IBI Magazine December 2009

Volume 17 | Number 12 | December 2009

Features PROMOTION PORTFOLIO: MICHIGAN X 2 12 14

All’s fair Talk about timely. And talk about great publicity for bowling.

Winging it For four Michigan bowling groups, an ambitious sports campaign is a first.

FINANCE 16

Turning the boat A year into the recession, it may be time for a fresh look at your business from the crow’s nest.

By Ken Paton

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Columns THE ISSUE AT HAND 6

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A memorable performance A business is like a concert, your employees always on stage. How do you make sure they impress the audience?

THE INSIDE TRACK 8

COVER STORY Change agent Wanda Arthur thought she’d work 10 years and never work again.

Instead, she’s managed the Army’s $50 million bowling program for 12 years and put Army bowling ahead in two critical areas for the future.

...And all that

By Sandy Hansell

By Beth Standlee

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Special delivery

By Scott Frager

HUMAN RESOURCES

SALES PLANNER 10

Pipelines

By Ray Tuttle

NEWS FEATURE 27

$340,000 astray from USBC local; assistant manager is tried Two criminal actions for embezzlement in a year and more than a half-million dollars gone are two very big red flags. How secure is your league money?

MODERNIZATION 34

Taking it to the limit Spend limited bucks wisely and still get pulling power.

By Kevin P. Mills, AIA

TRADE SHOW AND TELL 37

East Coast hosts lively “bowling series”

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Departments 27 31 38 40

Industry Bulletins Showcase Datebook Classified

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International Bowling Industry | December 2009

THE ISSUE AT HAND The World’s Only Magazine Devoted Exclusively To The Business Of Bowling www.bowlingindustry.com

Special delivery

PUBLISHER & EDITOR

Scott Frager frager@bowlingindustry.com Skype: scottfrager

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER MANAGING EDITOR

Ron Burrus burrus@bowlingindustry.com

Fred Groh groh@bowlingindustry.com

OFFICE MANAGER

Patty Heath heath@bowlingindustry.com

ike busy elves getting ready for Santa’s deliveries, we have been sawing and sanding and nailing and painting, in a manner of speaking. Not toys, but a new interactive website that has brought social media to the industry for the first time.

Well, maybe it is like a toy because we’re having so much fun with it.

So far, we have put up six community groups (for center managers, wanna-be owners, proprietors, manufacturers, pro shops and NAIR members) and a gaggle of gabfests (discussions) have been started.

We have videos on the site that viewers have clicked to 2,279 times and watched for a total of 57 hours.

Marketing veteran Fred Kaplowitz blogs pointers on getting closer to your market–absolutely essential how-to these days. BPAA past-president Joe Schumacker blogs his “30,000-foot perspective” on the industry and its challenges–issues we need to think about.

And you can get into any of the forums or discussions or blogs (start your own blog, if you want) and tell the bowling world what you think.

It’s all a way of getting to know people in our bowling community you’d never meet any other way. (It’s absolutely free to sign up, by the way.)

But we never like to stand still at IBI. We pride ourselves on trying the untried, on introducing the new in things small and large. That goes for our website, www.BowlingIndustry.com. It also goes for the print edition of International Bowling Industry magazine.

In 1993, we pioneered the serious, in-depth how-to stories that IBI has come to be known for. We have broken many national and industry stories, and we’ve researched and reported on trends inside and outside the four walls of a bowling center.

For 2010, some 17 years after our premier issue, IBI is evolving once again. We will proudly launch a new direction for what a trade magazine can be. A magazine designed to explore the richness of what makes our industry so unique. A magazine that we intend to be fascinating, dramatic, nostalgic–all the things your life in bowling is.

Watch for it in January, when Santa is going to make that special delivery to everyone in the business. ❑

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SPECIAL PROJECTS

Peppe Smith smith@bowlingindustry.com Skype: peppesmith

INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT CORRESPONDENTS

Paul Lane Sandy Hansell Ray Tuttle

CONTRIBUTORS

Kevin P. Mills, AIA Ken Paton Beth Standlee

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Victoria Tahmizian

ART DIRECTION & PRODUCTION FOUNDER

tahmizian@bowlingindustry.com

Designworks www.dzynwrx.com (818) 735-9424

Allen Crown (1933-2002)

13245 Riverside Dr., Suite 501 • Sherman Oaks, CA 91423 (818) 789-2695(BOWL) • Fax (818) 789-2812 info@bowlingindustry.com

SUBSCRIPTION RATES: One copy of International Bowling Industry is sent free to every bowling center, independently owned pro shop and collegiate bowling center in the U.S., and every military bowling center and pro shop worldwide. Publisher reserves the right to provide free subscriptions to those individuals who meet publication qualifications. Additional subscriptions may be purchased for delivery in the U.S. for $50 per year.

Subscriptions for Canada and Mexico are $65 per year, all other foreign subscriptions are $80 per year. All foreign subscriptions should be paid in U.S. funds using International Money Orders.

POSTMASTER: Please send new as well as old address to International Bowling Industry, 13245 Riverside Drive, Suite 501, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423 USA. If possible, please furnish address mailing label.

Printed in U.S.A. Copyright 2009, B2B Media, Inc. No part of this magazine may be reprinted without the publisher’s permission.

MEMBER AND/OR SUPPORTER OF:

Scott Frager Publisher and Editor

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International Bowling Industry | December 2009

THE INSIDE TRACK

by Sandy Hansell

“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.”

–Henry Ford s you will read elsewhere this month, change is coming to this magazine. As part of that process, this will be the last column of this type to appear here.

Indeed, this piece is something of a milestone because it represents the completion of 15 years of pontificating in these pages on various industry issues and developments. If we add the 10 years before that during which I wrote monthly columns for the long-departed Bowling Proprietor magazine, loyal industry denizens have been subjected to a full quarter-century of blabbering, nagging and applauding from this perch.

Those 179 columns in IBI chronicled the history and evolution of this industry over those years. Again and again, the emphasis was on the significant changes which were taking place in our world and the pressing need for proprietors to adapt to those changes to survive and thrive.

Obviously, the most dramatic change we experienced during this period was the steady decline in league participation, coupled with the impressive growth of our open play and party business.

Ponder this chilling statistic: in the 1993-94 season, the ABC and WIBC certified 4,645,806 adult league bowlers; last season the USBC certified 2,071,516 league bowlers –a decrease of over 55%. Ouch!

To say that that development changed the fundamental nature of this industry is an understatement.

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However, the good news is that during this time our industry did a magnificent job transforming itself from a 1960s-oriented business based primarily on league and tournament competition into a hip modern location-based entertainment business, with all the advantages and headaches attendant on that.

As part of that evolution, proprietors and investors dug deep into their pockets, unchained their imaginations, dreamed big dreams and transformed most bowling centers from dark and dingy “bowling alleys” into colorful entertainment palaces. Many existing centers also added a variety of new attractions and activities, while a number of bold entrepreneurs constructed an array of new family entertainment centers and bowling boutiques, all of which attracted hordes of new customers into our world.

With all this going on, proprietors also began to focus on other pressing problems. For example, during this period millions of people relocated (this was when houses could be sold!) and floods of immigrants settled in many areas. Thus, many centers saw significant changes in the demographic composition of their local markets, which presented a host of new marketing and operational challenges for them.

Meanwhile, center staffs awakened to the ongoing need to actively and aggressively market and promote their businesses rather than just open the doors and wait for bowlers to walk in. In more recent times, most centers also began to utilize new technology (Internet, websites, e-mail blasts) to enhance their marketing and promotional programs.

Most proprietors also realized the critical importance of hiring quality employees and the need to implement effective programs to hire, train and motivate them.

International Bowling Industry | December 2009

THE INSIDE TRACK And of course, we also witnessed the historic merger of the ABC and WIBC which became the USBC, and its relocation to the exciting new bowling campus in Arlington, TX, where a new era of cooperation among all industry integers is being ushered in.

Unfortunately, by early 2008, the dark clouds began to blow in.

Problems in the national economy and their impact on this industry suddenly became a recurrent theme in these pages. And certainly for the last year, the agenda here has been topped by frequent consideration of how centers can overcome the obstacles created by widespread job losses among their customers, people’s reluctance to spend money, the insanity of bankers and the overall negative

Bowling proprietors: a tough and resourceful bunch. psychology pervading most of society.

Indeed, we won’t shed any tears to see the year 2009 pass into history; it was by far the worst year within the memory of any of us still active in the business.

As we look ahead to the new year–indeed, as we face a new decade–and beyond, many of those dark clouds still loom overhead.

But we have plenty of reason to believe that better days are ahead.

For beginners, a host of favorable developments have noticeably improved the country’s overall business climate. One pertinent

International Bowling Industry | December 2009

example: the Disney Company, which is the 800-pound gorilla in our world of the entertainment business, is set to invest over $350 million to convert its retail stores into “cozy entertainment hubs” featuring an array of recreational activities, totally new décor and interactive technology. That’s big bucks even for a company as large as Disney–and a vote of confidence for where the national economy is headed.

Meanwhile, closer to home, we have proven over the last 15 years that we, too, can change; that we, too, can adapt to new conditions; and that we, too, know how to sharpen our operations and run better centers.

Bowling proprietors are a tough and resourceful bunch, and this industry is home to a lot of smart and creative people. And let’s remember that bowling itself retains its long-standing universal appeal. We have a lot going for us. That’s why, despite the headwinds that Mr. Ford pointed out, we can and we will move forward.

So in the months ahead, as conditions improve and our business perks up, we will continue to have some fun together. This magazine still will give me some space to comment, carp, educate (hopefully) and lead the cheers. Here’s hoping the year 2010 presages good times for us all! ❑ An industry consultant, center broker, appraiser and financial advisor, Sandy Hansell is president of Sandy Hansell and Associates, Inc., based in Southfield, MI. He can be reached at 800-222-9131.

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SALES PLANNER

Pipelines They will move you systematically from initial contact to close.

very bowling center is looking for high-quality, committed, ready-to-buy, money-in-hand new customers. Having found good prospects, developing them into those customers and keeping them is difficult. They are hard to cultivate and harvest unless you have a formal sales system.

Many bowling businesses have not developed a measurable, fleshed-out sales process that can identify a high-quality prospect and systematically move them through a sales process into becoming a paying customer. But any business that hopes for success in the future needs to establish a new-business development system that is effective and repeatable.

The good news is that your center, regardless of size, market or business climate, can establish and implement a permanent new-client sales system that works specifically for your business.

This system can build new league bowlers, increase the number of birthday parties, create new corporate party income, increase holiday business, fill empty lanes and dramatically impact your bottom line any time of the year.

We call that system a sales pipeline. Loosely defined, a sales pipeline is a specific number of definite results in sequence that the salesman must produce in order to move a non-bowler into

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by Ray Tuttle

spending regular money in your center. Each result is a benchmark that determines the next result the salesman needs to achieve.

Each answers the question, “What can/must/will I do next to help make money (sell) with this contact?”

A good pipeline for a center reflects, among other things, its particular goals, needs or objectives, its available finances, its sales, marketing and management skills, experience and availability, and its market(s). The benchmarks need to be created and implemented, and the results measured and analyzed, against projections and modified as indicated by the results.

At my company, we use six benchmarks. The salesman must–in this order–engage the right people; make them feel comfortable; find out what they want by asking questions; show how he can give them what they want; get their agreement for the next step; make sure they are satisfied.

But each center needs to create its own system because no two businesses are exactly alike. Most center owners and staff have little experience with pipelines because it’s a new customerdevelopment tool, and center needs and opportunities vary. For illustration, however, a simple pipeline might look like this:

Preparatory steps: (1) Identify your need/want/desire: Increase birthday party income.

(2) Identify ways of accomplishing it: More people per party or increase price or more parties.

