BCA Insider - 2019 Holiday Edition

BCA Holiday Issue | November 1, 2019

BOOST YOUR HOLIDAY SALES A TIME TO GIVE LOTS OF LOVE FOR THIS YEAR’S EXPO KEEPING ONLINE INFORMATION SAFE BCA Insider – A BCA Member Publication Dedicated to Businesses in the Billiard and Home Leisure Industry.

Anthony Stoeckert

A Time to Give

13 Daniel Bastone

Lots of Love for This Year’s Expo

44 Charles S. Donnavan

Keeping Online Information Safe

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IN THIS ISSUE 06 18 26 32 40 54 58

Rise of the Juniors By Keith Loria By Design By Keith Loria Boost Your Holiday Sales By Anthony Stoeckert Member Profile: Kornerpocket Billiardz By Anthony Stoeckert Best in Class By Keith Loria Hall of Fame Welcomes New Members By Keith Loria The Knuckle Table…and 6 Other Billiard Tables Not For Sale By Jason Moss

I f i t ’s n o t

Simonis Cloth

. . . i t ’s j u s t a n o t h e r

tablecloth.

®

A u t h e n t i c . A c c u r a t e . A l w a y s .®

OPENING LETTER EDITORIAL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Keith Loria billiardskeith@gmail.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Daniel Bastone Charles S. Donnavan Jason Moss Anthony Stoeckert

ADVERTISING MEMBERSHIP MANAGER Shane Tyree shane@bca-pool.com (303) 243-5070 x23

DESIGN/LAYOUT ART DIRECTOR Julie Snee julie.snee@gmail.com

BCA BOARD OF DIRECTORS CHAIRMAN

Brian Igielski, GLD Products

VICE-CHAIRMAN

Chance Pack, Champion Shuffleboard

While all signs point to a positive economy and strong consumer confidence – which we all hope will lead to a successful holiday season, we also know things can change quickly. As such, we hope you’ll carefully review this issue of BCA Insider for tips on a prosperous holiday season and also refer to past issues of BCA Insider (archived at BCA-Pool.com) for additional tips for your success. And don’t just refer to our articles; dedicate time to researching tactics for a successful holiday season as you’ll find tons of articles on the internet related to this subject. In this edition of BCA Insider we share: tips to increase holiday sales; how your store can work with holiday charities to bring in business; tactics to keep your online information safe; game room design trends; and a look back at the 2019 BCA Expo; and, this year’s BCA Expo Innovative Product winners, plus much more. As we experience another holiday season and look forward to 2020, please know the Billiard Congress of America continues to be dedicated to supporting our members. Feel free to contact me anytime with ideas on how we can support you and the industry. We’d also love to hear your ideas for feature stories in future editions. If you have any areas (i.e., marketing, social media, store design, merchandising) that you’d love to learn more about, please let us know. If you’re interested in these topics, chances are others in the industry will be as well. Along with the holidays also comes the time of year to renew your annual membership in the BCA. We know how busy you are and we want to make this as simple as possible.You can mail in your dues with the enclosed envelope or you can go online (BCA-Pool.com) to renew your membership dues before Dec. 15 (use promocode: BCAINSIDER) to receive an early bird discount on your membership. Wishing you a very successful holiday season!

SECRETARY

David Piha, Greater Souther Home Recreation

TREASURER

Brian Rosselli, Olhausen Mfg

BOARD MEMBERS

Ivan Lee, Iwan Simonis Debbie Corvey, Boynton Beach Billiards Dan Pucci, American Heritage Billiards Philippe Singer, The Predator Group Ed Liddawi, Sandcastle Billiards

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SHANE TYREE,

MEMBERSHIP MANAGER BCA Insider is published by Billiard Congress of America © 2019 bcainsider.com

Tatum Cutting with her coach Dee Adkins

RISE OF THE JUNIORS By Keith Loria It’s an exciting time to be a junior billiard player. In November, a group of the nation’s top young players is heading to Cyprus to play in the WPA Junior World 9-Ball Championships. Also in November, the fifth annual Atlantic Challenge Cup will take place in Treviso, Italy, not far from Venice, with some of the U.S.’s top juniors taking on the top young players from Europe. “The ACC has provided a great opportunity for our junior players to get a taste of intense international competition in a challenging format, a chance to learn to work together as Team USA and a great reward for their hard work and dedication,” says BCA Chairman Brian Igielski. “This prestigious event has also brought many of our industry’s 6 | BCA INSIDER • HOLIDAY ISSUE 2019

companies and individuals together to support our junior players in ways not previously seen and we look forward to our opportunity to again compete against Europe in the 2019 ACC. The players will have a great experience at a spectacular location in Italy.” Here are some of the top players who will be taking part:

KAIDEN HUNKINS The 17-year-old fromWaukesha,Wisconsin is the 2019 U18 Boys National Champion and is looking forward to bringing home a win for the U.S. this year. “I just finished my ninth year at the BEF Junior Nationals and finished first this

year and first in the 2018 16 & Under category,” he says. “This will be my fifth year qualifying for Worlds. I attended the Worlds in Moscow in 2017 and Shanghai in 2015.” He’s also had a couple of top finishes at the Allen Hopkins Super Billiards Tournament. Last year, Hunkins made the Atlantic Challenge Cup team for Team USA and was nominated again this year and invited to the training camp in October. They will decide the final team right after the training camp. “I love being in a zone. When I start playing, I focus on the game and not the player. Essentially you are playing the table and not them,” Hunkins says. “Knowing that, just because you lose a game doesn’t mean it’s over. It’s about

staying calm and fighting to come back. In my first-place finish last year, I lost my first match and fought hard and won my next nine matches to play the opponent I lost to. I ended up double dipping him to take home the win.” In addition to looking to do his country proud, Hunkins also enjoys going to these events to see the players and friends he’s met around the world over his almost decade worth of competing. “Events like these are important as it allows juniors to play with kids their own age,” he says. “Unfortunately, I live in an area where there are no junior pool leagues so I have to play in adult leagues. And that’s only if they let me. Some people don’t like losing to a kid, or some establishments don’t want minors in there even though I’m with either my dad or mom. These events are also a way for you to meet players from around the world that if you continue in the sport, you could eventually play them as an adult.” And that’s certainly something Hunkins plans to do as he gets older. “I want to continue to play well and give the sport the attention it deserves,” he says. “I also enjoy showing others tips along the way just like how I was shown.”

TATUM CUTTING Tatum Cutting from Diamond, Ohio, is 16 and recently became the 2019 U16 Girls National Champion. “I first became interested in pool when my dad started playing it in 2008, and I wanted to spend time with him and fell in love with the game,” she says. “I enjoy meeting new people, traveling, teaching younger people, and proving that being a girl doesn’t mean I can’t compete with the boys.” Cutting is looking forward to playing in the Junior World Championships be8 | BCA INSIDER • HOLIDAY ISSUE 2019

cause she was given the opportunity in 2015 but passed it up because she felt she wasn’t ready. “This year, I want to prove that I am ready,” she says. “I think events like these are important to junior players because it shows, just because our age is lower than most pros, we can still be treated the same and have the same things to look forward to. My future goals for playing pool are to be better than my coach’s number-one player, Corey Deuel, and earn the respect I deserve in the game even though I am a girl.”

KODI ALLEN Kodi Allen is a 17-year-old from Tampa, Florida who recently became the 2019 U16 Boys National Champion. He first started playing pool when his father bought a billiard room in his hometown. “When I first started playing, I was already playing competitive football and quickly decided to play pool instead because of the passion I had for billiards,” he says. “After that, I played nonstop every day for two years straight and continued with my passion. I love the rush that it gives you when you’re in a match and there’s a lot of people watching and all that pressure just makes me want to play forever.” Over the years, Allen has played in numerous junior tournaments and state championships in Florida, Tennessee and Maryland. He also played at the Super Billiard Expo’s National Juniors event, and most recently played in the APA Junior National Championships, where he came in second place. Thanks to his U16 Boys National Championship win in Las Vegas, Allen was invited to play in the International Juniors 9-Ball Open, and will be attending the ACC Camp and represent America at the Junior World Championships. “What I’m looking forward to the most in these events is the experience

that I will gain from meeting a bunch of other really good positive kids who share my love of the game,” Allen says. “I feel like together, we can really help the sport as we gain more experience. Junior events like these are important so that we can keep the billiard game as a sport and hopefully get it into the Olympics. The juniors who play pool are the future generation of billiards so investing in supporting the juniors is supporting our sport.”

