheir yachts as a private cook.

“The expectation that these people have really is nothingdifferent than my bowlers, but my bowlers have been so accustomed

Stepping inside the center (left page), customers find the reception counter acrossfrom a cheery electric fireplace ($350 from Home Depot) and leather chairs ($100each from an outlet store for home goods), above. Color scheme in Astro Carpetspattern correlates with laminates on the side of the reception counter. Wood-lookflooring above is heavy-duty commercial vinyl, cleans with a wet mop; about 140square feet were $400.

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30 IBI January 2015

to having something less that they’re okay with it. From tableside dining[to] cooking flambés, the presentation—and everything you do for yourguests—sets you apart from your competitor. I wanted to give [the bowlers]a really good experience each and every time they walk in.”

g g g

“What if we give you a beautiful room—gorgeous French doors, open upthe quickie bar to where it’s functional, give you full multi-media, smart TVsand hand-held microphones and its own sound system and multiple lightingcapabilities. What if you had that?” Glomb had asked his staff at the meeting,spelling out his vision for the meeting room.

They’d like it! For one thing, they’d be a lot more comfortable tellingpeople there’s a charge for using the room.

They got all of it. And more, all over the center. In order of Glomb’s sevenpriorities for the renovation: “First thing, all the bathrooms [had] to go. My

partner and I talked about this extensively. We hada choice. We could put a brand new parking lotin, new road sign, do a facelift on the building, re-coat the dome, and make the building lookfantastic. But inside, the touchy-feely things thatthe customers [experience] are still going to be theold tired thing.” And following in priority afterthe restrooms: the meeting room and carpetingthe center; painting; bowler seating; receptiondesk and main bar; HVAC; and games.

Construction began May 5.Glomb and his wife, Chrissy, made all the major

design decisions. His experience in West PalmBeach was joined by hers—assisting in householdmanagement in the wealthy homes where Richworked, and 10 years as a dealer at Steve Wynn’sGolden Nugget in Las Vegas when the propertywas one of the world’s top casino hotels.

While Glomb says he didn’t want to “skimp,” hewasn’t opposed to “shopping.” Red leather chairsflanking a fireplace across from the reception deskwere from an outlet store and 40 lanes ofFrameworx seating were bought used (“Frameworx-type seating works best for competitive bowling”).

In one detail after another, the final selectionsat Merri-Bowl were “to make it feel welcoming”(fireplace and club chairs), “very upscale” (darklaminate flooring and doors), “inviting, comfortable,relaxing,” “beckon you” (the colors), and “warm.”In two words (ours): homey and friendly. Merri-Bowl’s design brings “home” to the customer.

All told, the renovation (phase I) finished Sept.8, over-budget about $40,000. Total spent: a littleunder $270,000.

Work is scheduled to resume this summer(phase II), with a target spend of $100,000. Glombwill level the floor, eliminating a step-down; installnew scoring; fix the parking lot; do some roofwork, siding work, and paint the exterior. Also inthe plan, “blowing up the bar,” rebuilding it andadding a covered, three-season patio for diningand beverages.

Bowlers tend to be “apprehensive,” Glombbelieves. “‘Okay you did this nice thing one time.’Our goal is to do something for our bowlers everyyear. It’s going to be really important that we dosomething that’s going to again earn their trustgoing forward.”

He looks ahead to the day, probably in threeyears, when “everything is pretty much new andin good shape.” After that, “doing something” will

The main bar. Renovation removed half-walls that separated the seating area from the bar toopen up the space. In photo below, chairs featuring a faux suede fabric were $88 each from afurniture store. At the right of the photo and against the wall is jukebox that downloads musicfrom the Internet. About 20 genres can be selected by the proprietor. “We eliminated somegenres, made it family-friendly. We have it tied into our main sound system out through theconcourse and the bowler’s area, as well as the bar. When we’re not using the Bowling MusicNetwork and somebody wants to come in and hear specific songs, they can put money in thejukebox. We can customize [a] party and make it flow.”

32 IBI January 2015

Fred Groh is a regular contributor toIBI and former managing editor ofthe magazine.

