Interesting Interview

Step Up Front

Keri Little steps into a leadership role at the newly formed HD5 Entertainment, LLC

By George McAuliffe

Keri Little is one of four managing partners of HD5 Entertainment, LLC, a recently formed BEC collaboration with two highly respected FECs in Oklahoma and a recent addition in Denison, TX. She and her husband, Brad, recently sold his interest in that partnership to form HD5 Entertainment, LLC, with Scott and Jenny Emley of Austin’s High 5 and High 5 Anderson Lanes. The partnership is in the process of developing their first joint venture in North Texas.

1. Tell us about your company, its origins, and history. HD5 was formed by four people that share a passion for creating memories for families and developing the people that choose to be a part of our team. We all strongly believe that joining our vision, systems, cultures, and ideas will make for a great BEC brand. We’ll soon have a public announcement about our first joint venture facility.

We each started in the industry in our own venture - the Littles about twelve years ago and the Emleys about five. Jenny and Scott Emley started with High 5, a full BEC in Austin, TX. The four of us met a few years back at a Three Amigo’s F2FEC conference in Atlanta. We formed an instant friendship and decided we each shared a common vision of changing lives and growing a legacy within the industry. Several months ago, we sold our interest in our original concept and formed an alliance with the Emleys, to form HD5 Entertainment, LLC, utilizing the High 5 brand that Scott and Jenny had developed.

Keri Little

2. How did you get into the business? Brad and I met about two and a half years after he started the business. When we met, Brad was a widower and I had been a widow for over eight years. Brad and I married, and I have been diving into various parts of the business ever since.

3. Obviously, you must have liked something about the business or industry. What made you to want to get involved?

Something about the BEC business just gets in your blood. I had been an entrepreneur, owning a popcorn distribution business. My claim to fame was my product being carried in the Nieman Marcus Christmas catalogue. I had also been a floor supervisor in a large casino, and later [I was] in restaurant management. So, I had the entertainment management experience and the passion for the service industry. I’ve always been excited about leading and creating a positive culture that delivers a great guest experience, so it was kind of a natural fit. I was also a Mary Kay director for seven years, which gave me plenty of experience with moms!

4. You’ve been a BEC operator for five years now. Can you boil it down to the top three factors for your company’s success?

First, develop a strong leadership team and culture. Second, management has to continually educate themselves on new ideas, trends, and what other leaders in the industry are doing. Third, have systems and procedures that deliver the best possible guest experience. It’s hard to narrow it down to just three! One of the many things the Emleys have also managed to do is perfect the league bowling at High5, integrating competitive bowling with casual bowling entertainment.

5. What is your vision of a BEC? You might be asking about attractions, but I think the centerpiece is people oriented: the community, the guests, and your staff. I am big on developing people, and I feel that the stronger your leadership and management team, the stronger the rest of your team will be. That is what drives repeat visits, which in turn brings in more revenue. You will also have more word-of-mouth traffic that brings in events, birthday parties, and groups. Finally, [I envision] a state-of-the-art center with a strong team culture where families come to create great memories.

In our previous concept, we won IAAPA’s FEC of the Year award in 2015. I attribute that to our managers who lived the culture and delivered it to our guests.

6. Hiring and retaining great people is a huge challenge in today’s labor marketplace. Would you agree? What is your approach?

Yes, definitely! We look for people whom we think will fit with our culture. Our first focus is on what we call ‘kingdom building.’ We want guests to feel different after a visit to one of our centers — not just have a great time, but [feel] reallyfulfilled. That only happens when the whole team buys in to that culture. As leaders, we think our job is to help our team develop as people, to teach them skills and help them develop confidence that they can grow with. A lot of our team members are young people. It sounds funny, but we actually celebrate when they tell us they are moving on to school, or on in their career passion. Nothing is better than when they come back and tell us they appreciated their time with us and what they learned. That leadership approach works when they buy in to the culture during their time with us.

7. What is your approach to the food and beverage component?

We believe the market is moving away from a sit-down, heavy entrée, formal dining area, to more shareables — appetizersized plates that promote an active, social experience. We still have burgers and pizzas and know that you must be flexible. The fun thing is that there’s always something new in food service trends.

8. What are the important steps in the development process?

Our first facility started with a smaller footprint, with laser tag, an arcade, a miniature golf course and a pizza restaurant. About three years after opening, we added a ropes course above the arcade. A couple of years later, we did a two-story expansion to add bowling and a full restaurant, including an upstairs lounge and full bar. We have learned that you have to constantly refine and re-examine your facility and, related to that, make sure most of the square footage is producing a return on investment.

9. How do you handle the adult versus family customer segments?

At High 5, we have a two-story facility where the upstairs serves adults only after 9 p.m. The traffic patterns and natural behavior of different age groups tend to take care of that. That said, you want to be able to cater to both groups as much as possible.

10. On a more personal note, you are a woman leader in our industry. Are there any particular challenges or experiences you can share in that regard?

When I married Brad, he and his partner had [shaped] the business into a very successful, traditional FEC. As Brad’s wife, I was considered an owner by some and filled roles as needed, but I had no formal authority. Not having that formal role came with certain limitations. So, I’d suggest that it’s important to have a formal position in the organization with clear authority to be most effective. I’m certainly enjoying my new position much more! It’s so much fun growing the vision with Brad and the Emleys.

11. Any final words of wisdom you’d like to share with our readers?

I think women, in particular, need to step to the front in the industry. We have great ideas that tend to end up being our husband’s (LOL!). Women are needed and can help an organization provide the complete experience for the guests and increase the bottom line.

Thanks Keri! ❖

George McAuliffe has operated family entertainment centers from 2,000 to 150,000 square feet as a corporate executive and entrepreneur. As a consultant he has helped hundreds of clients add or improve redemption game rooms and FEC attractions. He is currently a partner in Pinnacle Entertainment Group (www.grouppinnacle.com) whose clients include Intercard, Rhode Island Novelty, and Shaffer Distributing Company. He writes for RePlay and International Bowling Industry magazines and speaks at many FEC industry conferences.