LAZARO MARTINEZ At just 13, Lazaro Martinez is the reigning 2019 U14 Boys National Champion. Hailing from New Braunfels, Texas, the youngster took up the sport when his dad would bring him along to the local pool hall. “I was only six years old, but my dad taught me how to play and ever since, I fell in love with pool,” he says. “I mostly enjoy playing against my opponents who challenge me, but most of all I enjoy winning.” With the Junior World Championships ahead, Martinez shares that he is looking forward to playing in intense matches, playing people from other countries and participating in a huge event like this. “I have played in several tournaments against both adults and juniors in the BCA as well as the BEF. I won BCA Junior Nationals 9-Ball in 2015 at just eight years old,” he says. “My future goal for this sport is to compete against Shane Van Boening and win. Shane and Efren Reyes are my idols.”

VIVIAN LIU Vivian Liu is a 16-year-old player from Harvard, Massachusetts and is the reigning 2019 U18 Girls National Champion. “I first learned about billiards when I found out that there was a youth league every Sunday in the town right next to mine,” she says. “After the first time I

Vivian Liu

Kaiden Hunkins

Lazaro Martinez

Kodi Allen

…WHEN YOU SEE THAT EVERYONE AROUND YOU IS WORKING HARD TO REACH THEIR GOALS, YOU CAN’T HELP BUT FEEL INSPIRED TO WORK HARDER TO REACH YOUR OWN.” -VIVIAN LIU BCAINSIDER.COM | 9

went, I immediately became interested, especially because the coach there, Roy Pastor, is so amazing.” Under Pastor’s guidance, Liu has been going to the BEF Junior Nationals every year for the past five years and considers herself fortunate to have been invited to and attend the WPA Junior World Championships for the past three years. “I think that larger events like Junior Nationals or Junior Worlds are so important because billiards is not quite as popular around the country. Events such as these allow all young players to realize that there are others who love the sport as much as they do and motivate them to keep going and pursue their passions,” she says. “When you attend big events with other young players, you make so many friends and get to know so many new people, all who have the same interests as you do. And when you see that everyone around you is working hard to reach their goals, you can’t help but feel inspired to work harder to reach your own.”

BCa Expo BCAExpo.com

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One of her main goals in the sport in the future is to be able to help teach younger children how to play and get more people interested in billiards. “I hope that in the future the sport of billiards becomes something that more kids play and have fun with,” Liu says. “As for goals in playing, I only hope to be able to continue to love the sport and be able to put in the time to continue to play at a high level.”

“

…BEING A GIRL DOESN’T MEAN I CAN’T COMPETE WITH THE BOYS.” – TATUM CUTTING

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A TIME

GETTING INVOLVED WITH A CHARITY HELPS THOSE IN NEED By Anthony They say giving is better than receiving, and the holidays are a fantastic time for billiard owners to get in the spirit of generosity and devote some time and resources to charity.

And the billiard industry is a generous one indeed as several businesses are doing their part at the holidays, and all year long, in benefit of others.

There are all sorts of ways for billiard businesses to help a worthy cause. These include fundraisers – where a percentage of sales is given to the charity – or events where representatives from an organization come to your store and raise awareness and collect donations. You may even want to consider having these volunteers help out in your store, doing simple tasks, like bagging items or bringing purchases to customers’ cars, with any tips going to the charity.

FEEDING THOSE IN NEED

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Life is never easy for people who don’t have enough food, but the holidays are an especially painful time for families who don’t have enough to eat, and that’s why each Christmas, the employees at Universal Billiards, Inc., which has showrooms in Plano and Dallas,Texas, donate food for the North Texas Food Bank.

TO GIVE

DS AND CREATES GOODWILL FOR YOUR BILLIARD BUSINESS Stoeckert “For each bag of food donated by our team members, we give out raffle tickets,” says Ciarra McIntire-Brother, president of Universal Billiards, Inc. “Then at our company Christmas party, we raffle off prizes. Our team is generous without the raffle, but the hope of a few good prizes will surely motivate anyone to give a little more. Over the years, we’ve been thankful to our team members as we’ve collected over 1,000 pounds of food for the NTFB. Our team also drops off the food and helps unload, as it takes the workload off of NTFB to have to pick up the donations.” Universal Billiards also partners with a local non-profit to improve its game rooms.

“Last year, we recovered a few pool tables, donated a pingpong table, and restocked all of the accessories at one of the local Salvation Army rehabilitation centers in Dallas,” McIntire-Brother says. “In years past, we’ve worked with The Boys and Girls Clubs of North Texas and local fire department stations. Not only are we giving back in the best way we know how – working on pool tables – but we’re also spreading the love of the game. That’s a win-win for our team!” Fort Worth Billiards is another billiard retailer that is dedicated to helping hungry people through its efforts in support of a local food bank. BCAINSIDER.COM | 13

“We started our first annual ‘Let’s Pool Together for the Tarrant County Food Bank’ last December,” says Albert Trujillo, manager of operations for Fort Worth Billiards. “We felt December was an excellent time to restock the shelves with non-perishable goods, and it was a tremendous success.”

to companies that care. In a similar study by Cone Communications focused on Corporate Social Responsibility, it was found that 88 percent of consumers were more likely to buy from a company that supports and engages in activities to improve society.”

The initiative involved Fort Worth Billiards asking customers to bring in two or more items in exchange for cue tip installations or a discount voucher.

A LITTLE GOES A LONG WAY

“We have wonderful customers and great Fort Worth people who just stopped by and made their drop-offs without asking for a discount,” says Trujillo. “We plan on offering more discounted products to increase participation and anticipate our second annual ‘Pooling Together’ to be even bigger and better. I think it’s vital to give back to your local community, whether it’s volunteering or donating product with a mindset that you’re helping others from your heart.” Maria Martinez Trent, owner of Pool Tables Plus in South Daytona, Florida, takes part in “Play Pink” each October in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, where they re-cover all tables in the showroom pink and promote “playing pink” in area leagues by sponsoring a pub crawl and re-covering the tables in bars and restaurants pink as well. These partners raise donations throughout the month and Pool Tables Plus matches the donations and gives them to local breast cancer charities. “I think it’s important to support our community and our local causes,” Trent says. “It also gets some name recognition to the store, showing we are involved in the community in giving back.” The store has also donated air hockey tables and pool tables to local youth leagues to help them raise money and donated tables to help local foster care organizations as well. “I’m also originally from Puerto Rico, so when Hurricane Maria happened, I organized a collection drive here and many people from the community would come in and donate items,” Trent says. “We just did it again for the Bahamas.”

GET YOUR STAFF INVOLVED Tyler Butler, founder and CEO of 11Eleven Consulting, says involving employees in giving programs that help the community result in a more engaged staff. “Engaged employees are also typically more loyal and more productive,” he says. “The Cone Communications Employee Engagement Study showed that 74 percent of employees said that their job is more fulfilling when they are provided opportunities to make a positive impact at work. Additionally, it has been shown that customers are also more dedicated 14 | BCA INSIDER • HOLIDAY ISSUE 2019

Consumer psychologist Bruce D. Sanders says that charitable efforts can be more effective in helping a store’s bottom line than small discounts. For example, a pledge to make a $1 donation for purchases that reach a certain threshold not only helps local causes but is a better motivator than an equivalent discount. “One reason for this is that a $1 discount seems trivial to the shopper, but that same shopper can envision multiple contributions of one dollars from all the different customers adding up to a large bonus for the charity, and that becomes a selling point,” he says. He adds that this is a promotion that should be done only occasionally and that holiday season is a perfect time to implement it. You can also increase its effectiveness by posting updates of total contributions. “Multiply the impact of your store’s charitable contributions by encouraging customers to also contribute,” Sanders says. “This helps the cause in the short term. But it also helps a billiard retailer in a longer term if the charity partner you choose provides food, shelter, education, or similar benefits to disadvantaged people. Consumer behavior research finds that this sort of partnership builds store loyalty. Purchasers of items considered to be recreational and with an implication of privilege feel better about themselves when aiding those who are less well off. If the retailer makes this easier, customers’ appreciation translates into repeat business.”

ROUND UP AND RAISE MONEY Butler says another easy way retailers and customers can give back is through a “round up” campaign, in which customers round up their purchase to the nearest dollar. “This type of offering allows businesses to share the chance with customers to round up their purchase price and contribute those funds to a designated charity of choice,” Butler says. “There are several options for how to execute this. I recommend you first connect with the charity you plan to support as to ensure that you have the correct branding, mission statement and EIN nonprofit identification number.” He adds that business owners need to figure out how to structure this sort of fundraising.

Universal Billiards does its part every year to give back.

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“Some organizations that have a large quantity of sales will just ask that patrons round up their purchase to the next dollar, taking the spare change and donating that amount to the cause selected,” Butler says. “However, if your organization has a lower quantity of sales that are higher in price I recommend allowing customers to round up in increments of $1, $5, $10 or $20. These funds will add up quickly and allow your organization to contribute to those in need simply by engaging your customers.”

“We partner with businesses in Colorado to help us impact children in several ways,” says Jessica Bachus, founder and executive director of Kenzi’s Causes. “The first way we partner with businesses is through sponsorship.”

