THE WORLD'S ONLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED EXCLUSIVELY TO THE BUSINESS OF BOWLING
CONTENTS
VOL 20.1
6 ISSUE AT HAND
22 COVER STORY
On The Brink
Michigan’s Scholarship Drama
By Scott Frager
How the curtain almost fell on high school bowling By Fred Groh
8 SHORTS Roseland celebrates 50 Years with Key to the City Benefits abound across the US. Slip and Fall in Michigan at your own risk Compiled by Patty Heath
PUBLISHER & EDITOR Scott Frager frager@bowlingindustry.com Skype: scottfrager
DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING Chris Holmes holmes@bowlingindustry.com
EDITORIAL CONSULTANT Gregory Keer keer@bowlingindustry.com
OFFICE MANAGER Patty Heath heath@bowlingindustry.com
CONTRIBUTORS
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30 CENTER STAGE Glenn Hendrix’s KenCliff Lanes #2 Rebuilding the Past By Anna Littles
Fred Groh Patty Heath Anna Littles Mark Miller Joan Taylor
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Jackie Fisher fisher@bowlingindustry.com
ART DIRECTION & PRODUCTION Designworks www.dzynwrx.com (818) 735-9424
FOUNDER Allen Crown (1933-2002)
33 OPERATIONS
14 INDUSTRY ISSUES
The Red Flags Rule
Making It Personal
Tips and tools to manage your growing data needs
BPAA’s new software, Customer Connect, promises to help centers better understand their customers By Fred Groh
By Mark Miller
22
1940s Borden’s Elsie the Cow
18 MARKETING Knock Down Cancer Ed Sousa’s inspiration leads to a national fundraising campaign By Joan Taylor
35 Showcase 36 Datebook 37 Classifieds
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www.BowlingIndustry.com
HOTLINE: 888-424-2695 46 REMEMBER WHEN
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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 2010, B2B Media, Inc. No part of this magazine may be reprinted without the publisher’s permission.
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THE ISSUE AT HAND
Brink of Disaster About four months ago, a concerned proprietor called to share some startling news about high school bowling scholarships. As executive director of the Bowling Centers of Southern California and its foundation’s Grand Prix scholarship program for six years, I’ve seen and heard it all about Grand Prix. From those who threw their hearts and souls into creating it, to students grateful to have had the opportunity to earn money for college while engaging in a sport they love, to parents who tell me how important Grand Prix money is. Believe me, these days no amount of financial help with school expenses is unappreciated. I also hear regularly from proprietors who preach—and practice—the value of youth bowling. “Our kids are our future” may be a cliché, but it’s true. So when my proprietor-caller said he wanted to chat about a problem with high school bowling in Michigan, my ears perked up. Was he going to tell me about something serious or would it be a false alarm?
What I heard was a scenario about how frighteningly close much of our industry may be, state by state, to losing our ability to use tournament prize funds and scholarships to recruit, retain and promote bowling to high-schoolers. Imagine waking up one morning, taking a leisurely drive to your center, waving and greeting staff and bowlers while grabbing your morning cup of joe. You casually walk into the office to open yesterday’s mail and find a letter from your state’s high school athletic association. It advises you that bowling center “scholarships” don’t comply with the amateur standing rule in the state, and if your young bowlers accept the money, they won’t be able to play in college sports. This came close to happening in Michigan. If arguably the strongest, most active and most sophisticated state about high school bowling could find itself in such a perilous position, it could happen in your state. I urge you to take a good look at this month’s cover story about the Michigan situation. I am grateful to those who took the time to share this story with us and the industry. It is absolutely vital we understand what happened in Michigan and what our other states with sanctioned high school bowling, along with the BPAA and USBC, need to do to make sure that we protect ourselves.
– SCOTT FRAGER, PUBLISHER AND EDITOR frager@bowlingindustry.com
THIS MONTH AT www.BowlingIndustry.com Again IBI sets the bar! See the newest addition to its onsite community—Chat. Photo journals, Blog posts, Forum discussions, news and upcoming events keep our close-to-2000 members connected, challenged and informed. Now, by simply hitting the Chat button, you can see who’s online and instantly communicate with industry friends and colleagues around the world. It is one more tool to make the business of bowling a vital, informed and ever-evolving arena. AND, it’s fun! Join today and have the business of bowling at your finger tips. It’s fast, it’s easy and it’s free!