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Glomb approached the graphic arts departments at local high schoolsfor the masking design, offering $500 for the department and $100for the student whose design was used. He told the schools he hadno theme in mind—“I [didn’t] want to handicap the students bygiving them a box they [had] to work in”—but thought it would be“cool” if something of the Motor City could be worked in. “There isno way I could turn this down,” Glomb says of design by AdamHuber of Novi High School in nearby Novi. It’s printed on the plasticfilm used for banners. (Hurried application for grand re-opening inAugust left some bubbles under the film, which have been removed.)

owners who want to impart a friendly,homey look after the fashion of RichGlomb, he would be gratified to see it.

“If it works for me and I can helpsome other proprietor to do it, let’skeep the game of game of bowlingrolling. No pun intended. But maybethere is.” ❖

require less unless majorup-scaling occurs.

So far, customers are“very pleased.” Businessgross two months aftercompletion of phase I,when we talked, was upabout 1.5% over last year.More telling probably is

the reaction of customers returning after a long time away. “Just amazed,” says Glomb.About his prospects, he ventures, “I believe our business is going to grow. We want

to remain humble people, be able to listen to what our bowlers are saying, to our guests,and provide them with really good service. I believe if we do those things, we’re goingto be rewarded with repeat business frequently and that will allow us to grow.”

To proprietors wanting to give their centers new life without having to spend big,

BUSINESS

WHAT BOWLING MEANS TO ME

34 IBI January 2015

remember my last day of service in the Air Force—I satdown and untied my boots, officially for the last time.It felt strange, not leaving them out to beunceremoniously put on the next week. As I put theboots in the closet I thought, “Should they even go

here? They’d be more out of the way in the guest roomcloset.” Ten years of wearing the uniform of my country,six years of active duty service—summed up in a shortgoing-away luncheon at a Buffalo Wild Wings—the onlytokens of that service being a commander’s coin,commendation medal, and two framed posters. But I didn’tfeel unappreciated; I felt I never had the opportunity to doenough worth appreciating.

When you come out of the military, everyone thanksyou for your years of service. I never felt as if I was offeringservice. In my estimation, the Air Force never called me toserve in the truest sense. I know what people mean whenthey say “thank you for your service,” and I agree withthem. Whether you deploy or spend your entire career inan office cubicle, you’ve still committed, unequivocally, togoing where they tell you: to put your life in the pathway ofa bullet or drive your vehicle in the proximity of a roadsidebomb. Mentally, you accept that those are places you mightgo. Mentally, you accept that you may not come back fromwhere they send you. But that’s the honor of the uniform:its committed selflessness and sacrifice. Some serve morethan others, but the ground truth of one’s time in uniformis this: you’ve agreed to die for your country if asked to.

I’m proud of my time in uniform, but in my new career—wearing the uniform of insurance broker—I actually feellike I’m serving. The slacks and polo shirt may seem benign,inglorious, or undignified—particularly compared to a crisplypressed uniform. To go from Captain Linder, USAF, tosmooth-talking, save-you-money paper-pusher may seemlike a turn to the dark side to some. In many people’s eyesinsurance salesmen are just like lawyers or mortgage bankers:

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ServiceBusinessmanBy Cameron Linder

WHAT BOWLING MEANS TO ME

36 IBI January 2015

all should start residing at the bottom of the ocean.My father has been an insurance broker for more than 40 years, serving

nearly 150 California and Oregon bowling centers for the past two decades.Growing up, I never really wanted to go into the insurance business. Itwasn’t because I didn’t like working for my father—our relationship isamazing—it’s that I wanted to do everything on my own. I didn’t want anyoneto think that I hadn’t earned my success.

I remember coming home on Air Force leave and going on a fewinsurance appointments with my father before I joined his business. This tome was the turning point: I saw the relationships he had with bowlingcenter proprietors and I knew I wanted to do the same thing he did. Thesemen and women weren’t clients or customers. They were mentors, confidants,and close personal friends. They called him when they were in troublebecause they trusted him to take care of them. And my dad called them justto see how they were doing!

I remember sitting with my dad and Bill Mossontte at lunch one day. Billowns several bowling centers in the Los Angeles area and has been a goodfriend and mentor to my father for a decade. Bill is one of the most principled,honest, and shrewd businessmen you’ve ever met. I listened to my father andBill talk and I saw the mutual respect and admiration they have for oneanother. I couldn’t help but be impressed. This wasn’t just a cold transactionof money and paper that occurred every November. It was the annual renewalof a friendship based on trust, integrity, and mutual admiration.