HOW TO WORK WITH A CHARITY

“We provide the business with a barrel with our logo on it to collect the toys,” Bachus says. “We also provide them with a poster that shows they are a drop-off location for that community, we promote the business on our website and social media pages. In return we ask them to collect at least 25 new toys for boys and girls ages birth to 18. The business that collects the most toys is given an award and honored at our annual auction each June.”

Xavier and Maria Trent of Pool Tables Plus participate in “Play Pink” every October to raise money for breast cancer charities.

Kenzi’s Causes is a Colorado-based nonprofit that works to provide equality for low-income children throughout the state. Its programs support more than 15,000 children each year, and during the holidays it offers six toy shops for families in need where parents can “shop” for free toys for their kids. And businesses are important to Kenzi’s Causes.

That involves companies sponsoring the toy shop program. Another initiative involves businesses serving as drop-off locations for the toy drive, which takes place October 1 through December 1.

Bachus says billiard retailers could get involved through a barrel in their store or hall. “A pool room could partner with a nonprofit to hold an event where everyone has to donate a new toy to participate or they donate a percentage from the event back to the charity to be used to purchase toys,” she says.

BEYOND THE HOLIDAYS Some billiard owners take on charitable causes at times other than the Christmas season. Games & Things in Knoxville, Tennessee has raised about $400,000 for cancer patients at the Thompson Cancer Survival Center through its annual Game On Against Cancer event. The event has grown so big that this year’s fundraiser was moved to a larger space to accommodate the more than 325 people who attended. And this year, the store has introduced a new fundraising initiative. “We will be raising money for Smoky Mountain Service Dogs – to help enhance the physical and psychological quality of life for veterans with disabilities by providing custom-trained mobility assistance service dogs at no cost to the veterans,” says owner Lisa Mellon.

HELP YOUR STORE The reason to help a charity is to benefit people in need, and Trujillo says he doesn’t think about how his charitable endeavors help Fort Worth Billiards’ bottom line. 16 | BCA INSIDER • HOLIDAY ISSUE 2019

“Honestly, I don’t look at it as a reason to increase business, and I’m not sure if it helps business or not, but I do know that I owe my customers and community for what business I do have,” he says. While many give to charity for the charity’s sake, getting involved with a cause can spread the word of your great business. Let’s say you own a pool hall and host a fundraising event for a local charity. Take some good photos of the event (which, thanks to today’s phone cameras, is easy to do) and send the pictures and a press release about the event to local papers and news websites. This lets people know about your establishment in a very positive way. Include information in the press release about your business, what you offer, and your holiday sales. Bachus says the collaborations between Kenzi’s Causes and businesses are mutually beneficial. She adds that she has also referred customers to businesses they collaborate with, and that getting involved with a charity gives businesses exposure on the cause’s social media outlets. “We both benefit because we are creating change for children in need,” she says. “The business looks good to their customers because they are invested in the community and most people these days want to do business with companies who believe in giving back.”

The team at Universal Billiards collects food each year for the North Texas Food Bank.

So this year, get in the holiday spirit and team up with a local organization that needs your help. And your efforts just might end up helping your business as well.

Universal Billiards and it’s customers giving back for the holidays.

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INTERIOR DESIGNERS SHARE SOME OF THEIR FAVORITE BILLIARD AND GAME ROOM DESIGNS By Keith Loria Many billiard retailers can recommend interior designers to their customers who are looking to create a game room, man cave or billiard room, as this can help not only get a table sold, but also accessories, furniture and other popular games.

Having photos at the store from designers in your area to show prospective customers what a “dream” game room could look like is also a great idea, because it may inspire someone to do something with an empty room or basement.

It’s great for business because not only will the designer use items from your store, but the customer will most likely become a regular patron when they need things for their room.

Here are some favorite designs that interior designers have done over the course of the last year.

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Designed by Morgante Wilson Architects, this four-story single-family home in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood features a wealth of spaces for entertaining, including a top “penthouse” level that is dominated by a bar and billiard area as well as an adjacent home theater. With an entire wall of windows and its vantage point from the fourth floor, the bar/billiard room boasts stunning views of the city. It also features an eye-catching tin ceiling, which is a traditional detail reinterpreted alongside the room’s more contemporary elements, and fun brass light fixtures over the billiard table. With three televisions above the full bar, the space evokes the neighborhood pub experience Chicago is known for.

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Interior designer Jennifer McGinnis, president of Redux Interior Design, recently designed a “Man Cave” in a townhome basement located in a residential home in Lake Zurich, Illinois. Note the fun sports theme with trophy case and sports memorabilia; full wet bar with sink and two refrigerators/beverage coolers; billiard table; cocktail table with custom-made high chairs and faux zebra seat cushions; comfy sectional sofa; flat screen TV; contrasting painted walls; and a full bath with shower featuring sports stadium-style lighting and custom tile work. Additionally, new heating and ventilation systems and LED lighting were installed. 20 | BCA INSIDER • HOLIDAY ISSUE 2019

Anthony Michael, owner of Anthony Michael Interior Design located in downtown Chicago, has been in business for more than 34 years, specializing in classical, contemporary and eclectic interior design for residences, specialty restaurants and retail, yachts and private aircraft. He recently designed a billiard room for one of his long-term clients, call-

ing it the classic billiard room for the more fortunate. “I prefer the classic approach to designing a suitable billiard room. A room that is a minimum size of 20 by 25 to allow for a 5-foot area surrounding the table,” he says. “I like to include a bar and seating for viewers (more lounge-like) as well as players since they will be rotating for a

turn. The room should feel warm and games oriented with some lightheartedness thrown into the mix. Let the table be the star of the space, and keep the furnishings minimal as no one wants to navigate around furniture. Allow plenty of surface space to put a drink down, and keep the lighting focused on the ‘star’…the table.”

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Tracy Lynn, owner and lead designer at Tracy Lynn Studio, recently designed a multigenerational home complete with a game room, bar, basketball court and bowling alley. “We had over 10,000 square feet to work within this home, so finding the space for each generation was easier than we thought,” Lynn says. “With great input from the client, we were able to make sure that each age range was highlighted at least a few times throughout each wing of the home. We helped to bring in the younger generations with unique built-in bunk beds in the guest room, a vicarious game room/arcade on the second level, and of course, the fully functioning bowling alley out the back.” The older generations could mingle with the mid-range in any of the entertaining areas, including the living room, sports bar, movie theater, or lovely eat-in kitchen. “Multi-generational entertaining was very important to our client, and we kept that in mind throughout the whole design process,” Lynn says. “The home featured a separate sports bar from the living area in hopes that it would feel like a ‘hospitality’ setting when the clients would entertain. It featured a handmade brick backsplash up to the ceiling, with an 80-inch TV. The beer taps were a fun design element, and we coordinated the taps themselves to have the client’s favorite beer and then also an editable one for rotating beers that they might like to try, with San Diego being one of the most diverse beer cities in America.” The bookshelf on the rear wall in this space was custom made with slabs of marble and wood for an elegant look in such a quirky room.

As a retailer, a savvy idea is to partner with local interior designers so they think of your store when designing a game room or other room in the house where a billiard table or other furnishing you may sell can work. This will create new opportunities for sales. You can do a search for interior designs in your area on the web, or there are plenty of interior design associations where you can find someone to partner with. As they design beautiful rooms, think of how great they would look if your tables were at the centerpiece.

AMERICAN SOCIETY OF INTERIOR DESIGNERS www.asid.org COMMERCIAL INTERIOR DESIGN ASSOCIATION www.iida.org INTERIOR DESIGN SOCIETY www.interiordesignsociety.org

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BOOST YOUR HOLIDAY SALES GET CUSTOMERS INTO YOUR STORE, AND KEEP YOUR REGISTER RINGING, WITH THESE HELPFUL TIPS By Anthony Stoeckert The holidays are many people’s favorite time of the year because they bring families together to celebrate a joyous occasion, share memories, enjoy delicious meals, and, yes, exchange gifts. But for billiard retailers… ’tis the season to get down to business. The numbers that illustrate the importance of this time of year to store owners is staggering: Up to 40 percent of annual sales take place in the two months leading up to Christmas; Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is the busiest shopping day of the year; the average shopper in the U.S. spent about $900 on holiday gifts last year; and holiday retail sales crossed the $1 trillion plateau last year. And while so much of today’s retail business is focused on cyber-shopping, there’s a lot of good news for owners of brick-and-mortar stores, including statistics that indicate that about half of all shoppers want to see and touch what they’re buying up close. That is especially true in the billiard business, because people are going to want to see a pool table or other game up close and in person before buying one. And the holiday season not only means an opportunity to make lots of sales, it’s also the time to establish long-term relationships with customers both old and new who can keep your store thriving for years to come. 26 | BCA INSIDER • HOLIDAY ISSUE 2019

And here are some top tips that can help boost your sales during the holly, jolly time of the year.