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GOODWILL CENTRAL
SHORTS
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Good causes abound and centers all across the nation do their part for their communities. Hodag Lanes in Rhinelander, WI, hosted the 2nd annual Tri-County Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault’s bowling fundraiser. Organizers stated that proceeds go to help pay for a holiday dinner and gift baskets to over 20 families in need. A friendly night of bowling competition was held at AMF East Meadow Lanes in East Meadow, NY, to benefit Child Abuse Prevention Services (CAPS), Long Island’s leading nonprofit organization dedicated to the prevention of bullying, child abuse and neglect. The Chicago chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes No Limits Foundation kicked off National Diabetes Month by holding a candlelight bowl fundraiser at Orland Bowl. Money raised will be used to conduct Check B4U Drive, which helps teens with diabetes become better drivers. Thousands of members of the National Association of Letter Carriers participated in a bowl-a-thon across the country to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Among the centers participating were Northgate Recreation Center in Hudson, IL, and Southside Bowl in Hagerstown, MD. Sigma Alpha Lambda, a community service organization on Emporia State University campus in Emporia, KS, put together a bowling fundraiser, “Strike 4 Prague.” Held at Flint Hills Lanes, fifty percent of the proceeds go to help a small orphanage in Prague which is housed in an old monastery. The Annie Penn Hospital Foundation received a $6,224 check from the Greater Rockingham County Bowling Association of North Carolina, to strike out breast cancer. In Illinois, Thunder Bowl in Mokena, held the 2011 Knock ’em Down Bowl-a-thon for its Cancer Support Center. The bowling industry can be proud of all the events each and every center in every locale does to support national as well as home-grown charities. Let us know what your center is doing. Email: info@bowlingindustry.com
January 2012
JETS’ HOLMES RAISES $34K FOR SICKLE CELL As highlighted by the Wall Street Journal and Associated Press, Santonio Holmes overcame sickle cell anemia to become a Super Bowl MVP and one of the NFL’s best wide receivers. Now his son, Santonio III, suffers with the same disease. Determined to try to help find a cure, Holmes organized a charity bowling event at Jersey Lanes, Linden, NJ, which was attended by dozens of Jets teammates, including Mark Sanchez and coach Rex Ryan. His III & Long Foundation has raised more than $100,000 during the past few years. “Mainly, this is for my son and all the friends he has made who are sickle cell patients. It’s just an honor to be able to give back to the community of kids who suffer from this disease.”
A Chanukah Rock & Bowl The entire Jewish community was invited to join in the fun at a Chanukah Rock and Bowl at Nutmeg Bowl in Fairfield, CT. The program catered to all ages and included two hours of unlimited Extreme Bowling, the lighting of a unique bowling pin Menorah, hot latkes, donuts and Chanukah crafts. “The light of the Menorah enriches our lives with the light of tradition,” said Rabbi Shlame Landa. The entire community, regardless of background or affiliation, was invited to join in the festivities. Who knows, Santa might even stop by!
REMEMBRANCES Joseph Thomas Antonelli Sr. passed away in November of an apparent heart attack. He was 89. In 1958, Antonelli started Commonwealth Recreation Co. Inc, which owned bowling centers. In 1961, the company merged with Major League Bowling, which later became MLB Corp., developing and Richmond TimesDispatch owning centers from New Jersey to Florida. “He revolutionized what bowling alleys were ... and turned them into family entertainment centers,” his daughter, Lisa Antonelli Bacon of Richmond, said. “They even had day care as early as the 70s. He brought tenpin bowling to Richmond.”
SHORTS
At Your Own Risk
Bowling, a Team Builder
Smoking Ban and Bowling Shoes not a match made in Michigan
Sometimes a break is necessary even in the world of jurisprudence. That is what Colin Campbell of North Carolina’s Johnston County’s The Herald reported. A trip to upscale Sparians in Raleigh was just the ticket for a staff meeting and team-building event for Susan Doyle, Johnston County District Attorney, and her prosecutors. “This was a positive event to boost morale, encourage team building and Johnston County district reward my employees for all of the unpaid Attorney Susan Doyle overtime hours they work,” she said. Sparians was a good venue as the private suite allowed her staff to discuss pending cases and enjoy some camaraderie at the same time.
Michigan’s governor Rich Snyder signed a bill in November that provides bowling centers immunity from civil prosecution if patrons wear their bowling shoes outside and then slip and fall after returning inside. This is particularly important during inclement weather when there is water from snow or rain that can be tracked back into the center. Since 2010, when Michigan enacted a smoking ban which covers centers, this type of incident has become more prevalent. As quoted by the InjuryBoard.com and posted by Nolan Erickson, under the new law, individuals who wear bowling shoes outdoors and then return inside will not be able to seek legal recourse if they slip and suffer an injury…as long as the owner or operator posts a “conspicuous notice.” At Bowl-O-Drome Lanes, Port Huron, MI, there are slip-on shoe covers available for those who don’t want to take the time to change their shoes before going out to smoke.