(3) Decide on one of those ways: The pipeline will be designed to increase the number of parties.

The pipeline: (1) The target market identified: 4- to 12-year-olds.

Purchase list of all kids by birthdates.

Mail a birthday invitation to each kid.

(2) If you receive the lift in birthday parties you wanted, you can continue the major benchmark and mail each month to all kids in the market.

(3) If you do not get the results you wanted or want to increase parties more, add more elements to the pipeline sales process.

For example: Mail two pieces to each birthday prospect–two months out and one month out.

Send a family an invitation to visit your center to bowl free and learn about your exciting birthday party offerings.

Phone all birthday prospects (make sure you register with the national “do not call” people) and invite them to have the greatest party ever.

Promote a different day or time or experience.

International Bowling Industry | December 2009

SALES PLANNER A new league-building pipeline would contain more steps Your sales pipeline can be a few or many steps, should include and require different elements. time elements, and the sales process must be measured, inspected (4) Purchase a list of all business within a five-mile radius with and modified as warranted. Any effective sales cycle tracking 10 or more employees. structure can be used to track your results and help indicate (5) Contact each, asking for e-mail or fax and permission to send them information about upcoming employee motivation bowl outings Regardless of your size or the business and clubs. climate, you can have a new-client (6) Group responses into categories of similar system that works specifically for you. responses and decide on the next-step sales activity.

Suppose, for example, you are reviewing the week’s telephone calls to prospects. If: what marketing tools and tactics need to be developed to build No answer from a given prospect, the next step is: Re-call. those new customers. And finally, an effective pipeline sales Gatekeeper: Gather information. process should complement any existing marketing and sales Spoke to influencer: Make your presentation tailored to effort in your center and can dramatically improve any outside influencers, and discuss the appropriate next step in the or in-house advertising and marketing effort. sales process with him.

From league bowlers and kids’ parties to boosting holiday Spoke to decision maker: Book dates (if the decision business and filling vacant lanes, the pipeline system will help you was favorable to your offer) or eliminate obstacles to focus your sales efforts, keep you on track, save you time and booking event (if further steps need to be taken with him). effort, and give you the best chance for successful closing. ❑ Each step (1)-(6) and each sub-step (bullet points) in this Ray Tuttle is president of Bowling Marketers of America, a simple pipeline is a direct response to the most recent contact sales development marketing firm based in Waterbury, CT. He with the prospect. The response is always a clearly defined move can be reached at 800-603-3985 or www.bmamkt.com; fax him the salesman makes. And each step answers the question, “What at 888-250-2341. can (must) (will) I do next to help sell with this contact?”

International Bowling Industry | December 2009

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PROMOTION PORTFOLIO

All’s Fair Talk about timely. And talk about great publicity for bowling. an Labrecque started a series of job fairs at his bowl, Nottke’s Family Fun Center in Battle Creek, MI, in September. He had personal reasons.

In January 2009, Labrecque was drawing a six-figure income by selling powder-coat paint for a major supplier. Just the year before, he had swung deals for coating the seats at all three MLB parks in New York.

“They flew in for my annual review,” Labrecque recounts, “and they said, ‘Actually we’re not here to review you, we’re here to lay you off.’ One day’s notice, one day’s paid vacation. Benefits done, car done, phone done, everything done, even though I had three weeks vacation by contract.

“When it happens to you, it hits you right between the eyes. If I hadn’t had Nottke’s, it would have been devastating.”

In June, Labrecque got a call from Rusty

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Hanna, who had moved on two years the phone, and the idea soon reached Job earlier after doing a stint as Nottke’s Developer/Recruiter Tamara Crooks. manager. Hanna was looking for a job and Labrecque had decided he wanted to Labrecque put him on as a consultant while do 12 weekly job fairs at Nottke’s. Bowling Hanna was searching. would be free during the fair for anyone The similar situations of the two men gave “It’s not your typical bowling Hanna the idea, says Labrecque. He admits he league. I hope that you don’t was cool at first about show up next week.” “doing something” for the unemployed in the area, but when Hanna, without a job. Employers would be there the persistent type, mentioned it on a later “from all walks of life, from Kellogg occasion, Labrecque had second thoughts.

Company [the cereal maker is Sitting down with his telephone, he headquartered in Battle Creek] to the started calling employment offices. He local restaurant to the community spent an hour getting nothing but voicecolleges to the Army–not just minimummail messages. “Painful,” he says, but like wage shops.”

Hanna, Labrecque doesn’t give up easily.

Crooks liked the idea and the two The next day Michigan Works! answered decided to partner. Crooks contacted area

International Bowling Industry | December 2009

PROMOTION PORTFOLIO on Nottke’s website.

For the bowling center, attendees give their name and email address when they come in (used for the prize giveaways)–info Nottke’s will use for future marketing.

And word began to spread. At press time, Mark Voight was set to launch the program at three of his 14 centers. Hanna had presented the idea to Dave Osborn, a Southern California proprietor, who was going to present the idea to his county proprietor group. Hanna was also trying to get the program started at the two centers he is managing in Arizona.

The Wall Street Journal was scheduled to run a feature on the job fairs. A French national TV station had two reporters and a cameraman, in country to see the Dan Labrecque U.S. after a year with Obama, talk to Labrecque. companies and swung about 60 into the Those bowling were getting a day away fairs. Meanwhile Labrecque picked Wednesdays at 1 p.m. for the fairs, when Nottke’s is dead.

He called on local businesses, among them a business improvement group, a realty company and a community chest, and asked each for $1,000 sponsorship.

He lined up seven sponsors.

Some companies he approached weren’t looking for new workers, but liked what Labrecque was up to. They supplied $5,000 in prizes to be given away. One company contributed 12 oil changes (one per week) and a set of tires.

Michigan Works! prepared about 250 posters that were put up around town at employment offices and elsewhere job seekers might be. The local newspaper ran a story on the front page (has done three front-page stories so far). TV and radio picked it up.

Eighty job-hunters showed up the first week, 100 the second week, 170 the third; attendance is averaging 100, Labrecque reports. The employers are changed weekly, their names and dates available International Bowling Industry | December 2009

from the stresses of being jobless. And 28 people had been hired.

“Right up my alley,” Crooks had said when Labrecque broached the idea to her.

Now an enthusiastic Crooks sees the job fair as a triple opportunity: “to relax, relieve stress and look for employment all in the same location.” Bowling centers, she says, are “very well suited” to the agenda.

“It’s not your typical bowling league,” Labrecque reflects. “I hope that you don’t show up next week because I hope you have a job. There’s no sanctions, no prize money, no format, just have fun. And if you’re home with little kids, bring your kids too. It’s a day out.”

Labrecque calls the events “the positive side of unemployment,” adding, “It’s a positive light for bowling. Mark Voight made a good comment the other day. He said, ‘You don’t know how many bowlers we have here, league bowlers, that found each other at a bowling center and got married. Now it’s going to be, ‘The bowling center is where I found a job.’” ❑

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PROMOTION PORTFOLIO

Winging It For four Michigan bowling groups, an ambitious sports campaign is a first. he Southeast Michigan proprietors’ association (SEMBCA) had been talking with the Red Wings, the clamorously popular ice hockey team out of Detroit.

“Michigan is struggling, let’s face it,” says John Casbar, a Southeast association and Bowling Centers Association of Michigan (BCAM) director. “With our economy here, we’re trying to get bowlers to come in, and these professional sports organizations are doing the same.

“A perfect example: for the first time in several years the Detroit Pistons were unable to have consecutive sellouts they’ve enjoyed in the past, and the Red Wings are looking as well to keep people in their seats.”

So Casbar, who is also marketing chair for the Southeast association, was at the Red Wings’ Fan Fest weekend last year, “looking for some way to get involved with the Red Wings. I’m a little persistent, let’s say.”

Also memorable. Casbar was dressed as his alter ego, Pin Pal, the 9.5-foot-tall mascot of SEMBCA. The Red Wings’ offer came in March, abetted by Red Wings man Howard Rosner.

He knew SEMBCA from the promotions it had been doing for five years with the Detroit Pistons, when Rosner had been with the basketball club. SEMBCA approved the offer, and then on another vote, took the promotion idea to BCAM, a statewide proprietor association. Metro Detroit USBC and Western Wayne USBC eventually came in as well.

The campaign marks the first time the Red Wings have allowed the busy concourse at Joe Louis Arena, their home venue, to be used for promotion purposes, Casbar says. The bowling groups have a

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table and a TV where attendees get to do a little Wii bowling. During the same games, PA announcements boom leagues and bowling.

The Red Wings’ Facebook and Twitter pages are carrying bowling promos. Radio spots on bowling air on a Detroit sports station. Centers get two banners promoting the club, and the Red Wings and the bowling associations can use each other’s logos for purposes of the campaign.

Bowlers who join the 12-week Red Wings Bowling Club get two tickets to a home game, parking, two vouchers for a hot dog and fountain drink at the game, discount prices on tickets for family and friends to the same game, a Red Wings bowling towel. And the opportunity to go down to the ice immediately after the game and shoot at the net.

Proprietors who sign on are included in seven raffles (74 drawings): trips to the Wings training camp, including hotel, golf and gift certificates; two trips to a regular season away game (air, hotel, game tickets); use of a VIP Super Suite to a regular season home game (includes 40 game tickets, F&B, parking); five autographed player jerseys; five game-used sticks; 25 autographed pucks; and 25 autographed photos.

Proprietor cost is $7.15 per lane, or about $414 –about the same, Casbar says, as an ad in the weekend paper to promote 58-lane Sunnybrook Golf Bowl Motel, where he is business, activity and marketing director. The four associations are splitting the $35,000 tab for the bowling side of the campaign. A second Red Wings promotion will be offered in January; lane fee for those who participate in the fall promo will be zero.

The promotion marks another “first,”

Casbar reports: the first time the two proprietor groups and the two USBC associations have partnered in a statewide promotion.

If possible, he sounds even more excited about that than proprietor response: at press time, 60 centers had signed on. ❑

Pin Pal, the Southeast Michigan mascot, interrupts a briefing on Red Wings promotion at BCAM convention in July. The affable bowling pin was there to present an autographed hockey stick to Pat Ciniello for the collection at the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame. Ciniello is museum president. At podium is Randy Shank, BCAM vice president and SEMBCA director, who conducted the briefing in company with BCAM president Roger Philipi.

Pin Pal’s jersey started out as regulation Red Wings attire, size 4X (the largest), and was altered for shape and inclusion of ‘Pin Pal’ name on the back. John Casbar has been doing the Pin Pal gig since the association bought the costume about five years ago.

International Bowling Industry | December 2009

FINANCE

by Ken Paton

nearby or legislative changes such as antismoking laws. How you deal with a decline in business may make the difference between staying open, closing your doors, or being forced to sell at a heavily discounted price.

There are four turns every business needs to make when it gets dowsed in a rougher business sea, whether the change is temporary or permanent.

Let’s look at each one.

TURNING

THE BOAT 4 MOVES FOR THE BOWLING HELMSMAN WHEN THE BUSINESS SEA GETS CHOPPY. owling has historically been an industry that recessions, and even depressions, have little impact on. In the past, league bowlers have been willing to give up almost anything to keep bowling. Today, many league and casual bowlers are equally as dedicated. Recent informal studies show that bowling revenue has been impacted much less by the current economic problems than almost any other industry.

And yet, some centers have temporarily lost revenue as a result of a poor economy. Revenue can also decline because of non-economic problems such as street improvement that blocks the entry to the center. Weather, either too good or too bad, can temporarily drive bowlers from your center. Other problems can be permanent, such as a new entertainment complex opening

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1. IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM.

This at first may appear to be the easiest part of the process.