WORK WITH YOUR STAFF If you have a successful store, it’s almost certain that you have a talented and dedicated staff. As we approach the holiday season, talk to your employees about the importance of this time of year, and what your needs and expectations are. One of the most important things to do is work out a schedule in advance. Retail employees are generally expected to be available to work extra shifts during the holiday season, but it’s only fair to work with them and allow them to take days off for family celebrations or other occasions. But make sure everyone knows the schedule and that all employees are responsible for their shifts. You may also want to consider hiring temporary staff for the season – an employee who worked for you in the past and is home for college is an ideal seasonal hire. Consider having employees take on roles you don’t normally worry about, like a store greeter. This person can welcome visitors to your store, ask them a few questions, and then get them to a sales person or the right department.

You also want employees available to answer customers’ questions. Think about times you were in a store, needed assitance and couldn’t get anyone to serve you. It’s very frustrating, so avoid it, especially at this busy time of the year.

SET THE MOOD Decorate you store for the holidays. You don’t have to go overboard and turn your space into a winter wonderland. But a nice tree (with some poolthemed ornaments) and tasteful decorations can set a nice, warm scene. And hang up lights – people love holiday lights – and add decorations for holidays like Hanukkah and Kwanzaa so that everyone feels part of the festive feeling. Play holiday music for everyone to enjoy. On weekends, offer snacks like cookies, a vegetable tray, cider and water. It’s a simple gesture, but one that can be very effective. Hungry customers can get easily frustrated and people can get so hungry that they become more concerned about lunch than making a purchase. Giving people a snack can curb their appetite, clear their head, and get them in the right frame of mind for shopping. And investing in some candy canes to hand out to kids is a very affordable way to make children happy as they’re dragged along for a day of shopping.

GET PEOPLE IN YOUR STORE

ment for shoppers, so it’s helpful for you and your customers to take some time to talk with them and get a sense of what they’re looking for.

relay this information accurately to the non-expert and guide them into buying an appropriate gift for their friend or family,” Hatton says.

Yes, sales of pool tables and other games are key to your success, but be sure to promote smaller, more affordable accessories because Christmas is a great time to promote these as stocking stuffers.

“Get to know your customers through polite but pointed chat and make sure you make them feel like an individual, not just a possible customer,” says Will Hatton, a marketing expert. “Asking open-ended questions allows them to give full and frank answers without them feeling like they are being peppered with questions. Open-ended questions always result in good, indepth answers, so you can use this information to delve into the conversation more, and use these insights for good in your future marketing.”

Shaun Little, who works in the gaming industry as the proprietor of darthelp. com and the recently launched site, mancaverevolution.com says being friendly and knowledgeable is of course key, and he also suggests carrying a wide variety of items to fulfill the needs of people looking for gifts.

“Retailers can emphasize all the items they sell that would be great stocking stuffers,” says Tami Belt of Blue Cube Marketing Solutions. She also suggests making your store fun and exciting by holding a raffle, where people earn entries by spending a certain amount of money. “Store owners can also offer billiard or dart lessons to teach shoppers more about these games,” she says.

“

EVERYONE LOVES FREE STUFF, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT’S NOT EXPECTED.”

PROMOTE GIFT CARDS BE PATIENT Gift cards are a perfect option when WITH NOVICES people are shopping for a billiard enthusiast but they’re not exactly sure what the gift receiver needs. A lot of people may not like the idea because they want to see people open an actual gift, but if you get the sense that a shopper is struggling to find the right gift for someone, explain to them how gift cards allow people to get out, do some shopping, and buy exactly what they want. Also, offer gift cards at a discount, say 5 to 10 percent to people who buy a table. For example, if someone buys their spouse a table, offer them a $100 gift card at $90 to give as a complement to the table itself, so that their loved one can buy a cue or other piece of equipment.

BUILD RELATIONSHIPS One goal for the holiday season is to sell some tables. That’s a big invest-

“A non-expert would be very confused trying to figure out which pool cue to buy or what weight the darts should be, these are things that are very personal to the user,” he says. “But things like cases, table covers, T-shirts, and shot glasses are safe gifts that the buyer can more easily understand and buy with confidence.”

Not everyone who buys a billiard table is a devotee of the game. There are people who want a table as an activity for the family, and then there are folks who are looking for gifts for a relative or friend who plays pool. Welcome these people into your store and make them feel at home without being puhsy. Find out what they’re looking for and help them find the right product for them – a satisfied customer is one who is likely to return to your store. Talk with them about their budget, and let them know about different price points and the advantages and disadvantages of various tables.

GET SOCIAL You should be paying attention to your social media all year round, but it’s especially important to keep your Facebook, Twitter and Instagram presences active during the holiday stretch. “Facebook ads are a good place to start. They are cheap and you can target them to shoppers in your area.You should start now to run a few different campaigns to see what works, then go full speed ahead after Black Friday,” Little says.

And use your expertise to educate your customers so that they can make smart purchases.

He also suggests creating a hashtag for your store and offering an incentive to people who post photos of themselves with photos of products they bought at your store, and running contests and giveaway prizes of your old stock.

“If the owners know their target market and create buyer personas, then they can

“You can easily put a ‘Follow us on Facebook and save 10 percent’ sign at BCAINSIDER.COM | 27

the cash register and in a few months, you will have thousands of followers you can retarget with new products, sales, and promotions,” Little says.

SHOW YOUR APPRECIATION

If 10 percent is too much, buy less expensive products and give them in exchange to people who follow you.

In this ultra-competitive age, you need to give yourself, and your store, every conceivable advantage, and one simple way to do that is to say thank-you to your customers.

“People love free stuff and it can be as simple as a keychain or bottle opener,” Little says. “You can turn a fridge magnet into a lead magnet.” Belt says social media is a great way to get the word out about your business. “No ad budget, no problem! Create online posts with pictures and short videos showcasing these items and a link to more info on your website,” Belt says. “Once they familiarize themselves, they are more likely to come visit or purchase online.”

FOCUS ON YOUR WEBSITE Your physical store may be key to your success, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore the opportunity for online sales. In many ways, buying online is ideal for customers who know exactly what they want, and especially for accessories and smaller items. Add some holiday touches to your website, like green and red banners with images of trees, gingerbread people, wreaths, and candy canes. Update it immediately after Christmas with a New Year’s feel and emphasize how your store is still offering great deals through the end of the year. Then change it after New Year’s to your standard look because carrying a holiday theme past the first few days of January will make your site look ignored.

28 | BCA INSIDER • HOLIDAY ISSUE 2019

“It’s incredibly important to make sure customers know you appreciate their business,” says Shelley Grieshop, a marketing expert with Totally Promotional, an online retailer and manufacturer of customized products for business branding and marketing. “Since these businesses are dealing in recreational equipment and accessories, stay with the industry theme and give new customers a complimentary fun item with your name on it.” These can include, for example, a stress ball that looks like a cue ball, complete with your company’s logo on it, or a set of coasters, which can come in handy in any game room. “Everyone loves free stuff, especially when it’s not expected,” Grieshop says.

STAY IN TOUCH Your business’ relationship with your customers doesn’t end when you hand someone a receipt and they leave your store, or after a delivery is made to their home. Selling a table or other game to someone is a fantastic opportunity to reach out to clients and let them know yours is a store that values their patronage. After a customer has purchased a table from you, send an email or make a call asking if the delivery and installation went well and if they were happy with the product and service you and your staff provided. And let them know they can call you with any questions or concerns.

And keep the relationship going after the holidays are done, the decorations are down and kids are back in school. Send another email, telling the customers you hope they and their family had a great time with their new table during the holidays, and let them know of complimentary products that are available that can help enhance their game room experience. Offer them discounts and then sometime around January, remind them that Valentine’s Day is a great opportunity to give their special someone a beautiful new game room toy. And then the hard work you put in November and December can pay dividends all year long.

The Howards’ daughter Chelan was born in 2012, and their son Gage was born in 2013.

Kornerpockets Pool Room

A LIFETIME IN BUSINESS THANKS TO THEIR DETERMINATION AND UNTIRING WORK ETHIC, STEFANIE AND CHASE HOWARD HAVE MADE KORNERPOCKET BILLIARDZ A SUCCESS By Anthony Stoeckert Stefanie and Chase Howard have been entrepreneurs since they were both seven years old. That’s how old Stefanie was when she started selling friendship bracelets to neighborhood kids, while Chase’s first business endeavor was selling his used video games. “I’d buy a brand-new game for Nintendo, and I’d beat the game,” Chase says. “And I realized that my neighbor couldn’t afford new games and was willing to pay a nice percentage of what I had paid for them, so I figured out really quickly that I could sell him my used games, and continue to buy new ones.” 32 | BCA INSIDER • HOLIDAY ISSUE 2019

So it only makes sense that when these two business-minded individuals met, that their relationship would lead not just to marriage, but to a successful business as well.

pair and replacement, crating, storage, and monthly maintenance contracts.