I had heard the stories of the lengths my father had gone to for bowlingcenters in California to fight off opportunistic claimants. If it took hiring a privateinvestigator out of my dad’s own pocket to interview scared witnesses at 2a.m. after a gang shooting, my dad did it because he cared about theproprietor enough to protect him against an unfair claim.

I watched my father’s relationships with bowling proprietors and all I sawwas service. Their frustration was his frustration, their heartache was hisheartache, and their fight was his fight.

I decided to join my father in business because becoming a self-employedinsurance broker is not a cessation of my public service, but a continuation ofit. My own experience working with bowling center proprietors in Washington,Oregon, Idaho, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado has only confirmed my views.

My own experiences have shown me that Bill Mossontte, while exceptional,wasn’t actually that unique. Almost every bowling center proprietor I meetis of the same caliber. They have tremendous ethical standards and they carefor their employees from the bottom of their hearts. Business is aboutmaking money—of course—but it’s more than that to the proprietors I’veworked with. It’s the personification of their identity, their pride, their honor,and their integrity. I can’t help but respect that and feel honored to serve suchdedicated, high-quality people.

I don’t think it’s limited to bowling proprietors, either. To be a goodbusinessman is to be a public servant. Regardless of whether enough moneyis coming in, they commit to continue the company. They commit to payingtheir employees, paying their taxes, paying for rent, utilities, and yes, insurance.The difference between an employer and an employee is that the employeeis guaranteed a stable, predictable paycheck so long as the company existsand the employee does a good job. The businessman receives no suchguarantee. Far from it: most small businesses spend years losing money

before they ever break even. Many fold, unable tomeet the costs. It takes incredible courage to startand stick with a business. Don’t ever forget that point:to be a businessman takes tremendous courage.

When you own a business, you either succeedor you fail—end of story. You don’t have the optionof a golden parachute. It’s all or nothing. So youput your literal blood, sweat, and tears into starting,building, or expanding your business because it’sabout whether you succeed or fail: whether you failyour family, who look to you to provide; whetheryou fail your employees, who rely on yourpaychecks to buy the food to feed their families;whether you fail your customers, who enjoy a fewhours of fun in a bowling center; or whether youfail your community, who look at your business asa landmark in the area.

Business people are the ultimate moral beings.They must have Courage, but they must beTemperate, too, so they do not take reckless risks.They must be Prudent—excellent in what they doand methodical in their means. They must beJust—price-gouging is a recipe for short-termsuccess and long-term failure and we all can relateto the terrors of working with an unjust boss. Theymust be Faithful or else gain the reputation of acheat or a liar. They must have Hope that will keepthem going through the dark, penniless times.And they must have Love: love for what they do,love for their product, love for their customers, andlove for their employees. Without these sevenclassic virtues in balance, a businessman willstumble, falter, and one day fail.

I became an insurance broker because I wantedto work with such people. Being a businessmanwho helps other businessmen is public service thatI will forever be proud of. I’m blessed to find so manyhard-working, ethical, fair-dealing businessmen in thebowling industry. It’s an honor to fight for them, justas it was an honor to serve my country.

The businessman deserves a place in ourimaginations as a hero; something to aspire toand someone to emulate. He may not risk his lifelike a soldier, fire fighter, or police officer; but hesure does dedicate it. ❖

Cameron Linder is currently the president ofWestern Bowling Proprietors Insurance (WBPI), L.J.Linder & Associates Insurance Services. He servedas a captain in the United States Air Force. He canbe reached at (800) 200-9998.

CENTER STAGE

38 IBI January 2015

emories come backWhen you were a standout player (and president) of the

Eastern Intercollegiate Conference, topping it with a 196average in the days of rubber balls and less-than-party laneconditions. When four years in the TKE fraternity gave you

lifetime friends, two of them buds on the five-man Conference team fromthe school. When you were getting set for wedding vows in your senior year,and serving as “Teek” (TKE) house chairman, and winding up your lastsemesters for a BS in business. Then you remember.