But often it turns out to be tougher than it seemed, and it can take a lot of time.

Major changes in your bowling center’s revenue may come gradually. If you don’t have good accounting records you will find it much more difficult to identify that there is a problem, let alone what to do about it. Knowing that shoe rental revenue is up but open play revenue is down may be the first sign that your casual bowlers are not staying for as many games and therefore are unhappy with their bowling experience. But waiting for them to tell you so may make it too late for a quick and easy change. Determining that an employee is making your center less welcoming is hard if you simply rely on hearing it from your bowlers. On the other hand, the influence on the center’s revenue is easy to measure–if your records are accurate and timely.

One of the easiest reports to pull from QuickBooks is a comparison report showing this month and this year compared to last. This report will give you a good indication of where things are improving and where things are getting worse. Even if revenue is up, by looking at the percentage of change you can find useful information.

For example, if bar revenue has been 80% of bowling revenue for several years and then starts to fall as a percentage, it could be that a bartender is helping himself to some of your hardInternational Bowling Industry | December 2009

FINANCE earned revenue. Or changing demographics in your market could cause your non-bowling customers to look for a different place to drink with a different atmosphere. Finding out before revenue starts to seriously decline gives you more time to plan and execute

not be able to do anything except wait out the events. But this is extremely rare. Under most circumstances, the problem is at least partially caused by your decisions, and any and all solutions can be up to you and your staff to identify and implement.

If your solution requires major concessions from a lender, they may not be easy to get. One banker who “The most important thing we look for is with a work out department in a large Midwest in a borrower with a request for relief bank, said, “While there are several things we can do to help a problem loan, such as deferring payments, is that he be credible.” a period of interest-only payments, reduction of interest rate, etc., deferment of a few payments is a solution to the problem while it’s not overwhelming. most common. However, we need to see a clearly defined Financial statements can also be formatted to show the months problem–or reason for the poor performance–and a clearly side-by-side through the year. By comparing one year to another, defined, reasonably short-term solution to the problem, and we and to the past several years, you can more easily identify trends must believe that deferment of payments will help solve the that are unique to one part of the year and are not large enough problem, not just delay the inevitable.” to show on year-to-date reports.

Each bank has its own policies for dealing with a delinquent Identifying trends from raw numbers is not always easy. Not account, or one that might become delinquent. The two most every proprietor can look at a financial statement and easily get common ways of deferring payments are to add the skipped all of the critical information from it. Converting your QuickBooks payments to the back of the loan, effectively pushing out the final reports to an Excel spreadsheet and then using the “Chart” feature payment but not changing the amount of the monthly payments. in Excel to build graphs may highlight a minor trend before it turns The other is to add the missing payments to the principal and reinto a major problem. amortize the loan. This will keep the date of the final payment the To make a graph, click the “View” icon and then click on the same but will increase the monthly payments for the remaining “Chart” toolbar. The “Chart” toolbar allows you to develop several different types of charts and graphs to analyze data. Graphs are often easier to read than raw financial statements and can be a good tool to identify trends. One of my clients has a series of charts that are taped to his office wall illustrating more than 20 years of monthly revenue. The trends are very easy to identify even if you are standing across the room.

Remember to compare similar revenue and costs, rather than look at everything as one big statement. For example, most financial statements show food cost as a percentage of total revenue. A better approach is to compare food cost as a percentage of food revenue. This allows you to more easily see if your costs are high or low relative to revenue.

2. IDENTIFY THE SOLUTION.

Proprietors with many years of experience may find a solution to a particular problem easily. It is often the same problem that they have dealt with many times before. But even these experienced proprietors may find new, “outside of the box” solutions hard to come by.

Having a management team may help to identify solutions. The “team” may include the obvious members: your spouse, children, parents, accountant, attorney, and general manager as well as notso-obvious members such as other proprietors or business owners in other industries.

There are circumstances in which the entire problem and the entire solution are outside of your control. In this case, you may International Bowling Industry | December 2009

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FINANCE life of the loan. If you get to this point with your bank, they will tell you which they prefer.

3. COMMUNICATE THE PROBLEM AND THE SOLUTION.

One loan officer for a bank in Portland, OR said, “The most important thing we look for in a borrower with a request for relief is that he be credible. We need to understand what happened and what the borrower is doing to solve the problem. Right now our Special Assets department is buried with problem loans, and if the borrower can’t communicate the issues quickly and easily, we might not be able to help with the solution.”

He went on to say, “If the borrower has a clear description of the problem and a simple solution to it, a loan officer can often handle the request and get a positive approval quickly. The loan doesn’t need to go to Special Assets, which makes life easier for the borrower and for the bank. If the borrower does not have a credible explanation and plan, we are likely to see [that] the best move for the bank is to let him default and [we] foreclose on the property.”

Although the expression, “you have one opportunity to make a good first impression” is correct, you may also have only one opportunity to show your banker that you can manage in bad times as well as good. Banks will often bend over backwards, particularly in tough economic times, to help a borrower with a short-term problem. But borrowers who blame all of the problems on outside influences or who don’t have a clear plan to solve their problem may be viewed as not able to make future payments, even with concessions from the bank.

The Oregon banker continued, “In addition to an explanation, we like to see projections that show the impact of the changes proposed to solve the problem. In addition, [the] assumptions [behind] the projections are needed so we can understand the logic.”

The projections can follow the same format as your financial statements, but show the future rather than the past. A breakdown into revenue sources (league, open play, food, bar, etc.) is important because the banker will want to see if your historic trends are continuing and if not, why not. Using a month-by-month format will also help because it will show the cash flow needs of the

your banker understands the problem you (and the bank) are facing, he should be able to suggest a possible solution to the credit people within the bank, and then present you with their response.

A loan officer whose Southwest bank is facing many borrowers in default pointed out that your prior relationship with the bank and type of collateral may have a major impact on how flexible the bank might be.

“Several factors may be considered in making a decision on a problem loan: how long the relationship has been in existence, if the previous payments were all made on time, and the type of collateral,” he said. “Many banks will be much less interested in foreclosing on a special-purpose building such as a bowling center than on a general-purpose building such as an office or shopping center. Also, a borrower who has had a long relationship with the bank and has been timely on payments and information is much more likely to get a favorable decision.”

He recommended getting in touch with the bank as early as possible. “The bank may want to have a new appraisal done to confirm the property’s value before making a decision or may want to do a site visit to see if the assets have been kept in good repair. Since these steps take time, talking to the bank sooner rather than later is recommended.”

4. EXECUTE AND FOLLOW UP.

Many bowling proprietors have a hard time changing the way they operate. A high-stress environment can often make them more resistant to change. Once you have identified the plan and communicated it to your team and to the bank, make sure that you follow through and ensure that everyone is following it.

You may find that the plan isn’t working as well as you had hoped. If this happens, you need to go back to the beginning and make sure that you have identified all of the problems and developed the right plan. One proprietor clearly identified the problem and a solution. His lack of success implementing the solution was because there was a more serious problem that he overlooked by stopping with the first problem he found.

Banks don’t expect that your business will go through the life of the loan without a few problems along the way. They understand that times change and businesses must change Banks often bend over backwards in with them. Your bank will expect you to anticipate most tough economic times to help with a of the problems you will face, and to deal with them while making your payments on time. short-term problem.

But they also understand that some problems come without warning. While they are your bank and not your partner, most are still willing to work with their better customers business during the year. Since bowling is a seasonal industry, it is when the unforeseen happens. You just need to make sure that important to show how much cash the business generates in the you are one of their better customers when you need their help.❑ strong parts of the year compared to the weak parts.

It is not necessarily critical to have a specific request when you Ken Paton is a financial consultant to the bowling industry with first contact your banker. If you identify the problem and the more than 30 years experience working with small business. He solution(s) that you will implement inside your center, the practices in Portland, OR, and can be reached at 503-645-5630. projections will show the shortfall and the months impacted. Once 18

International Bowling Industry | December 2009

HUMAN RESOURCES

by Beth Standlee

A memorable performance Your business is like a concert, your employees always on stage.

How do you make sure they impress the audience?

In this article, I’ll do my best to give you a method of getting around these problems in creating a performance culture at your center (except the last one–but we all really know that top performers are worth the money they cost). You don’t have to have the attitude that “if I ignore a performance problem, maybe it will go away”!

Let’s look first at the fundamental performance breakdowns.

1. The hiring process.

f you’re a performance-based employer, you have the right to hold your team members accountable, and you ought to provide recognition for a job well done.

You need a system that can address performance so that its measurement is simple and clear. With clarity, your managers are in position to lead and to help employees understand what it means to perform.

But too often, employers who, like you, want top performance from their staffs haven’t defined clearly what they want. How could such an employer hold his team accountable? Yet if he is silent and ignores non-performance, he sends the message that not only does he tolerate it, he approves it. Even worse, he

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International Bowling Industry | December 2009

discourages the good performer. We’ve all watched good employees sink to the level of the weakest player on the team.

And too often performance reviews are such a pain in the rear! You have to find

People can fool us in an interview. We hire the first guy or gal that walks in the center because we’re desperate. Start there. Set new standards for what an employee must be. Create a checklist and if an applicant can’t meet your hiring standard, then there’s probably not much chance they’ll be a top performer on your team. Define the qualities of a top performer and set that as your standard.

I’m not suggesting your new-hire training should be 38 hours, but I do believe it should be more than 38 minutes. time to do them. Then you need to tell people how they are doing–good and bad. Finally, if you do a performance review and the person does well, then you need to pay them more, and who has more money?

2. Job descriptions are vague or nonexistent.

When you put the expectation in writing, the document can become a written contract of understanding and accountability between you and your 19

HUMAN RESOURCES team member. As a leader, it is easy to feel like the employee may not have enough information or training to do the job well.

This struggle can be tempered when you have a job description that clearly defines the role of your employee.

3. Orientation procedures are limited to paperwork and clock-in procedures.

Orientation is your time to communicate the values and goals of your organization and what it takes to be a top performer in your center. As a side note, Starbucks has a great performance culture that is supported by a rigorous orientation and a new-hire model that places an employee on shift only after they go through approximately 38 hours of orientation and training. I’m not suggesting your orientation and new-hire training should be 38 hours, but I do believe it should be more than 38 minutes.

4. Minimal training.

When we fail to have an adequate training program, then we will be caught in the trap of self-blame when an employee underperforms.

5. Follow-up training.

My company is a training company.

The thing that I have learned is that training never ends. You must have a system in place that continues to teach an employee new things. They can’t learn everything on the first day.

6. Lack of standardized systems of review that are relevant, frequent, and meaningful.

It is important to the employee, your team and your business to establish a model for review. If you wait until a oneyear performance review is due, then you’ve spent a whole year allowing an underperformer to bring your team down to his or her level. Write-ups are not necessarily effective performance conversations or reviews. Everyone needs feedback in order to perform at a higher level. Instead of the dreaded write-up that is often done in haste and anger, why not replace it with regular, meaningful conversation that moves an employee up or out?

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If we look at each of these breakdowns and replace them with new performance expectations that are systematized and standardized, then we have a strong foundation for upgrading our staff.

1. When it comes to hiring, we believe a job application, a casting-call method of elimination, and an actual audition for potential new employees can make the biggest difference in the quality of your staff.

We eliminate applicants before they are even granted an interview opportunity, based on standards that are set with regard to smile, handshake, creativity–we base this part of the evaluation on random non-job questions such as “If you were a superhero, who would you be and why?”–dress, confidence, and ability to think on their feet.

Once an applicant has passed the screening process, and assuming we like their application, they are invited to an audition. The audition is a 90-minute process that demands an applicant perform. This structured process helps you know whether or not your potential new hire can interact with the public, if they are team players, and whether they are performance- and personality-driven before you spend a dime on them. Payroll dollars add up. Mis-hiring and lack of training are two of the most expensive costs of doing business.