That would be Kornerpocket Billiardz in Woodinville, Washington, which is renowned as the Seattle area’s premiere destination for pool tables, cues, furniture, lighting, and accessories, as well as other games like air hockey, foosball, shuffleboard tables, dome hockey, bumper pool, ping-pong, poker tables and darts.

AT FIRST SIGHT Stefanie and Chase Howard were introduced to each other in 1996, on Chase’s 14th birthday. Among Chase’s interests was guitar, and at the time Stefanie, who was 15 at the time, played as well.

Kornerpocket Billiardz also provides customers with outstanding services, such as installations, relocation, recovery, re-cushioning, slate and pocket re-

“It was kind of, ‘Oh you play guitar, she plays guitar, you guys might hit it off,’” Chase says of the person who introduced them to each other.

And it all started when a couple of teenagers met.

They’ve been inseparable ever since. And in 2002, when Chase was 19 and Stefanie was 20, they got married and bought a house. As for pool, Chase has played since he was a kid, and he later worked with an uncle who moved and recovered pool tables. Needing something more steady, he took a job with a local pool table company before going on to frame high-end luxury homes. “After a couple years at our jobs, we realized we were never going to be happy working nine to five, and we tried everything from selling on eBay to flipping whatever we could find at swap meets to make a couple extra bucks,” Stefanie says. Their first company involved making and selling tie-dyed shirts and hemp macramé neckaces. “I sewed clothing – hippie style!” Stefanie says. In 2005, they decided to establish a true business, and they weighed two options – an espresso stand or a pool table service company. They were young kids who didn’t have a lot of money, and the pool table service endeavor was the best option because of Chase’s experience. They reached out to the uncle about teaming up, but the uncle said no, so they decided to become the competition. “Chase knew the tools we needed and he had a basic understanding – the rest was up to us and we were not into computers at the time,” Stefanie says. “We had to figure it out on our own, so we bought the tools.” They continued to work their day jobs, and brainstormed about their business during their free time. “Luckily I worked at a temp agency fixing all the Xerox copy machines at Boeing,” Stefanie says. “That meant I never had a boss or desk to check into

and was on my own accord until a copy machine needed to be fixed. Even then, I had at least 30 minutes to get to the machine before someone wondered where I was. Since I didn’t have someone watching me, I would spend my time setting up our company until a call came in.”

STARTING THE DREAM They landed on the name Kornerpocket Billiardz, and while the K and Z gave their new enterprise some pizzazz, a lot of customers had trouble finding them because of the unique spelling. “Once we had the name, we got two matching shirts made so we could look professional,” Stefanie says. “One day, Chase and I put on our matching shirts and marched into the local pool table company he had worked for briefly, and we requested to meet with the owner. Of course the owner wasn’t available so we ended up talking to the lead sales rep. I can remember standing there thinking, ‘They are never going to give us a chance.’ And they didn’t, well not right away at least.” Six months later, the couple was on a road trip to California when they got their first call for a job. They considered canceling their vacation to take the gig, but ultimately decided to pass.

THEIR FIRST COMPANY INVOLVED MAKING AND SELLING TIE-DYED SHIRTS AND HEMP MACRAMÉ NECKACES.”

“A few months later we got another call and we could take the job,” Stefanie says. “They offered $250 to install a pool table for a customer who just moved into the state – that was better than we did in a week at our jobs so we jumped on it.” It’s an assignment they will never forget. It was in a big, beautiful house, the kind Chase was building in his day job. Both of these budding entrepreneurs were working full-time jobs, and when they arrived at the home, they learned that the table and its parts were scattered among the homeowner’s stuff in the garage. BCAINSIDER.COM | 33

“It took over an hour to find all the table components and move all of the customer’s belongings,” Stefanie says. “Then the table had to go upstairs. Not just upstairs, but though the garage, upstairs into the hallway, down the hallway, around the corner up the bridal radius staircase – and it’s covered in plastic – and then into the room. Once we finally got everything up there, the customer came in with a vacuum and asked us to clean the floor first!” Determined to satisfy the client, they cleaned the floor. Then the owner came in with a giant area rug, and asked them to roll it out, center it in the room, and vacuum it. “We did,” Stefanie says. “Finally, we started building the frame and asked the customer to come in and approve the location of the table before we got the slate. To this day, I think this is one of the pickiest customers we have ever had! By now it was close to 9 p.m. and we both had to work the next morning, so we told the customer that we were going to have to come back the following day to finish the job. Even though he was upset, he accepted that and we returned the following day and finished the job. It was awesome!”

DEFYING EXPECTATIONS With Chase standing six-foot, 180 pounds and Stefanie 5-foot-4, 120 pounds, they didn’t exactly look like typical burly pool table service folks. “The look we would get from customers when we showed up at the door was a look of pure doubt,” Stefanie says. “After the initial introductions, Chase would point at me and tell the customers, ‘Don’t worry, I brought the muscle,’ just to break the ice and build confidence.” When he worked for his uncle, Chase primarily helped move and recover tables, so while he knew how tables came apart and went back together, he didn’t know how to install cloth or level tables. After that first job, they did a few more, then they got a brand-new table installation. All they had to do was learn how to do it. “We did not know how to put the cloth on the rails or the bed other than what Chase had seen in the past. He had nev-

er done it himself,” Stefanie says. “We got the table the day before the install and took the rails home to cover them. We worked on our old one-piece slate table, and it took six hours to figure out how to cover our first set of rails but they looked pretty good and we felt confident we could get the job done.” Chase says they were determined to make their business a success. “We got our first job and it was like, ‘OK, now we have to figure out how to do it,’” he says with a laugh. “It wasn’t quite that bad but it was do or die.” The goal was to provide professional and reliable services while setting Kornerpocket Billiardz apart from other companies. They did this by establishing a dress code for technicians – polo shirts sporting the company’s name, nice jeans, and clean socks, with no holes. “Since day one, when we arrive, we introduce ourselves and shake the customer’s hand,” Stefanie says. “We take our shoes off every time we enter the home and our job site is so precise and clean that we never lose a tool. All of our technicians are trained in-house the same way so that everyone knows the process and can be sent out with other technicians if someone is out for the day.” Finding quality employees has been one of their biggest challenges. But they are lucky to now have an amazing crew that handles installations so that Stefanie and Chase can run the business.

MAKING A NAME FOR THEMSELVES Their approach worked and before long, they were doing all installations sold through the Costco home store, Kirkland.Then they were offered to do those installs directly, not as sub-contractors. “Of course we jumped on it,” Stefanie says. “We leased a small warehouse and 34 | BCA INSIDER • HOLIDAY ISSUE 2019

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bought a forklift and were taking in over 40 tables per month in the busy season.” In addition to providing superb service, Stefanie and Chase also love to play pool, and they decided to pursue their dream of opening a pool hall. They found a 4,500-square-foot building in the historic district of their hometown, Snohomish, Washington. They wanted their pool hall to be a place where families and people of all ages could feel welcome, so they didn’t serve alcohol. “It worked, kind of,” Stefanie says. “We opened in 2008 and we had parties, leagues, tournaments every Sunday and food and espresso.We sold used pool tables and player supplies and we bought a lathe and I learned how to repair cues while Chase went out in the field every day installing and moving pool tables.” After spending his days in the field, Chase came back to help run the pool hall at night.They had a few employees, but the couple was working seven days a week, 16 hours a day. “We did it all, then the economy tanked and nobody would even buy a water so we brought in drinks,” Stefanie says. “We did well but the overhead was too much. We were realizing that we were working to keep the place open and even skipping our own paychecks to make sure everyone else was paid.” Then came the biggest news of all. “We were pregnant!” Stefanie says.

THE NEXT PHASE After taking a hard look at the business, they decided to focus strictly on service work and installations. They had a contract for someone to buy the assets of the pool hall, but within six months, the buyer defaulted, and Stefanie and Chase got the assets back. So they set up a small warehouse, where they could sell that merchandise. Then 36 | BCA INSIDER • HOLIDAY ISSUE 2019

they followed that by opening a second warehouse for restoring and selling used tables. “We ended up having so much fun refurbishing and upcycling tables, we decided we needed more space and a better location,” Stefanie says. “We got a deal on a bigger warehouse we could afford and thought, ‘Let’s be the Costco of pool tables.’ We went for the warehouse feel and rock-bottom prices and our business was growing again. Service work that we were doing was still paying the bills but we were getting bigger again. We got back up to two crews and were booked out for a week and a half. Our store was no longer open by appointment except for Sundays. Our previous customers who thought we were out of business found us again and we started offering cue repair again.” Things went so well that they started selling brand-new tables, along with shuffleboards, air hockey, foosball, and more so that they could accommodate every customer’s needs. They branded themselves as an artist who loves designing, that would be Stefanie, and Chase as the builder. And their love of collaborating on projects extends to their life at home. “It is not uncommon for us to just rip out or build a wall one day; we constantly live in ‘Remodelville,’” says Stefanie, adding that they recently built a 600-square-foot deck at their house. “We have always done everything ourselves,” she says. “From remodeling our business locations to building things we could not buy. When building the pool hall and our new store location, we came up with the design and did all the painting.” They’ve worked in every aspect of the billiard business, except building their own products, and they don’t rule that out, as the key to their success is embodied by their philosophy of “Keep Going.”