“A lot of fond memories and fraternity brothers and friends I’ve had forover 40 years. A great time, great experience,” said Pat Ciniello, chairmanof the board of QubicaAMF Worldwide. “It was a growth period for mesocially and education-wise and one that I cherish.”

So when your alma mater, Monmouth University, West Long Branch, NJ,gets in touch seeking a donation, you’re more than happy to give it.

The deal was that the school would provide space in the old gymnasium

and do the build-out. Ciniello would supplycomplete QubicaAMF bowling packages forfour lanes.

The project seemed to take forever. “It was likea two-year process by the time we got all theapprovals. It had to be approved by the board ofdirectors and the president of the university,then they had to go through zoning,” wherethere were issues.

But last Oct. 10 during homecoming weekend,Ciniello cut the ribbon to open the Ciniello FamilyBowling Center, flanked by his wife, Lisa, andtheir son, Marc.

It’s the first appearance of lanes on campus, apermanent home for the school’s NCAA women’steam who had to practice at one or another off-

M

Monmouth University has a new bowling center, courtesy of alum

(and chairman of the board of QubicaAMF) Pat Ciniello.

By Fred Groh

Lisa and Pat receive thanks from the representative of Monmouth University. Lisa and Pat cut the ribbon on the new lanes.

CENTER STAGE

40 IBI January 2015

campus center before. In the evenings, the lanes are open for rec playto all Monmouth students.

Karen Grygiel, director of women’s bowling at Monmouth, who runsthe team and now oversees the facility, says a “strong vision” will bedriving the future for the venue.

“We want to add technologies so we can provide camps andclinics and educate everyone about the sport, whether they’re abrand new beginner or they’re competing at the elite level and wantto fine-tune their skills,” the enthusiastic coach reports. “The goal isto educate about bowling no matter what level you’re at and keeppeople hooked on bowling.”

While the university men’s team was disbanded four of five yearsago, a small group of new students are seeking re-approval from thestudent government for a club varsity program, she adds. They couldbe floored in the spring semester next year and creating a playschedule and making travel plans by summer.

Excited men and women bowlers attended the opening ceremonyin company with members of Ciniello’s fraternity, old and new. It feltlike a reunion.

“I hadn’t seen some fraternity brothers in over 40 years,” he saidhappily. “They came over, plus the young fraternity members camewith family members. The place was packed.”

Ribbon-cutting guests reassembled afterward at a local restaurant forcocktails and hors d’oeuvres. What was supposed to be an hour-and-a-half party ended up as three hours of renewing old ties and celebrating.

Bowling is the convivial sport. Does Ciniello think people who likebowling are more inclined to join a fraternity? He pondered for amoment.

“Yeah,” he ventured, “because [a fraternity] is a team, it’s abrotherhood, I would think they would be. [Bowling] is how I gotinvolved with Teek. Mickey, whose father owned a bowling center inNew Jersey, was a Teek member and bowled on the team and invitedme to pledge.” Koby, who became the third Teek musketeer on theMonmouth Conference team, soon joined the fraternity as well.

At the homecoming and ribbon-cutting, “both of them werethere. We’ve stayed in contact since–I graduated in ’67, so figure itout,” Ciniello laughed.

“Bowling intercollegiately was phenomenal. I bowled for threeyears, from freshman to junior.” The fourth year he had to decline; justtoo busy. “I still could go back and bowl one more year, right? If I goto graduate school?” He laughed again.

We thank Gary Brown, director of collegiate and youth tournamentsfor USBC, for background for this story. ❖

Lisa and Pat express their gratitude toMonmouth University.

A group shot on the new lanes, withmany of the TKE brothers.

Pat takes the ceremonial first shot. Fred Groh is a regular contributor to IBI and former managingeditor of the magazine.

TRADE SHOW

42 IBI January 2015

ore than 25,000 attractions industry owners and managers swelled the Orange CountyConvention Center in Orlando for the annual International Association of AmusementParks and Attractions (IAAPA) expo, Nov. 17-21.

The largest industry event for FECs and proprietors of water park, theme park, party rental andother attractions of interest to bowling owners, this year’s event drew attendees from about 100countries, according to convention organizers. The expo included four days of trade show.