Finally, testing and background checks are always a good way to confirm that you’ve made the best decision to place a new employee in position.

2. The job description needs to be succinct and clear. Every job should include your definition of customer service because every position requires a level of great guest service. For example, this definition could be part of every job description: “Summary of this job: “Provides exceptional guest service for our guests, ensuring that their experience exceeds their expectations.

Responsibilities include, but are not

limited to: “Guest Service “ Ensure that guests’ expectations are exceeded! “ Anticipate and solve any issues, preferably before they arise. “ Invite guests to return. “ Maintain cleanliness throughout the facility inside and out. “ Be present–choose a great attitude –play–make someone’s day.”

This guest service summary could then be made specific with regard to individual positions in the center.

3. When we help open new facilities, one of the first things we tackle is the new-employee handbook because we use this as a basis for the development of their orientation. Orientation is your most opportune time to help a new team member understand your culture. What’s your story? How did you get into business? Why are you still here? What are your goals for your customer, your team, and yourself?

Communicate this message to your new people. They’ll understand why their job is more than taking out the trash and empting ashtrays!

4. Training. I know that I’ve been guilty of hiring the first guy who walked in the door. “Can you start today?” has been followed by, “Here’s how you turn on the lane. Have great day”!

Expecting great performance out of someone who has been marginally trained is unrealistic. A new employee should shadow an experienced team member for 2-5 shifts depending on their position.

Having the experienced employee shadow the newbie helps build the latter’s confidence that they can do the job while making sure someone is there who can help if needed.

5. Follow-up training is essential. We developed a one-hour monthly training program called “Fun Training Serious Results” to help managers and supervisors understand how to deliver the best monthly training meeting. You can’t possibly provide on-the-job training for International Bowling Industry | December 2009

HUMAN RESOURCES something like how to handle a difficult guest, but you can teach it in a follow-up class that motivates and communicates to your team every month.

6.Standardized systemsfor performance review create an accountability standard that you and your employee can live by.

Today’s employee requires more instruction and more feedback more often.

When you think about performance evaluation, review, and/or reprimand, you have to put it into the context of improving your business and leading your

International Bowling Industry | December 2009

team. A great leader, Dwight D. Eisenhower, said, “You do not lead by hitting people over the head–that’s assault, not leadership.”

Set up systems that clearly communicate your standards. Maybe you’ll have to define your standards first. Communicate those standards. Give clarity to the expectations of the job at hand. Train, and hold yourself and your staff accountable. When you follow these steps, there’ll be little need for the big stick! ❑

Beth Standlee is Chief Sales Officer of TrainerTainment LLC, a sales-based training company focused on guest service, group and event planning, training and leadership.

This article was adapted from The Great Leaders Series, a seminar-based training program by TrainerTainment. Support forms and documentation used at Standlee’s company and provided to its customers are available at the Xpress Training portal on www.trainertainment.net. Beth Standlee may be reached at 817-886-4840 or beth@trainertainment.net.

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COVER STORY

CHANGE AGENT She thought she would work 10 years and never work again. Instead, she’s managed the Army’s $50 million bowling program for 12 years and put the Army in the lead in two critical areas for the future. t is a short distance, as interstate travel goes, from Beckley, WV to Alexandria, VA–a little over 300 miles.

It was a long distance from Beckley, WV to Alexandria, VA, including a sixyear loop through Hawaii, for Wanda Arthur, manager of the U.S. Army’s bowling program.

But then, Arthur was a traveler from early in her working life. College in Phoenix, then a year each working in Colorado Springs, Phoenix again, Lake Tahoe–none of it in bowling.

“I always said to myself, ‘I know I can work 10 years and I’ll never have to work again,’ so I didn’t really get serious about working until I was 30.” That was in Beckley, where she built her own restaurant. The Citadel was the first or second Mexican eatery in the state.

Ten years as a restaurateur later, the family circumstances changed that drew her to West Virginia. She made a decision that started her traveling again, this time south to Athens, WV, where two things happened.

She took a degree at Concord University (in travel industry management with concentrations in F&B, parks and resorts, and lodging). “I decided I better quit fooling around and get my degree in food and beverage, now that I had all this experience in running a restaurant.”

And she met the Army. The Army’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) Command recruits at selected universities around the country. Offered a job by a scouting MWR rep, she took it. She especially liked the idea that she could work in Hawaii. “They came, they offered, sounded good to me,” she says.

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The promotion is in the proof. Wanda Arthur (right) in her office with Shirley Kappa, special events marketing specialist for the Army’s Family Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command. The two have worked together on bowling promotions for almost a decade.

Four-foot plush bowler behind Arthur was the grand prize at each Army center participating in a 2000 promotion. Kids completed a punch card and took home a 12-inch plush version of the character; completed cards went into a raffle for the big figure.

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Cover and story photography by Eduardo Alejandro

COVER STORY After a month of intensive classroom training at the MWR Academy in Alexandria and hands-on “with the pots and pans” at Fort Ben Harrison in Indiana, Arthur was off to the Islands.

There, she interned for two years at the officers’ club at Schofield Barracks on Oahu.

If oceans were feminine and masculine, Arthur says, the Atlantic would be masculine. “He’s sort of grumpy and rough and gray, and the Pacific is blue and peaceful and very feminine. The Pacific is the most beautiful ocean I’ve ever seen.” She saw it for another four

opened up at MWR headquarters in Alexandria, she took it.

“Where else can you work in one field, then completely change careers?” she says after 19 years with the Army. “And the Army pays you while you learn and pays for your training. It was a tremendous opportunity. Even now, if I really wanted to, I could switch careers again, and many people do.”

Love traveling, love change of scene. Arthur’s new job was a big change. “A total turnaround,” she says.

Arriving at Army MWR headquarters in Alexandria, she was supposed to go directly into developing a certification “BPAA needs to change their name. program for managers of Army bowling centers. But this was They’re proprietors and managers.” the late ’90s, and the prospects for conducting business via the Internet had her boss excited. Arthur joined a project team to develop a website to showcase a model garrison (base) years, as manager of the Schofield Officers’ Club. called Fort Excellence. The project benchmarked various MWR When family matters intervened in her life again and a new job

KIDDIE RIDE All that Wanda Arthur and veteran bowling coach Bob Rea intended to do was revamp BPAA’s in-school program for elementary school kids, written by Rea a few years ago.

In the end they had a turnkey, standalone program for Army bowling center managers who want to learn from the ground up how to coach kids of any age.

The 150-page lesson manual, written by Arthur and Rea, divides the instruction according to age groups 4 years and younger, 5-8, and 9-12, with an additional section of advanced lessons. The lessons for 12-year-olds can be adapted for teens.

The youngest bowlers learn on a bowling carpet, then graduate to real lanes as they grow older.

Titled simply “Youth Bowling,” the program is being released to Army centers along with Bowlopolis, the first integration of bowler training for youngsters with the promotional thrust of the BPAA/USBC branding initiative.

After Arthur and Rea put in a dogged six months creating the manual, it became the textbook Rea used at this year’s Bowl Expo for a class in beginning coaching for Army center managers.

“If the manager has never coached before,” Arthur explains, “he’s like the youngster learning the lessons. He’s learning to coach very simple elements of the game of bowling that he can take back and use in his center for a year or so. Then he can come back to Bowl Expo and take a USBC Bronze class or a Dick Ritger class to learn coaching more rigorously.”

Part of certification training for Army bowling center managers, the Expo class also included lessons for coaching

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disabled bowlers (in the Army’s Wounded Warriors program) and “Fun Tips” for open bowlers, both penned by celebrated coach Dick Ritger and taught by Ritger and Rea. So far, 28 Army centers are participating in Youth Bowling.

Arthur’s goal for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1 is to see the number hit 60. Eighty-five military managers have been trained on coaching for the disabled.

International Bowling Industry | December 2009

COVER STORY facilities, including bowling, against their civilian counterparts.

But the Army’s program manager for bowling was also managing golf, two programs where one would have been enough of a workload. The Fort Excellence bowling project was handed off to Arthur.

She knew nothing about bowling centers or the game, but the Army paid her way to research the industry at trade shows and allowed her to call on bowling suppliers, visit civilian centers, and meet the Air Force Nonappropriated Funds Purchasing Office (AFNAFPO), an immense purchasing agent used by all the military branches.

Quickly she was at work on manager certification.

She called on one chain operator to arrange training, but the chain did not want to adapt its curriculum to meet Army needs “and I didn’t want their complete training package. We already had great systems in place to teach business management through the Army’s MWR Academy. We didn’t need them to teach us personnel or financial management. And at that time we offered extensive training in food and beverage operations. I wanted an overall training curriculum that focused on bowling operations.”

In Brunswick, she found the right partner. The company put together a curriculum that looked at “the housekeeping” of a bowling center–HVAC and enegy management, lane and equipment maintenance, and oversight of the mechanical staff. Brunswick has supplied this one-week, core certification training at Expo since (subsequently joined by USBC, IBPSIA, Dick Ritger, Bob Rea, and Jayhawk).

Arthur sat in on BPAA board meetings–as a non-voting member, since she had no authority to speak for the Army. But she answered questions about military bowling programs and had a chance to learn the focus and direction of the industry.

Her F&B expertise fit “quite nicely” into her new responsibilities. “Food and beverage is a very, very large part of our International Bowling Industry | December 2009

bowling program,” she explains. “In fact, when we started working with the BPAA,

a tremendous part of the program, much more so than bowling in many locations.”

“When I was in business for myself, I didn’t think I needed anybody to teach me how to make those decisions.” people would question our food and beverage numbers. But 50% of our $50 million program is food and beverage. It’s

She sat in with MUBIG as well, finding their numbers more useful for her program than BPAA’s benchmark figures.

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COVER STORY All the experience drew together in Arthur’s contribution to a certification program that has two levels together totaling 400 hours of training and seven years of on-the-job experience. The Army has run this certification program for its managers since 2001. BPAA’s intensive, week-long management school was opened in 2007.

Arthur thinks BPAA lagged behind because proprietors have to think and act independently. “When I was in business for myself, I lived and died by the decisions I made, so of course I didn’t think I needed anybody to teach me how to make those decisions.

I think a lot of proprietors may take that position. But with managers, especially in a military environment, you always have someone who is charged with ensuring training is provided to help them with those decisions.”

Like BPAA past-president Joe Schumacker, she thinks managers will become more visible in day-to-day control of center

back. “When I first stood up in front of a group managers and said, ‘You need to get into this glow bowling,’ they looked at me like a deer in headlights and said, ‘It’ll never last.’ Well, of course not, nothing lasts forever, but you ride it while you can.” A glow bowling and birthday party package was developed for Europe, where glow had just been installed in Army centers, but only four managers showed up for the training.

Things have improved, she says. “Many training programs are mandatory now.” Meanwhile, “we never waste good training, so we offered [it] to all military managers attending Bowl Expo in ’03 and ’04.”

“Soldiers and their families are entitled to the same amenities and opportunities they would enjoy in the civilian sector,” Arthur says. The Army agrees. “That is not written down as a recruiting entitlement, but that’s the way Army MWR looks at it,” she adds.

The benefits are outlined in the Army Family Covenant, a program she and others in MWR “Bam! All of a sudden, eight centers were worked on for years. One offering: an programmed for rebuild or renovation. enhancement of Bowlopolis, created by her and veteran coach Bob Rea. A turnkey, ageThat was a big chunk of MWR money graded coaching program for children, it’s back in 2000, almost $40 million.” designed to draw parents as well and to add to the “quality family time” at Army bowling centers. (Centers also partner with other MWR activities on the operations. “BPAA needs to change their name, but I’ve been garrison such as auto repair and craft centers to introduce families telling them that since ’97. They’re not just proprietors. They’re to other recreation options.) proprietors and managers. The BPAA needs to get a certification

program up and running that is comparable with management The Arthur years are drawing short. Army MWR is moving to certification programs in other industries.