The KornerPocket Billiardz Family

“We never stop trying and learning,” Chase says. “We do not know it all and we learn new things every day. When things aren’t looking so good, we try to use that time to perfect our processes and catch up on things we missed.” They’ve marketed their business through social media and through AdWords, a television commercial and radio advertising. They’ve also become involved in their community by helping the local Boys and Girls Club for whom they provide replacement equipment at low cost, or no charge at all. Stefanie and Chase Howard have been in business their whole lives. Their goal was to be their own bosses and not work for someone else. But that doesn’t mean not working hard. “Through the years and growth of our company, our only goal was success and our business model is ever changing,” Stefanie says. “Our 2019 goal is to be the largest and best game room company in the Pacific Northwest. We would like to open another location, or two in the next few years also. In our new location we have about 3,000 square feet of space we haven’t decided what to do with yet.” Among the considerations are private room rentals, manufacturing, or maybe an entirely new business. “The possibilities are endless,” Stefanie says. And that’s just how the Howards like it.

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BEST IN CLASS THE WINNERS OF THIS YEAR’S NEW PRODUCTS SHOWCASE By Keith Loria At this year’s Expo, the BCA revamped the New Products Showcase program to include Best Design and Best in Show awards to go along with the Most Innovative Product award introduced in 2017. There were some amazing entries, showing the increase in innovation and development in our industry, and the judges had some tough decisions to make. Taking home the Innovation Award was Cue & Case (Escalade Sports) for its Prodigy Automatic Scoring Bristle Dartboard System.

It’s easy to use as well. Once the dartboard is hung on the wall, one needs to just log into the application on their smart phone or tablet and “diddle for the middle.” “The board will precisely tell you who’s closest to the bull and the game will start,” Bond says. “The best part about the Prodigy is you can connect it to any flat screen TV with a HDMI cable as well as to your surround-sound in your man cave. It’s as easy as playing darts.You don’t need to magnetize your tips or use special darts, it doesn’t use sensor pads like soft tip dart boards – it’s all done with cameras and lights.”

“The Prodigy was a show stopper – it might be the coolest product I’ve sold in 20 years at the BCA,” says Wes Bond, vice president of sales for the company. “It was great to see the response from the judges that voted as well as our customers that stopped by to test it out and purchase them for the season. I’m confident these dart boards are going to sell great with a retail price point starting at $149.99.” Bond can’t wait to see the POP interactive display set up in customer showrooms once it’s available, which he shares will add so much more excitement and value to the dart boards. “We’ve been developing the Prodigy Smart Dartboard for more than five years and this is literally the smartest bristle board ever made,” he says. “In addition to the 84 pages of algorithms, we use two high-speed cameras and an infrared lighting system to precisely mark the exact spot and angle the dart lands on the board. We also include 108 LED light bulbs in the surround to ensure there’s no shadows, giving you a true tournament play field.” 40 | BCA INSIDER • HOLIDAY ISSUE 2019

Prodigy Automatic Scoring Bristle Dartboard System

It registers missed darts, robin hoods and darts that fall out, and also utilizes the voice of a British woman telling you what numbers you hit and keeps score for you. “This board is a game-changer the way it sits now, but the coolest part, which will hopefully happen in a year or two, is our ultimate long-term goal to give anyone that owns the Prodigy Smart Board the ability to play anyone else across the world that also has this board from the comfort of their home or bar simply using Bluetooth and the internet,” Bond says. Cue & Case also won Best in Show for its SDB1000 & SDB4000 Smart Electronic Dartboard by Arachnid, another great product Bond is happy received recognition. “This fairly new contest not only spotlights innovative products and cool new designs but it shows all of the BCA members that there are great new products being shown and sold at our industry trade show,” he says. “This gives our customers one more reason to spend their hard-earned time and money to come to the BCA Expo, knowing that they will have the first opportunity to see, test and buy some of the best new products for the upcoming season.”

SDB1000 & SBD4000 Smart Electronic Darboard by Arachnid

Since the contest was first introduced three years ago, Bond has seen some awesome new products from many of the companies that display at the BCA, which he feels is getting more buyers on the floor and making it a win-win for all the vendors buying booth space at the show regardless of which products win. Winning the inaugural Design Award was Imperial International for The Garlando Image Foosball Table. Below a sophisticated surface, this mirror-like foosball table hides a sturdy construction obtained by originally juxtaposing different materials like wood, metal and reflective surfaces. When equipped with telescopic safety bars (on request), the table ensures the highest protection for children’s eyes and faces. Zach Dimotta, president of Imperial, notes Garlando tables have sturdy cabinet builds and are heavier than competitor tables, and also offer a full-size tournament pitch, allowing them to have a 360-degree fully rotating keeper, unlike many competitor models.

The Garlando Image Foosball Table

BCAINSIDER.COM | 41

LOTS OF LOVE FOR THIS YEAR’S EXPO By Daniel Bastone The Billiard & Home Leisure Expo returned to the South Point Hotel, Spa and Casino in Las Vegas this summer, and for many, it was one of the best Expos in recent memory. Naturally, a who’s who of the industry were on hand, including specialty billiard and home recreation retailers, manufacturers, installers and billiard room owners, all learning about the buzz-worthy products that retail customers are talking about and purchasing this year. That’s why year after year, the Expo remains an invaluable source for anyone in the billiard business. 44 | BCA INSIDER • HOLIDAY ISSUE 2019

Jim Kane, owner of K2 Spas & Sports in Billings, Montana, heads to the Expo each year to refresh industry contacts and find new products for his retail floor. As a small-business owner, he says it’s almost impossible to get time away from the store so the BCA Expo allows him to get current with suppliers and look for new relationships and product lines to add to the mix. “Usually the only contact I have with suppliers is by email or the phone. Getting to sit down one-on-one with my sales reps and touch the product before I order extends my comfort level and probably gets me to buy more than I would have from an email offer,” he says. “This year we

went a bit heavier into the darts than normal, but we found great product in both the soft-tip and steel-tip electronic units. In fact, because the actual units would not be available until November, one manufacturer loaned me their prototype setup for our fall home show.” He also loves when the Expo is in Vegas and has never missed one when it was held there. “By definition, a retail store owner must have a little gambler in them,” Kane says. “Las Vegas has for us inexpensive direct flights, cheap or free hotel rooms and offers a chance to see top shows and great dining.”

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In his opinion, the show seemed bigger this year than in past years, and he’s attended about 15 over the last 20 years. “The big names were all in attendance and I expected that but I’m sure I talked to more first-time exhibitors this year versus past years,” he says. “I think that’s a good sign for the future of the BCA and the Expo.” Ed Liddawi, owner of Sandcastle Billiards, a pool hall in Edison, New Jersey, hadn’t been to a BCA Expo in a number of years, but was glad he went in 2019. “It was nice to see all the manufacturers and great new products they had to offer,” he says. “It was especially nice to see all the talented juniors competing on the floor as well. It showed a nice unity once again between the industry side and play side of all the BCA has to offer.” Scott Douglas of Green Bay, Wisconsin-based J.Pechauer Custom Cues, enjoyed everything about the show, especially the change of the membership meeting. “The venue is still our favorite and the timing is good for us,” he says. “The only thing we would like to see is some background noise to make it feel less quiet in the slow times, maybe some background music or something. But there’s plenty of chatter going on and

46 | BCA INSIDER • HOLIDAY ISSUE 2019

excitement in the air throughout most of the event.” Wes Bond, vice president of sales for Cues & Case Sales, Inc., a global division of Escalade Sports, enjoyed many aspects of the BCA Expo this year, and felt it was different than past years in several ways. “At the industry social, I really liked the added food and larger banquet space giving plenty of room to network and socialize,” he says. “The new day and time of the membership meeting with the added breakfast was a great idea. However, I would like to see the format change away from the formal board meeting vs. members concept, as well as something to keep it more lively and member interactive, which I feel will keep the attendance growing each year.” This marked Bond’s 20th-connsecutive BCA Expo, and he was happy it was in Las Vegas. “As an exhibitor, the overall attendance and activity was certainly up over New Orleans,” he says. “There seemed to be more added programs and initiatives that added to the overall show experience. Vegas was a positive in general and is a safe city to host any trade show in my opinion. There were also more social events (before and after the show) bringing members together which is always great.”