Pre-show education featured the customary two days’ “Rookies and Newcomers” orientation,together with a tour of Fun Spot America, an Orlando amusement park, Nov. 15-16.

More than 60 hours of education included social media marketing, managing emotionally chargedsituations, expectations of disabled customers, and an HR best practices symposium, among others.Profit-center presentations covered laser tag, inflatables, and F&B plus other areas.

And a presentation on coming to grips with change was wheeled by the Three Amigos, whoseinaugural FEC leadership convention is set for next month. It was previewed in December IBI. ❖

MCASTING AN EYE ON IAAPACASTING AN EYE ON IAAPA

Art Attack presented Rush laser tag and Shankz blacklight mini golf.

Innovative patterns at their booth maintained full speedahead for Flagship Carpets.

Speed, color and light all came together in” ColorCRUSH”compact arcade game at the Creative Works booth.

QubicaAMF showcased Suite Spot, a mini bowlingsuite that includes choice of theme and furniture.

Flooring adventure with Omega Carpets.

The sign of fun laser times. Where else but at theLasertron booth?

TRADE SHOW

43IBI January 2015

The game was afoot with UNIS’ sci-fi arcade challenge“Armed Resistance.”

Funovation offered physically and mentally challenginglaser mazes.

Built-to-scale (and full-size) bowlinginstallations were on offer fromInfinity Bol and Crunch Tech.

Visual Sports’ multi-sport simulator includes hockey, golf,baseball and more.

“Brew Buck’it” from Coast to CoastEntertainment is a claw/crane gamewhere adults can snag beer-type bottles.

Who else but The Joker?

BPAA’s Bart Burger (left) accepted a check from NAIR,presented by Gregg Pasdiora.

Laser Blast displayed a range of laser systems fromsimple to ultra-high tech.

Intercard’s North American sales manager JasonMitchell with Intercard’s CEO Scott Sherrod.

Astro Carpet showed designs to keep bowlers andtheir feet happy.

46 IBI January 2015

REMEMBER WHEN

eam us up, Scotty!’How many of you can

recall the characters andevents of the TV series,

Star Trek? Captain Kirk, Spock, Sulu,Lt. Uhura and, of course Doctor McCoy and

Engineer Scotty. Without pause,many of us can conjure their images and thestories surrounding them over the three years during the 1960s when theshow was on television.

In 1975, Paramount Pictures Corporation, in conjunction with BallantineBooks, published Star Trek Blueprints, drawn by Franz Joseph Designs.Depicted down to the finest detail, these drawings show every aspectof the exterior and interior of every deck on the USS Enterprise.

Allow us to direct your attention to Deck 21—food preparation centerand bowling alley. Yes, the esteemed crew of the USS Enterprise hadregulation bowling lanes with seating for 83 to observe the fun. ❖

B1960s

‘

47IBI January 2015

REMEMBER WHEN

NEW ITEM

AMF Chassis Plug Access Door. Easyaccess to work on chassis plugs.$9.99 ea. Nationwide AMF service.Visit TheBowlDoctor.com or call(608) 381-9276.

48 IBI January 2015

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MINIATURE GOLF COURSESIndoor/Outdoor. Portable/Pre-Fab. Black

Light/Traditional/Pro Putter.

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•Keys & ComboLocks for allTypes ofLockers.

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•New locks -All types

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E-mail: huff@inreach.com

AMF and some BRUNSWICK PC boardrepair/exchange. 6-month warranty, fastturnaround. Call or write: WB8YJF Service

5586 Babbitt Road, New Albany, Ohio 43054Toll Free: 888-902-BOWL (2695)

Ph./Fax: (614) 855-3022 (Jon)E-mail: wb8yjf@sbcglobal.net

Visit us on the WEB!http://home.earthlink.net/~wb8yjf/

EQUIPMENT FOR SALE

REPAIR & EXCHANGE. Call for details (248)375-2751.

NEW & USED Pro Shop Equipment.Jayhawk Bowling Supply. (800) 255-6436or jayhawkbowling.com.

Get Redline Foul Lights atwww.joystickscoring.com or call Werner @(888) 569-7845. Sold exclusively in Canadaby JD Bowling Services (800) 346-5781.Home of Bowlingtrader.com, your FREEbuy & sell site.