San Antonio, a transition that will be completed by September “You can always get business training through a college,” she 2011, and she has chosen not to move with it because of business reflects, “but what you can’t get through the college, and what I interests in the East. She may retire, she could stay with the think you can’t get online, is a lot of what I call bowling technical military, even continue with bowling, go back to F&B or start a training. When I went through the Army MWR training program, new career. they sent me to cooking school. Did I ever cook? No. I ran an Whatever the decision, Arthur can look back and see how she officers’ club and had a chef. But they sent me there so I was has set direction and established trends. The most important prepared to oversee the staff and the rest of the business operation.”

difference she has made?

Through BPAA, Arthur got a look at civilian centers that were “I think it’s the support I provided directly to our bowling much more impressive than many in the Army. To some, such as center managers–in a general sense and in the one-on-one industry veteran Remo Picchietti, military centers were in great relationships I’ve developed with them and with leaders in the shape compared to a lot of civilian bowls–as he told her often–but industry. Of all the MWR managers in the Army, the bowling she saw many Army centers as “rundown and in great need of managers were probably the least appreciated and the least upgrades. When I started in ’97, bowling had that ‘old bowling trained when I entered the picture. alley’ atmosphere, lots of smoke and few families. Bowling centers “Yes, it’s been the relationships with those managers out there, were treated as cash cows. Very little was reinvested in them.” and any help I might have provided in helping them develop When she clued-in Army MWR authorities, “Bam! All of a their self-worth. Army bowling center managers who bought sudden, eight centers were programmed for rebuild or into the Army’s management programs, participated in Army renovation. That was a big chunk of MWR money back in 2000, certification and other training opportunities, and who effectively almost $40 million. It started a wave of bowling center upgrades operated their centers are moving up to become Business Division Army-wide.”

Chiefs and even MWR Directors at their garrisons. I like to think She campaigned for glow bowling in particular, and got pushI played some small part in their success.” ❑ 26

International Bowling Industry | December 2009

NEWS FEATURE

$340,000 ASTRAY FROM USBC LOCAL;

ASSISTANT MANAGER IS TRIED ary Jo Stouffer of Alpine Village, CA, , assistant manager of the North Los Angeles County Bowling Association (NLACBA) for three years, was on trial in a Los Angeles federal court at press time, accused of diverting $340,000 over a twoyear period.

The loss was discovered in April 2009 following an NLACBA tournament award banquet, when the prize checks started bouncing.

Stouffer allegedly stopped coming in to the office after the first check was returned and did not respond to repeated phone calls about the situation. A search of the association office by NLACBA directors failed to turn up original records to verify financial reports she had been making as a routine part of her job.

When the directors convened an emergency meeting around the first week in May, “things looked really suspicious,” said Craig Goodman, who has been a director of the association for three years.

Ultimately the directors went to the police.

According to Goodman, records indicate that money was withdrawn from the association almost daily and sometimes several times a day for about two years. Another source said recovered bank statements show transfers to several online gambling sites.

Asked if the case would prompt a reexamination of USBC security procedures, USBC E.D. Stu Upson answered, “I think our policies in terms of bonding and rules [are] pretty solid. I can’t say at this point whether it’s going to cause us to reexamine things or not–it’s a little bit too early to tell–but we’re taking it very seriously.”

In August, NLACBA was reimbursed $20,000 on the loss, according to Mike Spridco, Team Leader – Rules/Bonding at USBC. USBC covers a maximum of $10,000 per claimant per year unless the association or league requests bonding for a larger amount. The request is made by specifying in an online form or in writing the dollar coverage desired. USBC provides the additional bonding without charge, the cost of bonding covered by annual dues from USBC members. NLACBA did not request additional bonding in either year of the losses, Spridco said.

In a similar series of events, Stephen Donahue of Weedsport, NY, manager of the New York State USBC association for 23 years, pleaded guilty late last year to embezzling $274,000. Over two years, Donahue spent the money to gamble at Turning Stone, an Indian casino in the central state area. “It pretty much wiped out the association,” according to Mike Pettinella, a former bowling center manager and bowling journalist who made the story public and followed the case.

Kevin Dornberger, who was COO of USBC at the time, said that after the New York loss was discovered, “USBC gave them advice on several issues–protection of the remaining funds, election of new officers and so forth–and we felt they more or less ignored our advice. That was part of the decision-making process [that brought] USBC to revoke the charter.” A subsequent suit against USBC by the state association was settled by the formation of a new group, the Empire State Bowling Association. Pettinella, a past local association director, was elected its president.

Beefed-up security procedures for the state group since Pettinella’s election include four signatures on the account–three officers and the manager–with two required on checks. Pettinella has statements sent directly to his home rather than to the association manager, and Internet banking allows Pettinella to verify the account in real time. In addition to an audit/finance committee, the association will employ an independent accountant for a yearly review of the books, he told IBI. Dornberger said the Los Angeles events do not appear to “rise to the level of culpability as the New York State situation did because the L.A. folks have been much more amenable to follow-up on our recommendations on damage control.”

Dennis Caudle, bond claims analyst at USBC, said more than 90% of bond claims filed with his office USBC locals request bonding amount in the lower left of this online screen. “involve [a] scenario where the money is just not being A state association usually makes its request in an informal letter on properly monitored every month.” ❑ letterhead. Leagues submit the request on the “League Application” form.

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International Bowling Industry | December 2009

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INDUSTRY BULLETINS

Bowling Foundation to Restructure

Saving Bowling

The 15 directors of The Bowling Foundation (TBF) voted early last month to dissolve the foundation’s current structure on Dec. 31.

Originally the educational wing of BPAA, TBF became the official charitable arm of the industry by agreement of BPAA and USBC in 2007.

The board’s move was made for economic and mission reasons. In a release, the board explained its decision by citing “a difficult economy and the need to become a more effective and efficient organization.” A newly formed board will “seek to redefine the foundation’s mission and vision,” the announcement said.

The new board, which will be seated officially on Dec. 31, consists of BPAA E.D. Steve Johnson, USBC E.D. Stu Upson, Bowlers to Veterans Link administrator Elizabeth Montoya, Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame E.D. Bill Supper, and a person yet to be named to represent Susan G. Komen Bowl for the Cure, a TBF partner.

Troy Greisen, hired in August 2008 as a paid executive director for TBF, stepped down after the vote. Program coordinator Jennifer Lee remains as a paid staff member.

For the present, TBF will continue fundraising and fund granting to further the sport, particularly youth bowling.

For a while, it looked like Gull Lake Ministries wouldn’t have bowling after all.

The religious retreat on the shore of Gull Lake, near Kalamazoo, MI, is a site for all-inclusive family get-togethers in the summer, conferences for seniors in fall and spring, and 150200 retreats year-round, mostly for church groups. The ministry

serves about 10,000 people a year from all over the country.

Not long ago, a $5 million donation by an anonymous family was set to work building a 52,000-square-foot multi-purpose building. It includes a fireplace and snack shop, game and craft

Striking a Blow for Proprietors Mike Hinkel may be retiring soon, the result of a possible sale of his Lumberjack Lanes in Springhill, LA, but his bowling center will not be the only legacy he leaves.

On Oct. 1, Hinkel e-mailed Kevin Dornberger, former USBC COO, and Neil Stremmel, Vice President – National Governing Body, to request an addition to the USBC playing rules. Hinkel wanted a statement that would explicitly allow proprietors to attend league meetings with the right to “speak and/or give advice” to ensure compliance with USBC rules.

“In the days of WIBC I had the same problem,” Hinkel wrote, describing an incident in which a WIBC field rep told league players that proprietors should not be present and heard at meetings. Hinkel added, “I know I am not the only owner with this problem.”

He argued that stating an explicit right would reduce phone calls to USBC “for bad judgment in making rules” and that “without bad rules we could retain more bowlers.”

The next day Hinkel got a reply from Mike Spridco, leader of the Rules/Bonding Team. “USBC has no problem with proprietors being involved in the league meetings at their center,” Spridco wrote, but he outlined two problems with adding a requirement to the rule book. USBC would not be able 28

to overturn decisions based solely on a proprietor’s not being invited or not attending the meeting; and some proprietors might encourage non-compliant rules, resulting in more calls to USBC and lost bowlers.

A few days later, Hinkel fired back, “I am looking for a simple statement inside the rule book acknowledging that the proprietors do have rights. You must remember that a lot of people read every inch of the rule book and if they can't see it, it must not be so. Remember bowling proprietors spend hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars and it is just not the money, most of us work 10 to 15 hours every day. Not one of us needs to hear from a rule book reader that we have no right to be involved in meetings or be involved in resolving a simple rule just because it cannot be read in their almighty rule book that we can be involved.”

The following day, Sprido wrote that a Commonly Asked Question to Rule 122 in the book could be added to say that proprietors can attend league meetings. Spridco told IBI the Question will be posted on the USBC website as soon as updating (as of press time) is completed. It will also be included in the next edition of the rule book, to be printed in June, and in a pre-season e-mail blast that will go out in July.

International Bowling Industry | December 2009

INDUSTRY BULLETINS rooms, and a retail store selling logo merchandise. More active folks enjoy a gym with full-size basketball court, a climbing wall, and a pickle ball court (like tennis played with a plastic, slow-floating ball).

Four bowling lanes were planned, then seemed doomed by a 30% rise in the price of steel. But in a week’s telephone time, the ministry’s E.D., Daniel Wallace, inspired additional donations that could keep the bowling lanes in. New Center Consulting of Rochester Hills, MI did the rest with used machines and lanes, new scoring, monitors and masking from various manufacturers.

Gull Lake Ministries spokesman Jeremy Heavey said the bowling is already a hit. Opened in August along with the rest of the multi-purpose building, the four lanes were “packed” for the recent senior conference. Kids will be able to bowl next summer while their parents are participating in grown-up activities, and a schedule for the bowling lanes has been started for retreat groups because bowling has been requested for almost every weekend.

“We’ve got programming for newborns to a 100-year-old person. We figured [bowling] would be one activity everybody could do,” Heavey said.

Everything Shipshape Customers at Planet Fun, Brian McCall’s new FEC in Shallotte, SC, aren’t allowed in wearing hoodies, numbers, or do-rags.

Their hats have to face forward and their pants can’t sag below the waist. McCall’s management staff wears shirt and tie, and his

International Bowling Industry | December 2009

line folks dress uniformly in black pants and logoed shirts.

McCall, new in the bowling business, says he is not trying to be “white-collar bowling.”

Rather, he is taking his cue from veteran South Carolina proprietor Howard Davis, who customarily wears a shirt and tie at work, says McCall. “We just wanted to bring a professional, cut-cut image to family entertainment,” he offers, referring to the attractions under the Planet Fun roof.

They include 32 lanes of bowling, an additional four lanes of mini-ball bowling (QubicaAMF’s Highway 66), nine holes of mini golf, two-story laser tag arena , more than 100 redemption games, a pro shop, a concession stand and a 130seat casual dining restaurant called Starz Grille. He considered

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INDUSTRY BULLETINS HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW? In the style of the familiar nursery rhyme, “With bowling balls and pins all in a row (more or less),” if you’re Donald Bernovich.

At home in Marquette Heights, IL and a spry 73, Bernovich has been collecting discarded balls and pins from Sunset

Lanes in nearby Pekin for years. They’re everywhere around the property: ringing trees, topping poles, just piled up here and there (without glue; he relies entirely on balancing the balls).