Zach Dimotta, president at Imperial International, based in Carlstadt, New Jersey, feels LasVegas is always a great setting for the BCA Expo and brings out people who may skip those held in other cities. “I stayed at South Point all three days and never even needed to leave the property, and was very happy with it,” he says. “I think it’s good from an industry standpoint to get as many people as possible to stay in the same facility, and that happened this year.” On the show floor, he liked how there were separate areas for core home billiard products and sports licensing products, and the demo area that let people try things out. Brian Rosselli, vice president of operations for Olhausen Billiard Manufacturing, headquartered in Portland, Tennessee, notes the company had a solid show and was pleased with the sales results and dealer interaction that was accomplished at South Point this year. “We are a fan of the South Point venue and like the ‘all-under-one-roof’ set-up that is provided by this location,” he says. Most of us never even left the building from Sunday through Friday, until we decided to treat ourselves to some InN-Out Burger after booth tear down on Friday night.” Olhausen participated in and sponsored the newly introduced Retailer Rebate

Program and were really happy with the dealer interest that this generated. “We had a number of dealers take advantage of this program with orders they wrote with us, and it was satisfying for us to be able to give back with yet another show incentive for our dealers as a way of showing our appreciation for their business and support at the Expo and throughout the year,” Rosselli says. Additionally, extension of the industry social time and the food stations went really well for the company and its dealers.

“We spent some extended personal time with a number of dealers and industry colleagues at this event and everyone was in good spirits and enjoying themselves,” Rosselli says. “It really felt that the greater time and cost investment into this event by the BCA was worth the results.” He also saw the membership meeting change to Thursday morning breakfast was another positive for this year’s show.

members.,” Rosselli says. “And it was really nice to see Kurt Schmidt recognized with the President’s Award – a very deserving recipient, great person and top-shelf billiard industry veteran.” Overall, it was a great show for Olhausen and the company is looking forward to being at South Point again next year at the end of July.

“It was really nice to see some increased attendance and interaction among BCA BCAINSIDER.COM | 47

KEEPING ONLINE INFORMATION SAFE By Charles S. Donnavan

…SECURITY SHOULD ALWAYS BE AT THE FOREFRONT OF ANY BUSINESS, WHETHER IT’S A DIGITAL OR PHYSICAL STOREFRONT…” 48 | BCA INSIDER • HOLIDAY ISSUE 2019

One of the cornerstones for a billiard retailer to keep communication with past and present customers thriving is having their information available at a touch of a button. This data is usually stored on a computer and can be utilized to send email blasts about upcoming sales, flyers about things happening at the store or even social media messages to a designated group that has signed on to follow you. Most customers are happy to provide you with some personal information, but some of the information you collect – such as cell numbers, addresses and in some cases, even credit card numbers – is supposed to stay confidential. Hackers often look to get into computer systems of small businesses just for this reason. But thankfully, there are safeguards available for the billiard retailer to keep data safe. Chelsea Brown, a certified cybersecurity consultant for businesses, says when it comes to keeping customers’ information safe online it’s all about the company’s security practices.

“As a small business owner, I know that my employees are the greater risk to my customers’ information being compromised through a data breach over my company actually having someone hack into our systems,” Brown says. “I require my employees to take quarterly training on scams, hacking techniques, phone calls, and password changes. We also have trainings on using additional security measures like 2FA and sending encrypted files. For our company all our customer files are also encrypted on the software they are stored in and we keep paper backups because those are a lot harder to steal than digital files. It may be more work, but it’s an added level of security.” Keeping all your software up to date with the latest fixes and security measures is key to protecting your sensitive information. “Third-party software practices also play a role,” Brown says. “If companies do not ask third-party software developers about their security practices and trainings, it begs the question of how are we keeping information secure? How is their

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ment details on your behalf washes your hands of this responsibility and puts it into the arms of a company that specializes in handling sensitive data,” Mason says. “The data you do have to handle, such as names and addresses, is still just as important in a world that considers information as a form of currency and should, therefore, be encrypted and stored on a private network.”

software encrypted? And if they are breached, who is going to be responsible for the lawsuits that follow?” ProPrivacy is an online resource dedicated to helping businesses reclaim their online privacy and stay safe in the digital age. Damien Mason, a security expert with the company, says when it comes to security, it’s easy for smaller businesses to buckle under the pressure but fewer resources don’t necessarily make for weaker security. In fact, security should always be at the forefront of any business, whether it’s a digital or physical storefront as you are always a target in the eyes of someone. “No matter whether you are running proprietary cybersecurity software or relying on the likes of Avast Business Antivirus Pro, it’s imperative to make sure that they are updated regularly,” he says. “Many companies tend to wait during busier periods to avoid disruption, but this leaves information vulnerable for longer.” One of the best defenses against attackers is to limit the data that is stored on your servers. While convenient for returning customers, storing payment details is considered highly unnecessary for businesses as it presents a higher risk. “Creating a framework where dedicated third parties are tasked to process pay50 | BCA INSIDER • HOLIDAY ISSUE 2019

Encryption ensures that the data is unreadable to prying eyes and private servers minimalize who has access to the data. “Access should be gated by a strong password, preferably enforced by a password manager and updated every time there is staff turnover,” Mason says. “You should also enforce strong passwords for your customers when they sign up, with different case letters, numbers and even symbols helping to secure individual accounts.” Lastly, he says, it’s important to be fully transparent with your customers in your privacy policy, telling them how you use their data. Communication builds a layer of trust that can do wonders for your reputation. Jeremy Roehrich, CTO at Backbone Security Inc., which provides security

assessment services and scanning for hundreds of small retailers who are concerned about their customer and credit card data being safe, says there are lots of tips and things to keep in mind regarding computer security that are relevant to billiard retailers. His first tip is to make smart use of security software and hardware. “It is critical that your devices have anti-virus and anti-malware software installed,” Roehrich says. “Merely having anti-virus software installed isn’t enough, however. These protections need to be updated daily. Retailers need to keep in mind that new forms of malicious software are discovered each and every day.” Software and hardware firewalls are also essential. Firewalls act as traffic cops to monitor and block access to your internal environment. Certain advanced firewalls can even detect when real-world attacks are happening and intelligently take action to prevent such attacks from being successful. “Your devices should be configured to regularly check for updates to the operating system and other critical software programs,” Roehrich says. “It is wise to install any updates and patches as soon as they become available.”

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Another thing billiard retailers should be doing is having the environment vulnerability scanned by an Approved Scanning Vendor with the PCI SSC (Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council). Regular vulnerability scanning is not only a good idea, it is required for most retailers that take credit cards for payment. “PCI ASV’s have their scanning technology evaluated annually to ensure detection of issues relevant for PCI compliance and credit card security,” Roehrich says. While there are many vulnerability scanning services out there, if they are not listed on the PCI SSC website, there’s no guarantee they will detect PCI vulnerabilities and the results will not be acceptable for credit card compliance. Robert Siciliano, a cybersecurity expert, says updating your operating system should be done by any billiard retailer who has not done so in a while. “If your computer’s operating system is out of date, it may invite trouble when heading out to the wild, wild web,” he says. “Go to your security center to download the latest critical security patches. Also, update your browser. While your operating system may be up to date, which would mean that Internet Explorer is most likely up to date as well, if you are using Chrome or Firefox, you may need to update manually.”

8 WAYS TO KEEP YOUR ONLINE INFORMATION SAFE AND SECURE

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2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

52 | BCA INSIDER • HOLIDAY ISSUE 2019

Use a dedicated server

Different small businesses have to rely on a shared server to cover their operational cost. This way, they are able to host their files cheaply. As a result, they save a handsome amount of money eventually. There are other advantages of using dedicated servers. Hackers cannot access your crucial business data and at the same time you can overcome hacking issues a great deal.

Data Encryption

You can easily secure your important data through industry standard 256-bit military grade encryption anytime from anywhere.

Use a website malware monitoring tool

In case your website is hacked by unknown people online, you will have to incorporate website security management tactics in a proactive manner. Through this efficient tool, you will be notified about your website safety in a timely way.

Restrict Access to personal information

Another way of protecting your company’s valuable clients’ data is to restrict access to your customers’ personal information. By doing so, you can keep all the sensitive files on a highly secure centralized server. In this regard, using a VPN is ultimately a right decision.

Shred sensitive documents

You can also shred all business-related documents on a continual basis. As a result, you can safeguard yourself from data theft hassles.

Use a wiping program

There is no denying free file eraser software provides you a desired level of peace of mind. This is because you cannot get rid of important data files by just clicking a delete button at once. You can try out Freeraser, File Shedder or others for this.

Consider using computer screen facial recognition software

If you want to secure your business data or other crucial information from people other than your employees, this software is a must. As long as your employees keep working on their systems, their screens will not get blurred. As soon as they are not looking at their screens, their screens will get blurred. Hence, onlookers will not be able to see what kind of data is available on their systems.

Try to create a contingency plan in case of an emergency

There is no harm if you implement a contingency plan across your whole organization or workplace. It may be in the form of problem identification or solution, notifying customers or other stakeholders, applying IT security strategy and so on.