MISC: Rebuilt Brunswick power lifts $750,“as is” $550; 20 factory A2 pinsetters,$500/ea.—must take all; original Anvil dotand arrow panels; 30 AMF HPL lanes, full,approach, pindeck; Phoenix lane machine$3500; reconditioned Gloss Boss $2500; 24lanes AMF Excel scoring; plastic AMFcapping; AMF bumper/gutter; 30 ea. 27”granite-cased Steltronic monitors $50 or all$1,000; wood lanes. COMPLETE LANEPACKAGES. (719) 251-1616.

EQUIPMENT WANTED

LANE MACHINES WANTED. We willpurchase your KEGEL-built machine, any ageor condition. Call (608) 764-1464.

(818) 789-2695SELL YOUR CENTER

49IBI January 2015

CLASSIFIEDS

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/BOWLINGFAN

ARE YOU A FAN OF BOWLING? www.Facebook.com/BowlingFan

50 IBI January 2015

CLASSIFIEDS

BUY SELL

AMF • BRUNSWICK EQUIPMENT COMPLETE PACKAGES WORLDʼS LARGEST NEW – USED SPARE

PARTS INVENTORYALL AMF BUMPER PARTS, XS Q-BUMP,

DURABOWL AND GEN II IN STOCK

Danny & Daryl TuckerDanny & Daryl TuckerTucker Bowling Equipment Co. Bowling Parts, Inc.609 N.E. 3rd St. P.O. Box 801Tulia, Texas 79088 Tulia, Texas 79088Call (806) 995-4018 Call (806) 995-3635Fax (806) 995-4767 Email - daryl@tuckerbowling.com

www.tuckerbowling.com

Michael P. Davies (321) 254-7849291 Sandy Run, Melbourne, FL 32940

on the web: bowlingscorer.com email: mike@bowlingscorer.com

AS80/90 • BOARD REPAIR • FrameworxSERVICE CALLS WORLDWIDE • PRE-SHIPS • WE SELL

NEW KEYPADS • FRONT DESK LCD MONITORS

PROPRIETORS WITH AMF 82-70S.S. & M.P. MACHINES

Save $$ on Chassis & P.C. BoardExchange & Repair!

A reasonable alternative forChassis and P.C. Board Exchanges

MIKE BARRETTCall for Price List

Tel: (714) 871-7843 • Fax: (714) 522-0576

CENTERS FOR SALE

NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS: 8-lane center,full-service kitchen & bar with large BeerGarden plus 3 bdrm/2bath apartment.Business & real estate. Reasonably priced.Contact Curtis for pics and more information.(316) 806-7744.

OKLAHOMA: 16-lane center with laser tag,arcade, snack bar, lounge. Only game intown. Must see—fully remodeled & beautiful.Needs a bowler to build very potentialbusiness. Owner will carry to viable investor.(719) 215-1616.

GEORGIA: Busy 32-lane center, realestate included. Great location in one offastest–growing counties in metro Atlanta.5 years new with all the amenities.Excellent numbers. Call (770) 356-8751.

TENNESSEE: Recently remodeled 16-laneBrunswick A2 center with AS-90 scoring,Large game & billiard room. 3 party rooms.Full-service snack bar w/ pizza oven.Opportunities available. Includes RE – leaseor purchase. Would like to move quickly.Phone Curtis @ (501) 580-1452.

NE MINNESOTA: Food, Liquor & Bowling.Established 8 lanes between Mpls & Duluthw/ large bar, dining room, banquet area.Two large State employment facilitiesnearby. High six-figure gross. Call Bryan(218) 380-8089. www.majesticpine.com.

LARRY DOBBS APPRAISALS. (214) 674-8187. Bowlingvaluations@yahoo.com.

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/BOWLINGFAN

SERVICES AVAILABLE

Drill Bit Sharpening and Measuring BallRepair. Jayhawk Bowling Supply. (800)255-6436 or jayhawkbowling.com.

AMF 5850 & 6525 CHASSIS. Exchangeyour tired or damaged chassis for anupgraded, rewired, cleaned, painted andready-to-run chassis. Fast turnaround.Lifetime guarantee. References available.CHASSIS DOCTOR (330) 314-8951.