Jim Keith, who owns Sunset Lanes and another center, Four Seasons Bowl in Canton, testifies to Bernovich’s love of the game. Bernovich sponsors teams, acts as league secretary, helps out fellow bowlers who need a few bucks for bowling, and bowls in four leagues. “He absolutely loves the game.” Keith tells us.

Fortunately for Bernovich, he still has time left over for his other passions, his bikes: a ’96 HarleyDavidson and an ’83 Yamaha.

a boutique module, but decided the bowling ambience was sufficiently upscale to be a lounge unto itself.

McCall’s ideas of professionalism and customer decorum may seem to belie his brief acquaintance with the FEC concept, which only goes back about four years.

But they fit right in with his lifelong experience in movie theaters. His family has been operating them since McCall was 12 years old. From 1999 to 2007, they owned 74 screens in seven locations in North and South Carolina and West Virginia. They continue to operate a 10screen cinema in Durham, NC. “We have always been in the entertainment business and think the family entertainment side of it is

evolving into the facility we just built.”

Planet Fun opened in August.

He believes his bowling FEC, like movies in bad times past, will weather the current downturn all right. “People will still go out and spend the $20-50 to get some quality time where they can play, eat and spend a few hours with their family,” he says.

And so far, McCall’s philosophy and his attractions are paying off with his public. Leagues are off to a good start, with about 650 bowlers. Customers are coming from as far away as rural areas 45 miles distant. And young patrons he’s seen have started crying when mom and dad announced it was time to go home; they weren’t ready yet.

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An Unusual Buy? The Michigan economy is not the world’s best at the moment and Bob Smoltz is 68 years old.

That might makes Smoltz’s recent buy of Bel-Mark Lanes, a 40-lane house in Ann Arbor, look a trifle odd, especially since business at his Ford Lanes in Dearborn is very good. He’s almost double-shifted there and has “a good book of business” in corporate parties and such. Smoltz was named 2009 proprietor of the year by the Bowling Centers Association of Michigan.

But he says he likes a challenge. “’Retirement’ is not in my vocabulary. If you stop, you sort of rust out, is my thought,” adds Smoltz, the owner of a center that’s been in the family for 51 years. He remembers as a youngster carrying in the lumber for the lanes.

Smoltz and his two sons wanted to expand their “base in the industry,” and center broker Sandy Hansell and Associates connected them with BelMark. The demographics, particularly the University of Michigan’s Ann Arbor campus, population 42,000 students, appealed especially.

Well-experienced with putting “a lot of tender loving care and funds back into [Ford Lanes] over the years,” Smoltz has started freshening the place even while he is deciding whether to reconfigure as a traditional center with a boutique module or a full-blown FEC. His older son, Mark, has been with Smoltz for 17 years and is general manager of both properties. Son Craig was educated as an engineer, went to work in the auto industry “–you know what’s happened to those jobs–” and now helms Bel-Mark.

“We’re going to probably look at other facilities across the country and study the demographics in this area a little more carefully,” says the elder Smoltz. “The country is in a little bit of difficulty but Michigan is even worse. We have to tread very carefully and spend our dollars wisely to make all this happen.”

So much more the challenge.

International Bowling Industry | December 2009

SHOWCASE Mini Golf Liberty Lanes Family Fun Center in Cottage Grove, OR, www.libertylanesfamilyfuncenter.com, just added an indoor 18-hole professional miniature golf course with a variety of shots. Some of the obstacles include rotating bowling pins, windmill, lighthouse, castle and traffic light. The course was designed and manufactured by Mini-Golf, Inc. Jessup, PA, a manufacturer of pre-fab courses for indoor and outdoor use.

For more information, call 570-489-8623 or go to www.minigolfinc.com

Video System Controller New Center Consulting in conjunction with D&J Marketing announces a Video Distribution System that allows each of up to 84 TVs to display different channels or input and all controlled by a single device. Can be connected to projection units and screens. For more information, call Glenn Hartshorn, 248-375-2751, glenn@newcenterconsulting, or go to www.newcenterconsulting.com.

Center Network Systems Upgrades From Brunswick, new products and enhancements help you to increase your center’s revenue and control its costs. Brunswick Vector CNS enhancements include Event Manager module, Mechanic’s System with wireless lane control/messaging capabilities, Online Scoring, 3rd-party liquor control and game card interfaces, and a new Bowlopolis graphic environment.

Upgrades now available to all management systems include Internet Reservations with social networking, TimePro Labor Management System, high-definition LCD monitors, Brunswick Digital Signage, and numerous hardware upgrades to extend the life of your system. For more information, contact your Brunswick Representative, call 800-YES-BOWL or 231-725-4966.

Insurance K&K Insurance offers expanded options through its Bowling Program, providing coverage for facilities including bowling, billiards, driving ranges, go-karts, kiddie rides, laser tag, miniature golf, video arcades, and other entertainment risks. Premium is based on gross receipts, offering competitive pricing for facilities based on individual exposures. Coverage includes property, general liability, inland marine, crime, commercial auto, liquor liability and excess liability. For more information, call Sheila Morton, Sales Director, 800-440-5580 or go to www.kandkinsurance.com.

Automatic Bumper System The key word is flexibility and automatic is our standard. US Bowling’s Z-Bump system gives you the ability to control your bumpers through any scoring system. This feature gives you the option to control bumpers based on player’s preference! Our Z-Bump system has been tested and proven to be the most flexible and durable bumper the industry has to offer. Backed by a comprehensive and liberal warranty! For more information, call Brent Dyer, Director of Operations, 909-548-0644, email brent@usbowling.com or go to www.usbowling.com.

Themed Birthday Pins Are you looking for something special to offer your birthday guests? Themed Birthday Pins from QubicaAMF are the perfect thing! Kids love them! Themed Birthday Pins available for Oceano, Fairy Tales and Prehistorica BES Scoring environments. The pins are also a perfect addition to the Themed Birthday Party Solution and kids take them home as a reminder of the fun they had in your center. For more information on BES, Themed Birthday Pins or the Themed Birthday Party Solution, email solutions@qubicaamf.us.

Cleaners Brunswick is leading the industry with a line of environmentally smart products including Authority22 Lane Cleaner, Invincible Lane Cleaner, Judge Lane Cleaner and Universal Pin Cleaner. To learn how the BGreen line can benefit your center, contact your Brunswick Product Specialist today.

International Bowling Industry | December 2009

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SHOWCASE Capping “Cap” off the entertainment environment in your center and add new glow-in-the-dark capping from Brunswick. The easy-opening capping system provides you with tool-free access to your ball return track.

Available in a light gray color with dark gray pinstripe accents, glow-in-the-dark capping maintains existing rigid, durable PVC construction, and adds another dimension to the glow environment. For more information, contact your Brunswick representative, call 800-YES-BOWL or 231-725-4966.

Telecom Services Bowl a strike with savings that go directly to your bottom line! Birch Communications will save your business money on all of your telecom services without sparing customer service. Birch, over the last 13 years, has built a reputation for delivering great service with a very strong commitment to customer satisfaction. For the best value in local, long distance and high-speed Internet, ask about Birch’s value packages (with free long distance) that will provide you even more savings! For more information, call Sheri Gwatney at 877-300-4967 or email sheri.gwatney@birch.com.

Lane Maintenance TRATS–The Real Answer to Success– creates more pin action in the back end of the flat gutters from the 4-5-6 row back.

TRATS, from EBN Services, spells better pin carry, higher scores, and better customer satisfaction. Complies with all USBC regulations. For more information, call 888-435-6289.

On-Lane Redemption Driving your business, one ticket at a time! Redemption games are increasingly popular among today’s youth and open play bowlers, and are shown to increase key areas of your business. The On-Lane Redemption System by QubicaAMF was designed to integrate with the Bowler Entertainment System and Conqueror Pro Management System, to provide a complete, customizable solution for managing your bowling center redemption activity.

Contact a QubicaAMF Sales Representative today or visit our website at www.qubicaamf.com.

Crane Prizes From Redemption Plus, colorful, high-flying Super Space Balls that bounce up to 50 feet! They’re a proven winner with small or medium claws, either used on their own or mixed with puffer balls, plush or other assorted balls. The average for this kit has been reduced to only $2.50, so get ’em while they’re hot! Ask about ‘ 100 mm 60 pc Crane Kit 313607.’ Orders can be placed by visiting www.hipprizes.com or calling 888-564-7587.

Light System US Bowling’s Z-Light LED lighting system provides high intensity and durability, allowing your division capping to come alive! Our easy-to-use controls give you the complete flexibility to program specific lighting patterns and lighting sequences. You can set the mood with one of our pre-programmed lighting patterns or watch the lights dance around when programmed with music...create a lighting spectacle that will keep your customers coming back for more. For more information, call Brent Dyer, Director of Operations, 909-548-0644, email brent@usbowling.com or go to www.usbowling.com.

Redemption Bowling US Steltronic, a leading provider of automatic scoring, gives you the opportunity to increase revenues by offering ticket redemption on all your lanes. Bowlers will always play longer if they have a chance to win great prizes. Great for parties and even open play. This system is fully integrated with the US Steltronic Vision/Focus System. At US Steltronic, we can create and provide custom solutions for all your automatic scoring needs. For more information, call Gregg Pasdiora, 909-287-0712.

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International Bowling Industry | December 2009

MODERNIZATION

by Kevin P. Mills, AIA

Taking it to the limit Spend limited money wisely and still get pulling power.

n every project it is critical that you have a Master Plan developed to determine the ultimate goals you wish to accomplish for your facility. The Master Plan will determine the highest and best use of your entire center and how much the total remodel will eventually cost. This analysis is best provided by an architect who understands your business and specializes in the design of bowling/entertainment centers.

There are three concepts to guide remodeling your center. A total remodel yields the best return on investment.

Next is a phased remodel that still allows you to achieve the Master Plan. Finally, do a limited remodel if your budget is truly limited, not allowing you to eventually remodel the entire center. The table on page 36 is a guide to remodel options broken out by approximate per-lane cost.

Once you have determined which concept meets your short- and long-term goals, the answer and direction can be put into motion. For the purposes of this article, it is assumed that a full remodel is not an option, so how should you spend the money? A limited budget, by definition, will provide a limited solution. This typically means that you can afford either a carpet-and-paint solution throughout the center or you can focus on one particular area such as the concourse, bar, café or arcade.

I

depending on the quality of the product. New carpeting, for example, can have a strong effect on the look of the concourse area and will vary from $2 to $4 per square foot. Although better quality carpet costs more, it will last longer, look better and will be easier to maintain during its useful life. Consider using a “green” product as you replace old carpeting.

Concourse There are numerous pieces and parts to fully remodel any area of your building. This includes the floor finishes, walls, ceiling/lighting, counters, equipment, furniture, mechanical, electrical and plumbing.

But if you want to update your core business, the remodel should focus on the concourse area. The budget for a full concourse remodel will be between $10,000 and $15,000 per lane bed. If your budget is $2,000 to $5,000 per lane bed, priorities must be set; the remodel will be restricted to cosmetic solutions.

Start any concourse remodel with carpet and paint. Make sure you repair damaged or maintenance items such as stained ceiling tiles, worn carpet, or damaged stair treads, and resolve ADA issues. The limited remodel will not achieve the full “wow” effect but it will be an improvement.

The cost of each item in the concourse environment varies 34

The Bowler, LaVale, MD, owner Alan Douglas. Concourse redesign used existing bowling furniture, raised the ceiling for a new dramatic space and included new sidewalls. Floor, wall and ceiling finishes were redone.

For wall treatments, paint is the lowest-cost solution, easy to maintain/repair and can create a colorful and dramatic effect.

Paint costs about 50 cents to $1 per square foot of wall surface, where wall covering is two to three times that cost. Painting is an item you may want to do yourself.

Sidewalls are a very important opportunity in the space.