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HALL OF FAME WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS By Keith Loria The Billiard Congress of America will induct a “lion,” an innovator and a pair of pioneering brothers to the 2019 Hall of Fame class, with Filipino-Canadian Alex “The Lion” Pagulayan, table manufacturer and promoter Greg Sullivan and Johnston City Hustlers Jamboree promoters George and Paulie Jansco all earning entry into the billiard industry’s most prestigious club on Nov. 1. Born in the Philippines but raised in Toronto, the 41-year-old Pagulayan is entering in the Greatest Players wing of the BCA Hall of Fame, besting the UK’s Kelly Fisher in voting after tying with her in the first round. “Being in the Hall of Fame never crossed my mind as a player until I started going to the annual banquet,” Pagulayan says. “I started to wonder if my accomplishments were enough. Now, in some ways, this makes me feel old!” That sort of wittiness is what makes Pagulayan such a beloved personality on the billiard scene. His reputation as a comic cut-up is just as impressive as his reputation as one of the sport’s best all-around players. Pagulayan first turned heads as a 24-year-old in 2002 when he faced off against Germany’s Ralf Souquet in the finals of the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships. Although he lost 13-11, he made the industry take notice. The next year, he reached the end game of the World Pool Championship, but again lost to a German player, bested by Thorsten Hohmann. In 2004, he returned to the World Championship finals, and this time bested Taiwan’s Pei-Wei Chang, 17-13, for the title. A year later, he was back at the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships, and won the crown this time around. Over the years, Pagulayan has won a number of major pro titles, including the World Summit of Pool, the World Pool Masters and is the only player to have won titles in all three main divisions of the annual Derby City Classic. He’s excited that his accomplishments were enough to earn enshrinement into the Hall. 54 | BCA INSIDER • HOLIDAY ISSUE 2019

“For a pool player, this is the ultimate accomplishment,” Pagulayan says. “And I’m happy to become the first Canadian in the BCA Hall of Fame.” The 70-year-old Sullivan will be entering the Hall of Fame in the Meritorious Service category. A well-known promoter and innovator, he was thrilled to get the news about his upcoming induction. Pagulayan is the first Canadian to enter the BCA Hall of Fame.

He next started making tables with two of his friends. Sullivan used input from top players to help construct toplevel tournament tables, helping to launch Diamond Billiard Products. Here, he helped introduce optical sensors to coinoperated tables so that standard cue balls could be used, putting professional-level equipment into the hands of casual and aspiring players. His one-handed play influenced his decision to make Diamond tables with soft rail and pocket surfaces to protect the cue stick. He worked with Simonis after they developed the 760, to develop the Simonis 860 with a measurable speed rating in between the super-fast 760 and the old common high-nap cloths. Since its inception, the Diamond Professional table has been utilized by more than 100 major tournaments and because it was designed by players for players and not by manufacturers, Sullivan notes it contains design features found in no other table in existence, features which make each table the standard of the industry for tournament play, both for commercial pool rooms and for the home.

Sullivan is known for his one-handed play.

“I really don’t know exactly what I’m going to say when I get up in front of everyone, but I am honored by this,” Sullivan says. “It was a shock and I am still figuring out what it means to me. It’s a justification for all the times I was gone from home and how I spent my life. I went to so many tournaments.” Sullivan first got involved in the pool industry as a 15-yearold, falling in love with the game. He attended his first tournament at 17. He was drafted into the Marines, went to Vietnam for a year, and then returned home and started playing tournaments himself. “Pool has been good to me and I just wanted to improve everything, I never set out to be a table manufacturer,” he says. In fact, originally, Sullivan started a company selling pool jewelry, with things like belt buckles, rings and money clips that he sold to support his habit of going to tournaments. While at one big tournament, he noticed the cloth was real slow and thought that he could make a better table. “My whole life has been turning pool from a game into a sport,” he says. “I knew all the players from the tournaments and sent a proposal to the PBA about new equipment to use at sanctioned tournaments because I wanted to help the best I could.”

56 | BCA INSIDER • HOLIDAY ISSUE 2019

Always innovating, in the ’90s, he contracted the Pantone company to research the optimum color for pool cloth, resulting in the Tournament Blue prevalent in professional tournaments today. He’s also responsible for starting the popular Derby City Classic, an annual event that has drawn thousands of professional and regional players to Southern Indiana for the past 21 years. George and Paulie Jansco, who passed away in 1969 and 1997 respectively, are also entering the Hall of Fame in the Meritorious Service category. The two Southern Illinois club owners founded the Johnston City Hustlers Jamboree and All-Around Pool Championship in the 1960s, helping to romanticize the gambling aspect of the sport. The Janscos’ tournaments drew major media coverage from TV networks and national magazines, and made pool cool in the eyes of the public in a way that hadn’t happened before. They are often credited with moving 9-ball and one-pocket into the game’s forefront during a time in which straight pool was considered the only professional game. They also launched the Stardust Open in Las Vegas and were one of the first promotors to integrate the playing field, paving the way for African American players to compete for world titles.

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THE KNUCKLE TABLE… AND 6 OTHER BILLIARD TABLES NOT FOR SALE By Jason Moss

Since 2013, I’ve been blogging about the portrayal of billiards in film and television. In total, I’ve discovered 313 movies, television episodes, short films and web series in which billiards features prominently – and that’s to say nothing about all the scenes with only a passing reference to the sport. So when the opportunity arose to share my passion with the BCA Insider readership, I jumped at the chance. After all, the more billiards permeates our popular culture, the more people are inclined to play and love and invest in the game. And, in the hands of creative directors and screenwriters, the sport can become entertaining, metaphoric, a medium for deeper conversations, and a palette to imagine the unexpected. Take billiard tables, for example. While there are hundreds of models, they adhere to a shared composition of legs, pockets, bed, cloth, cabinet, 58 | BCA INSIDER • HOLIDAY ISSUE 2019

apron, rails, and cushions. But, within film and television, the rules are more lenient; tables exist, for better or worse, that we would (or could) never use. Therefore, in no particular order, I present the Top 7 Billiards Tables from Movies and TV.

GET SMART – “DEAD SPY SCRAWLS” (1966) If you were evil international organization KAOS, intent on intercepting U.S. government secret communication, where might you hide your latest “decoding machine”? As Agent 86 Maxwell Smart deduces, the answer is the belly of a billiard table. Knowing the location, Smart then only needs to pocket four balls simultaneously to serve as the combination to unlock the decoding machine. Can your table do that?

BILLY THE KID AND THE GREEN BAIZE VAMPIRE (1987) Not only does this billiard musical reinterpret the showdown between legends Jimmy White and Ray Reardon as a grudge match between an aging vampire and a Cockney named Billy, it also converts a gorgeous black marble snooker table into a transparent bedtime coffin for the snaggletoothed snooker sensation’s dead father.

SILENT RUNNING (1972) In a post-apocalyptic world in which all plant life on Earth is becoming extinct, a group of scientists while away the day playing a variation of billiards that

includes a computer arm player and a futuristic circular pool table. While the film’s shelf life was limited, its imaginings about circular pool have spawned mathematical debates within online message forums.

GOLDFINGER (1964) Maxwell Smart is not the only agent to encounter an unusual pool table. In Goldfinger, Auric Goldfinger, the arch-nemesis of James Bond, need only flip a switch and the reversible pool table reveals a miniature replica of Fort Knox, his future heist target. Fortunately, this is a different table than the one Goldfinger later straps Bond to, with the intent to laser his nether regions.

HARD KNUCKLE (1982) Imagine a dystopian world where one botched billiard shot means having to sever the top third of one’s finger. That’s the practical purpose of the “Knuckle Table,” a blood-crusted set of pincers hinged to each pool table in this Australian made-for-TV movie. Surprisingly, the threat of phalangectomy did not diminish the sport’s popularity.

DEATH PARADE – “DEATH MARCH” (2015) Created as a sequel to the short film Death Billiards, this Japanese anime television series has dead people participate in “Death Games” to choose their final fate.

This galactic billiard table makes its debut in the fifth episode during a game of Solar System 9-Ball. Fortunately, no planets were harmed in the playing of this grudge match.

BEVERLY HILLBILLIES (1960S) Though I’m not sure in which episode the “fancy eatin’ table” first premiered, it is impossible to forget the Clampett family’s dining room table, which viewers all recognized as a billiard table. It was “built solid” enough to support “half dozen turkey gobblers and never sag a bit.” Best of all, the table came with “pot passers” and “meat stabbers” (aka cue sticks notched or sharpened for various culinary purposes). So, the next time you’re discussing billiard table options, consider finding inspiration in these cinematic counterparts. Just steer clear of the Knuckle Table. We’ll leave that one on the silver screen. Jason Moss is author of “8 Ball on the Silver Screen” (www.billiardsmovies.com), a blog dedicated to the portrayal of billiards in film and television.

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