MANAGER WANTED

Don't miss your chance to grow with anIndustry Leader! Looking forExperienced, Service-Oriented GeneralManagers for our U.S. bowling retailcenter locations. Please check us out atwww.brunswickcareers.apply2jobs.comfor more details on our currentopenings. Act Now! Apply Today!

51IBI January 2015

CLASSIFIEDS

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/BOWLINGFAN

52 IBI January 2015

CLASSIFIEDS

Felix Erickson Co., Inc.Strike Zone© Family of Lane Products

Strike Zone© Next Generation LC 5 gal case $105Envi-Cide II Disinfectant Shoe sparay 12/15 oz $87.95

Solve-It © Orange Foam Cleaner 12/18 oz $69.95FESI Solve-IT© Ball Wheel Liner 22’ $90

NEW RM 107 Rubber/Cork Wheel Liner $29.95/Roll070-006-757S Smooth Dist. Belt w/ lacing $35 ea.

000-024-604 Gray Ball Lift Belt $195 ea.

Exclusive Phenolic Kickback PlatesFront F128D 16” x 33” $88 ea.

Rear F129 19” x 23 3/4” $88 ea.NEW F131T 16” x 40” $125 ea.

All plates include screws and instructions

800-445-1090 (F) 609-267-4669 festrikezone.comResurfacing - Repairs - Supplies - Synthetics

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/BOWLINGFAN

CENTERS FOR SALE

SOUTHWEST KANSAS: Well-maintained 8-lane center, A-2s, full-service restaurant.Includes business and real estate. Nice,smaller community. Owner retiring. $212,000.Leave message (620) 397-5828.

CENTRAL ILLINOIS: PRICED TO SELL!!8-lane center with AMF 82-70s, full-servicerestaurant, pro shop. Plus pool tables,karaoke machine & DJ system. Asking$125,000.00 with RE. (217) 351-5152 ortoms-uvl@sbcglobal.net.

NEW YORK, Lowville (home of QubicaAMFpin production): new, established 12-laneQubicaAMF center with all amenitiesincluding soft-serve window, state-of-the-artkitchen, bar & arcade. 16,640 s/f buildingwith parking 150+. (315) 376-3611 or (315)486-4325.

MISSOURI (east of Kansas City): 8 lanes.Excellent building. Divorce forces sale. Alloffers considered. (816) 415-9186.

53IBI January 2015

CLASSIFIEDSCENTERS FOR SALE

TEXAS: 24-lane center with limitedcompetition and good upside. Building &equipment in good condition. Real estateincluded. Owner retiring. Ken Paton (503)645-5630.

WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA: One ofthe top five places to move! Remodeled 32-lane center. Good numbers. $3.1m gets itall. Fax qualified inquiries to (828) 253-0362.

EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA: 6-laneBrunswick center, bar & grill, drive-thru liquorstore in small college town. Also, 3 apartmentbuildings with 40 units, good rental history.Call (701) 330-7757 or (701) 430-1490.

NW KANSAS: 12-lane center, AS-80s,Lane Shield, snack bar, pro shop, game &pool rooms. See pics and info @www.visitcolby.com or contact Charles(785) 443-3477.

16-lane center in Southern Coloradomountains. Great condition. 18,000 s/fbuilding w/ restaurant & lounge. Pavedparking 100+ vehicles. Establishedleagues & tournaments. $950,000 ormake offer. Kipp (719) 852-0155.

MARCH9-13Brunswick TrainingGS-Series Pinsetter MaintenanceMuskegon, MI(800 937-2695, Option 2www.brunswickbowling.com/service-support/training

16-20Brunswick TrainingVector Scoring MaintenanceMuskegon, MI(800) 937-2695, Option 2www.brunswickbowling.com/service-support/training

24-26AAMA-AMOA Amusement ExpoLas Vegas Convention CenterLas Vegas, NVwww.amusementexpo.org

DATEBOOK

JANUARY 201511-15BPAA Bowling SummitHyatt Regency San AntonioSan Antonio, TX(800) 343-1329www.bpaa.com/bowlingsummit

12-16Brunswick TrainingGS-Series Pinsetter MaintenanceMuskegon, MI(800) 937-2695, Option 2www.brunswickbowling.com/service-support/training