Simply removing old worn carpet and painting the wall or installing graphic wall fabric can have a dramatic effect on the room. This is also a good location for spending money on special features such as column details with added lighting, which will cost International Bowling Industry | December 2009

MODERNIZATION about $5,000-$15,000 per sidewall.

Boutique/soft seating has become a popular option in the last few years. This can either be a bowling manufacturer’s solution or standard industry furniture. The cost will range from $2,000 to $4,000 per lane bed. Along with a new furniture layout, many centers are raising the settee floor to reduce the number of steps and/or to solve ADA issues at a cost of $1,000 to $1,500 per lane bed.

New raised ceiling areas over the concourse with a new lighting design will dramatically enhance the “wow” factor.

Full remodels range from $2,000 to $5,000 per lane bed. During a limited remodel, the old stained ceiling tiles should be replaced and lights repaired or replaced.

Farmingdale Lanes, Farmingdale, NY, owner John LaSpina.

Although it is hard to say that remodeled restrooms make you more money, they are critical to your image. At minimum, money should be spent to freshen the restrooms with attention to the detailed cleaning of the room and repair of broken and/or damaged items.

A new exhaust fan should be considered to improve the

Rose Bowl, Montrose, CO, current owner John Bullington. Liquor bar, snack bar and reception counter were combined into one area to improve presentation and employee utilization.

Reception counters are one of the patron’s first impressions of your center. A major remodel typically replaces and/or relocates the entire unit. At a minimum, it is critical that all junk and clutter be removed to improve the presentation. Consider incorporating flat-screens for pricing and information for customers. A common remodel for a new counter is $15,000 to $30,000.

Off the Concourse Remodeling your food service area can be a major expenditure, ranging from $100,000 to $400,000. It is important to offer the best-quality menu to support other areas of your business such as birthday parties and corporate events. A remodel here may be as simple as adding a few pieces of equipment such as pizza ovens, or as extensive as a major overhaul of the food operation.

On a limited budget, provide a clean, professional and healthy image. Many of our centers are incorporating flat-screen TVs for the menu boards to improve the presentation.

International Bowling Industry | December 2009

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MODERNIZATION ventillation. Any significant remodel must address ADA issues, which typically require enlarging the rooms and can cost $50,000 to $100,000.

In bars and lounges, it is important to get rid of dark, brown and dingy environments that depend on free beer-sign décor and old television technology for the theme of the room.

As with the concourse area, start with new flooring, wall and ceiling finishes to freshen the space. Also incorporate new technology with large flat-screens, at about $1,500-$3,000 each, for patrons’ viewing pleasure.

Again, do the simple things like removing the bar equipment and deep-cleaning the area to eliminate the odor of stale beer.

Remove all the junk and clutter that has accumulated over time and reinstall just the good equipment you will be using.

Next, replace old and worn furniture. New tables and chairs will vary from $800 to $1,200 per four-top unit. Consider a mix of low tables and hi-top tables. Pay particular attention to the sturdiness and durability of the tables and chairs.

Finally, if the budget allows, redesign the lighting system in the space. The new design should utilize a variety of lighting fixtures such as wall sconces, accent lighting, indirect light coves and general lighting. It is very important to have individual control of each light source to create varied lighting schemes for the room.

The lighting budget should be $10,000 to $20,000 for a 1,500square-foot lounge or bar.

If you are lucky enough to find vacant or poorly utilized space in your building, consider adding a new venue. Corum Lanes on Long Island, NY recently converted an old billiard/locker area into a new small-ball party area. The floor, wall and ceiling finishes were remodeled, new furniture added and games installed for about $150,000. The new room has added another venue for the proprietor to generate income.

Remodel Design and Construction Guide Approximate Cost per Lane* $5- to $7,500

$7- to $15,000

Renovation of interior finishes such as carpet, paint, wall covering, plastic laminates, lighting upgrades (freshen existing facility). No exterior work.

Finishes as above, minor interior alterations (such as new walls), new counters casework, restroom upgrades, concourse flooring upgrades. Exterior: new signage and limited painting.

$12- to $20,000

Finishes as above, major interior alterations to relocate venues/functions, rebuild restrooms. Exterior: new lighting, parking lot upgrades.

$17- to $30,000

All the above, all new lighting, ceilings, special interior detailing/features. Exterior: major renovation including new architectural features.

$25- to $30,000

Completely renovates center including all new walls, venues, functions, complete mechanical, electrical, plumbing upgrades.

All furniture and fixtures included.

$100- to $150,000 New center build, interior included. *Based on a 24-lane center.

Not included are bowling equipment costs such as scoring, furniture, lane overlays, returns, glow bowling equipment, masking, bumpers, and miscellaneous items such as balls and shoes.

Also not included are development expenses such as design fees, legal fees, taxes, local fees, financing cost, land if any, construction, specialty equipment/games, and operating cost.

36

Rose Bowl

Don’t forget the exterior, which is the patron’s first impression of your center. At minimum, paint the exterior ($10,000 to $20,000) and incorporate quality signage ($5,000 to $10,000).

Improve the entry identity if possible and incorporate accent lighting if the budget allows. Total remodels of the exterior range from $100,000 to $400,000.

It should be obvious that improving your center is a major undertaking that requires considerable thought and capital expenditure. You must balance the budget with the appropriate solution and the desired results. If a limited budget is a fact of life, you must be very careful how you spend the available funds.

Replace old and worn items, solve ADA issues, deep-clean the place and remove junk and clutter. Make sure the game is as good as you can offer, and then improve your revenue producing venues. ❑ Kevin P. Mills, AIA, is a principal of Architectural Concepts, a Denver, Colorado-based company specializing in architecture and interior design for the bowling industry. He can be reached at 303830-8002 x301, office@archconcepts.com, or fax 303-830-2819.

International Bowling Industry | December 2009

TRADE SHOW AND TELL Proprietor Wally Hall with Lime Energy’s Tracy Hansen and Ben McCallum.

EAST COAST HOSTS LIVELY “BOWLING SERIES”

hile the Yankees and Phillies slugged it out 40 miles away for baseball’s national crown, bowling business leaders and suppliers were A couple of points before the trade show. At left, Bob tagging bases at the East Coast Bowling Centers Convention Cox of AMF Bowling Centers; Pat Ciniello, president of QubicaAMF Worldwide, LLC; John Walker, president in Atlantic City, Nov. 2-4.

The show returned to the and CEO, QubicaAMF; and Jay Buhl, vice president Trump Taj Mahal on the of sales for the Americas at the QubicaAMF booth. boardwalk after its maiden outing there last year. Convention chair Jack Moran unofficially pronounced the turnout a little stronger than last year because, E.D. Stu Upson of USBC talking about he said, word had spread about the venue change to the Taj. industry integration. He shared the Steve Johnson and Stu Upson, respectively BPAA and USBC podium with BPAA’s new E.D., E.D., made two tandem presentations. Their “State of the Industry” Steve Johnson. and “Integration Update” addresses underscored the freshness Another notable, BPAA treasurer Tom Martino, made heartof their leadership and the integration of the two organizations felt remarks in accepting the Landgraf Memorial Award for at the International Bowling Campus in Arlington. Some observers industry contributions from the Metropolitan Bowling Writers mused on whether the “Steve and Stu Show” would become a at its annual meeting during the convention. regular feature of industry conventions.

Among the topics in 17 hours of seminars and workshops at Something of a surprise was the appearance of Johnson’s the show were saving money in the bar, relationship marketing, predecessor, John Berglund, in the lineup. Two weeks from starting risk management, in-center fundraising, social media, center his retirement with a new home and business–a perfumery–on maintenance, and youth programs.

St. Martin in the Caribbean, Berglund was presented with a A seminar on government plans for health care (ambitious) “bitterwsweet” award by John LaSpina, past ECBCC chair and and its potential impact on business (huge) was presented by current Bowl Expo chairman. The award, LaSpina said, honoring Kristen Eastlick of Berman Associates, BPPA’s Washington Berglund for his service to the industry, was bitter in Berglund’s lobbyist. It was attended by nine proprietors and two members going, sweet in the help Berglund provided with the transition to of the press.. ❑ Steve Johnson’s tenure.

W

International Bowling Industry | December 2009

37

DATEBOOK

December 3-6

Jayhawk Pro Shop Training Class, Jayhawk Bowling Supplies, Lawrence, KS. Kristal or Russ, 800-255-6436, www.jayhawkbowling.com.

7-8

BCA of Wisconsin Mid-Winter Retreat, Hilton Garden Inn, Milwaukee Park Place. Gary Hartel, 262-783-4292, 800-2293098.

7-18

Brunswick Factory A-2 Pinsetter Training Program, Town & Country Bowl, Rock Island, IL. Frank Miroballi, 540-3257684, frankm1441@aol.com.

January 2010 23-27 BPAA’s Bowling Summit, International Bowling Campus, Arlington, TX. 800-343-1329.

April Illinois State BPA board meeting, Marriott Hotel; and

6

Conference Center, BloomingtonNormal. Bill Duff, 847-982-1305 or billduff@bowlillinois.com.

May 24

Illinois State BPA board meeting, Holiday Inn & Suites, Bloomington. Bill Duff, 847-9821305 or billduff@bowlillinois.com.

3

EASY WAYS

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Call (818) 789-2695

Fax (818) 789-2812

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your ad to:

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International Bowling Industry | December 2009

CLASSIFIED

I would not have secured this good of a loan without Ken. Larry Schmittou Western Bowl Hoinke Tournament Cincinnati, OH The leading source for real estate loans with low down payments

Ken Paton (503) 645-5630 www.kenpaton.com kpaton@kenpaton.com

INSURANCE SERVICES BOWLING CENTER INSURANCE.COM. Helping you is what we do best! Property; Liability; Liquor Liability; Workers Comp.

Bob Langley (866) 438-3651 x 145; blangley@bbsouthcarolina.com.

Insuring Bowling Centers for over 30 years. Ohio, Illinois & Michigan: Property & Liability, Liquor Liabiity, Workers Compensation, Health & Personal Insurance. Call Scott Bennet (248) 408-0200, Scott@Bowl-mail.com; Mark Dantzer CIC (888) 343-2667, Mark@DieboldInsurance.com; or Kevin Elliott.

SERVICES AVAILABLE SELLING A CENTER? RC Consulting Partners can save you time, stress, and money. We are not brokers. (616) 3745651.

Drill Bit Sharpening and Measuring Ball Repair. Jayhawk Bowling Supply. 800255-6436 or Jayhawkbowling.com.

TRAINING COURSE For FLORIDA CENTERS Call DAVID DRISCOLL & ASSOCIATES 1-800-444-BOWL P.O. Box 189 Howey-in-the-Hills, FL 34737 AN AFFILIATE OF SANDY HANSELL & ASSOCIATES 40

BRUNSWICK PINSETTER TRAINING COURSE – Colorado Springs, Colorado.

14-day sessions including hotel accommodations. RMGPinsetter@gmail.com; myspace – rmgpinsetter.com; (719) 432-5052 or (719) 671-7167.

Fax (866) 353-5010.

MECHANIC WANTED AMF 82-70 MECHANIC: Head mechanic for 24-lane center in Midwest area. (319) 310-8100.

International Bowling Industry | December 2009

CLASSIFIED MECHANIC WANTED A or B MECHANIC wanted for A-2s @ southwestern Michigan center. Call Marc (269) 327-7061.

EQUIPMENT WANTED LANE MACHINES WANTED. We will purchase your KEGEL-built machine, any age or condition. Phone (608) 764-1464.

EQUIPMENT FOR SALE AccuScore Plus low boys - 16 lanes with AccuDesk. Will split. (712) 2538730.

AMF 25" Zenith monitors. Good working condition. Need a spare? Mel (989) 225-2078.

AMERICAN-MADE PINSETTER PARTS – HIGHEST QUALITY. Visit us on the web at www.ebnservices.com or call toll free (888) 435-6289.

USED BRUNSWICK PARTS, A2 parts and assemblies. Large Inventory. www.usedpinsetterparts.com.

Everything from complete lane packages to dust mops! Buy or sell bowling equipment on the web at www.bowlingyardsale.com.

International Bowling Industry | December 2009

SERVICE CALLS WORLDWIDE • PRE-SHIPS • WE SELL

AS80/90 • BOARD REPAIR • Frameworx NEW KEYPADS • FRONT DESK LCD MONITORS

Michael P. Davies (321) 254-7849

291 Sandy Run, Melbourne, FL 32940 on the web: bowlingscorer.com email: mike@bowlingscorer.com

WWW.FACEBOOKBOWLING.COM

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CLASSIFIED EQUIPMENT FOR SALE

CENTERS FOR SALE

Qubica AMF TMS Synthetic Lane System (8 lanes) w/ Glow Highway pattern & Conqueror Scoring System. Contact Mario Valadez at mvaladez@ipcconroe.com.

EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA: 6-lane Brunswick center, bar & grill, drive-thru liquor store in small college town. Also, 3 apartment buildings with 40 units, good rental history. Call (701) 330-7757 or (701) 430-1490.

Used synthetic lanes and used lane machines...call for details: (248) 375-2751.

TEXAS: 40 lanes with reconditioned pinsetters, new synthetics & upgraded scoring. Building in top shape including remodeled bar. Good revenue & cash flow. Ken Paton (503) 645-5630.

NEW & USED Pro Shop Equipment.

Jayhawk Bowling Supply. 800-2556436 or jayhawkbowling.com.

24-lane Brunswick A-2 package. Automatic overhead scoring. Brunswick 2000 returns; wood approaches. In operation through 2003 season. Available immediately. Make offer. (906) 786-1600. Ask for Denis.

Pinsetter Parts New from ALL major manufacturers. HUGE IN STOCK inventory. USED Brunswick Scoring parts, AS90 cameras, processors, lane cables, monitors, and PC boards. Order online @ 888SBIBOWL.com or (888) 7242695. The Mechanics Choice!

UPSTATE NEW YORK: 8-lane center/ commercial building built in 1992.

Synthetic lanes, new automatic scoring, kitchen and room to expand! Reduced to sell @ $375,000. Call (315) 376-3611.

MANAGER WANTED

WESTERN COLORADO: 12-lane Brunswick center with A-2s, wood lanes with synthetic overlay, 11,000 s/f building on 1+ acre. Business, equipment & real estate $740,000. Possible owner finance.

(970) 625-0680.

MANAGER/LEAGUE COORDINATOR: Experienced in league development & all facets of center activity. Email resume to: bowling123@live.com

UPSTATE NEW YORK: State-of-the-art 16-lane center with 82-70s in college town. 3.5 acres prime commercial. Call Bob (585) 243-1760.

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CENTERS FOR SALE

IOWA: 32-lane center with EVERYTHING including good building with a remodeled bar and four acres! Strong leagues, food and bar. Priced right. Ken Paton @ (503) 645-5630.

16-lane center in Southern Colorado mountains. Great condition. 18,000 s/f building w/ restaurant & lounge. Paved parking 100 + vehicles. Established leagues & tournaments. $950,000 or make offer. Kipp (719) 852-0155.

NW KANSAS: 12-lane center. AS-80s, Lane Shield, snack bar, pro shop, game & pool rooms. See pics and info @ www.colbyhomeland.com or contact Rock @ (785) 462-8255.

WWW.BOWLINGWEBDOCTOR.COM

International Bowling Industry | December 2009

CLASSIFIED

LOCKER KEYS FAST! •Keys & Combo Locks for all Types of Lockers.

•One week turnaround on most orders.

•New locks All types •Used locks 1/2 price of new

All keys done by code #.

No keys necessary.

FAX YOUR ORDER TO US AT:

530-432-2933 CALL TOLL FREE 1-800-700-4KEY INTʼL 530-432-1027 Orange County Security Consultants 10285 Ironclad Road, Rough & Ready, CA 95975

CENTERS FOR SALE

CENTERS FOR SALE

CENTRAL NEW YORK: 12-lane center on 2.2 acres w/ attached 3-bedroom apartment. 20 years old in A-1 condition!

82-70 equipment. Wood lanes. Original owner. Call Gary (315) 245-1577.

CENTRAL IDAHO: 8-lane center and restaurant in central Idaho mountains. Small town. Only center within 60-mile radius.

Brunswick A-2 machines; Anvilane lane beds; automatic scoring. (208) 879-4448.

WISCONSIN: Well-established, 4-lane center w/ auto-scoring & up-dated bar.

Good condition. $210,000. Possible home for sale for new owner behind business. Shelley Finnessy, Coldwell Banker Brenizer (715) 829-5230; email: realestate@cvol.net.

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 WISCONSIN: 12 lanes, auto scoring, Anvilane synthetics, 82-70s.

Great food sales. Yearly tournament.

Attached, large 3 bedroom apartment w/ fireplace. $550K. (715) 223-8230.

WWW.BOWLINGDIGITAL.COM

SOUTHERN INDIANA (close to Indianapolis): 18-lane Brunswick center with lounge, liquor license & movie theater on 4+ acres. Turnkey business. Owner retiring. Great investment! (765) 349-1312.

Southern Colorado: 8-lane center includes land & all equipment. New Twelve Strike scoring, lane laminate, excellent condition. Family owned 45 years. Retiring.

Contact Ron or Fred (719) 738-1077.

WISCONSIN: Exceptional Investment Opportunity. Mayville center with full bar & food, pool tables & game room.

Apartment & storage area. Fred Kaping, First Weber Group (920) 210-8245.

SELL IT FAST IN IBI (570) 346-5559

International Bowling Industry | December 2009

818-789-2695 43

CLASSIFIED CENTERS FOR SALE MINNESOTA: AMF 12-lane center in college town of Crookston w/ full bar, auto scoring. Totally remodeled 2005.

Additional property for expansion.

Possible contract for deed. Call Steve (218) 759-0037.

SE WISCONSIN: 12-lane Brunswick center including building, real estate & 7 acres. Raised dance floor, grill, pro shop, arcade, tanning room and more.

Reasonably priced. Owner retiring.

(920) 398-8023.

BUY

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

SEL L

SOUTHERN NEVADA: 8-lane center.

Only center in town of 15,000. 30 minutes from Las Vegas. AMF 82-70s, newer Twelve Strike scoring. R/E leased.

Will consider lease/option with qualified person. REDUCED TO $175,000. Call Steve @ (702) 293-2368; email ljjaa1414@yahoo.com.

Danny & Daryl Tucker Tucker Bowling Equipment Co. 609 N.E. 3rd St. Tulia, Texas 79088 Call (806) 995-4018 Fax (806) 995-4767

Bowling Parts, Inc. P.O. Box 801 Tulia, Texas 79088 Call (806) 995-3635 Email - bpitx@texasonline.net

www.bowlingpartsandequipment.com AMF and some BRUNSWICK PC board repair/exchange. 6-month warranty, fast turnaround. Call or write: WB8YJF Service 5586 Babbitt Road, New Albany, Ohio 43054 Toll Free: 888-902-BOWL (2695) Ph./Fax: (614) 855-3022 (Jon) E-mail: wb8yjf@earthlink.net Visit us on the WEB! http://home.earthlink.net/~wb8yjf/

MINIATURE GOLF COURSES Indoor/Outdoor. Immediate Installation. $5,900.00 & up.

2021 Bridge Street Jessup, PA 18434 570-489-8623 www.minigolfinc.com 44

PROPRIETORS WITH AMF 82-70 S.S. & M.P. MACHINES Save $$ on Chassis & P.C. Board Exchange & Repair!

A reasonable alternative for Chassis and P.C. Board Exchanges

NE NEVADA: New 2001. 16 lanes, 19,200 square feet, 1.68 acres paved, sound & lighting, lounge w/ gaming, arcade, full service snack bar & pro shop.

Call (775) 934-1539.

WESTERN IOWA. Lucrative, modern family entertainment center. Sports bar, restaurant, bowling, pro shop. Karaoke, DJ, live music. Active leagues. No competition. Lincoln Group (319) 352-0132.

MIKE BARRETT Call for Price List

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

WWW.BOWLINGDIGITAL.COM International Bowling Industry | December 2009

CLASSIFIED CENTERS FOR SALE

CENTERS FOR SALE

PENNSYLVANIA: 20-lane AMF center on 6 acres, 1 acre parking lot, full bar, recently added 13,200 s/f outdoor beach bar, sand volley ball court & entertainment stage. (724) 301-2318.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA: 16-lane center w/ synthetic lanes, 82-70s, 19,000 s/f building w/ lots of parking.

Newly remodeled bar & large kitchen.

Owner retiring. (530) 598-2133.

WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA: One of the top five places to move!

Remodeled 32-lane center. Good numbers. $3.9 gets it all. Fax qualified inquiries to (828) 253-0362.

SOUTHWESTERN WYOMING: 12 lanes + café & lounge, 2 acres w/ 5 bedroom home. Full liquor & fireworks licenses. Outside Salt Lake City area.

Dennis @ Uinta Realty, Inc. (888) 8044805 or uintarlt@allwest.net.

NEW YORK STATE: Thousand Island region. 8-lane Brunswick center w/ cosmic bowling, auto scoring. Established leagues + many improvements. $309,000. Call Jill @ Lori Gervera Real Estate (315) 771-9302.

$4.00 each or $350.00 per 100 box.

Free desk display pin and indelible markers with 100 pin order Advertising Birthday favors • Awards Attention getters • Decorations DR RUSEL M SUTCLIFFE 1620 N US HWY 1 STE 3 JUPITER, FL. 33469 561-746-3500 Email: pinballoon@bellsouth.net

GEORGIA: busy 32-lane center, real estate included. Great location in one of fastest growing counties in metro Atlanta.

5 years new with all the amenities.

Excellent numbers. Call (770) 356-8751.

CENTRAL ILLINOIS: 8-lane center with AMF 82-70s, full service restaurant, pro shop. Plus pool tables, Karaoke machine, DJ system. PRICED TO SELL. Includes RE. (217) 351-5152 or toms-uvl@sbcglobal.net.

SW WISCONSIN: 10 lanes, new automatic scoring/sound. Bar/grill. Great leagues, local tournaments, excellent pinsetters. Supportive community. 2 acres off main highway. $299,995. (608) 341-9056.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA MOUNTAINS (Resort area): 15,000 s/f, 8-lane state-ofthe-art Brunswick center. Includes golf machine, billiards & two additional expansion spaces + historic bar. OWC. Arlie Holland, Coldwell Banker (530) 596-3303.

POSITION WANTED

International Bowling Industry | December 2009

3 FT INFLATABLE BOWLING PIN BALLOONS

SALES & MARKETING OR MANAGER. “I started 24 new leagues and signed up more than 700 new league bowlers in four years!” Excellent references. Call Andy (507) 527-2551 or Matt (507) 696-1151.

WWW.BOWLINGDIGITAL.COM

45

REMEMBER WHEN

1964 n optimistic year. Or at least a year of optimistic bowlers, if the young lady with the rather relaxed release and the vigorous hand movements is any indication.

Or maybe it was a surprising year, judging by the gentleman’s reaction to what was surely a strike.

ABC/WIBC sanctioned lanes numbered 165,101 in 11,363 establishments that year and BPAA had 5,321 centers that totaled 100,716 lanes when this ad ran in a large format magazine –Life, we’re thinking. ❑

A

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International Bowling Industry | December 2009