19-23Brunswick TrainingVector Scoring MaintenanceMuskegon, MI(800) 937-2695, Option 2www.brunswickbowling.com/service-support/training

20-22Foundations EntertainmentUniversityPhoenix, AZRandy White(816) 931-1040

FEBRUARY2-8USBC Masters TournamentAshwaubenon BowlGreen Bay, WI(800) 514-BOWL (2695)bowlinfo@bowl.comwww.bowl.com/Masters

21Washington State BPA50 Anniversary GalaHyatt Regency HotelBellevue, WAGreg Olsen(206) 762-6752www.wsbpa.com

54 IBI January 2015

SHOWCASE

INDOOR GOLFSIMULATIONVisual Sports Systems, Inc. is theleading provider of custom-built,interactive golf and multi-sportssimulators. The VTrack andSwingTrack technologies providethe most realistic in-home golf and sports experience. Thespecially designed systems fit seamlessly into centers andhomes. With 13 games available on one system, visual sportssimulators will provide year-round entertainment. For moreinfo call 905-883-4461 or visit www.visualsports.ca.

KEG SPACERSAlcohol Controls offers keg spacers whichallow you to stack kegs securely and to tapboth the top and bottom. Keg Spacers willdouble the floor space in your walk-in andhelp you keep your cooler organized and efficient. Now avail-able for all sized kegs, even the slim “torpedo” kegs. Learnmore about this popular product at AlcoholControls.com orcall 800-285-BEER (2337). Type in coupon codeBOWLMEOVER for 10% off the already discounted web prices.

MANAGE TIME-BASEDPLAYIntercard introduces CronusPlay wearabletechnology. About the size and weight ofa wristwatch, CronusPlay is worn bycustomers, eliminating the need forcolored wristbands to manage time-based play at amusementvenues. The device has a visual alert, is reusable, can managemultiple time slots, and is compatible with Intercard’s iWaveReader. For more information visit www.intercardinc.com.

GET IN SYNCSync™ is Brunswick’s revolutionary newscoring and management system, comingin 2015. Sync is all-new to its core. Builtfrom the ground up with the fastest andsmartest performance and featuringmanagement tools, a sophisticated marketing feature and anenhanced bowler experience, Sync aligns what happens onthe lanes with what goes on behind the front desk and in theback office. It is one streamlined, easy-to-use system. Makeway for Sync. Info at www.brunswickbowling.com/the-one.

GOT FRUIT FLIES?EBN Services’ Fruit Fly BarPro isbecoming a celebrity by completely elimi-nating nasty infestations including cock-roaches, spiders and moths for up to fourmonths. It has been tested and proven tobe 100% effective across the country andis now approved by the EPA for sale in every state. A do-it-youself product which is safe and odorless. Watch it work atYouTube/Fruit Fly BarPro or, for more information, contactEBN at 888-435-6289.

PIN MARKETINGHere’s a new twist on leaving abusiness card or flier. Next time,think a bowling pin. Develop amarketing plan around a special-ty pin which shows off your center and is a reminder that yourcenter is the go-to place for parties and events. For info on“Leave a Pin, Plan a Party” promotion, contact Dave Sapp,Done-Rite Pins and Capital Equipment at 800-222-2695 ordavesapp@donerite.com.

LANE CONDITIONERIt used to be when choosing a lane condi-tioner, a center would have to decidewhat it wanted: a durable lane conditionerthat could withstand aggressive high–techballs or a lane conditioner that was pinset-ter–and house–ball–friendly. With Kegel’sFire and Ice there is no compromise. They have it all. For moreinformation or to request a free sample, please visitwww.kegel.net.

SCORING REPAIRS& UPGRADESNew Center Consulting, Inc.’sTouch Desk III and Touch Score3 received a big response and many new customers at BowlExpo due to its increased capabilities, new features, affordableoptions, and expanded tech support. The goal is scoring repairsand upgrades in “piecemeal” fashion to save expense and offeradditional support. The lowest-cost path to new scoring. Thenew Tech Support hotline is 239-244-9464; new Tech Supportemail is Help@TouchScoreSupport.com. Additional info can befound at 248-375-2751.