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(818) 789-2695
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SHORTS
Roseland Celebrates
50th
Anniversary Little did Pete and Rosalie Scimone know in 1961 that their 16-lane Roseland Lanes in Oakwood Village, Ohio would grow and prosper into what is currently a 50-lane recreation center. To celebrate the 50th Anniversary, Pete, 87 years young, and Rosalie, 90, after whom the center is named, will be given the Key to the City and a tribute plaque from the USBC to commemorate their accomplishments. It will truly be a bash! There will be entertainment by the Pop Tarts on a Profit Platform on the lanes along with 50-cent bowling, shoes, hot dogs and more. Pete built the center from the ground up including additions and remodeling while, at the same time, working for Brunswick Corporation installing lanes and machines for existing centers in Ohio and surrounding areas. In 2008, the BPAA awarded Pete and Rosalie the Golden Pin Award for Center Administration. Still a family operation, the center is now managed by daughter, Anna Marie Slaby, and her husband Chuck . Sons Tony and John and other daughter Lauretta also played roles in the continued success. The Scimones’ philosophy has been the same over 50 years—“treat our customers so they are only a stranger but once.” Congratulations and Happy 50th Anniversary! Pete and Rosalie Scimone being given the Key to the City by Oakwood Village Mayor Gary Gottschalk.
The Pop Tarts entertained the crowd on a Profit Platform placed across the lanes.
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PEOPLEWATCHING Bill White of Akron Lanes was named 2011’s Ohio Bowling Proprietor of the Year. According to the Suburbanite.com, White has been in the bowling business the greater part of his 83 years in one way or another. He is very proud of the fact that he has several employees who have been in his employ for over 30 years. Quite a testament! Besides the business end, White has many bowling honors to his credit. He was five times Ohio bowler of the Bill White year state match champion and bowled on the pro tour in the 50s and 60s.
At the annual southwest BPA convention in Shreveport, LA, Renella Cormier was presented a lifetime gift from the association for all her years of service and especially her involvement in youth programs.
From left, Stuart Moss, LA USBC Youth President; Renella Cormier; and Marc Pater, LA BPA Executive Director
Circus Circus Hotel & Casino, the Eldorado Hotel Casino and Silver Legacy Resort Casino announced that Jim Sturm has been named Executive Director of Bowling Operations. Sturm will work to develop new, long term bowling events for the National Bowling Stadium and will work hand-inJim Sturm hand with the sales teams at each of the three properties to promote future conventions and trade shows that have an affinity for bowling. “We are thrilled to have Jimmy on board in this new position,” said Gary Carano, general manager of Silver Legacy. “His expertise, experience and enthusiasm will greatly benefit our properties, the National Bowling Stadium and downtown Reno.” Presently, Sturm serves on the board of directors for the BPAA, USBC as well as Strike Ten, which serves as the marketing arm of the bowling industry.
INDUSTRY ISSUES
MAKING IT PERSONAL BPAA's Customer Connect provides the tool to customize marketing data - all in one place.
By Fred Groh
J
im Doty will tell you, as he told us: “I don’t know how you market your center, how you promote, without some type of tool–other than 3x5 cards.” Doty, general manager of the Royal Pin Leisure Centers in Indianapolis, is using something these days that’s a lot better than index cards. When he wants to run a men’s league on Monday nights, he needs to contact men, not junior bowlers or seniors, he explains. “I design a profile of who I think will bowl in this league. Before the league is promoted, there’s a marketing plan that tells us who we’re going to promote this to. This tool lets you design your marketing plan for the leagues you’re trying to form, so you’re not just pulling names from a card-file box.” “This tool” is a new computer program for customer relations management–or CRM–called Customer Connect. A combined product of BPAA’s IT, education and marketing departments, it will be a free member benefit for BPAA centers after its launch at Summit this month. Doty, head of BPAA’s marketing committee, is one of a half-dozen beta testers who have been working with program modules as they have rolled out of the BPAA technology department since the summer. The centerpiece of the new program allows a proprietor to generate “completely customizable” lists of customers and prospects, reports Heath Shults, BPAA director of technology and the development/team lead manager for the project. His lab wrote Customer Connect. Explains Bart Burger, BPAA vice president of business development, who is heading the Customer Connect project, “Say you have an operation that has a sports bar or volleyball or laser tag. If in your data collection you ask folks what they like, you could pull out all the folks that said ‘I’d like to hear Heath Shults, Ronny Dodd, Shera Harrison, Kiran Patel, and BPAA vice president of business development Bart Burger savor satisfaction as beta testing winds up. Photos courtesy of Ron De Roxtra BPAA Communications Coordinator
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INDUSTRY ISSUES more about your laser tag offering.’” In short, the program will work like a template, says Shults. The proprietor will gather data he wants to base his lists on and the segmentation part of the program will group it together–“game profile, interests, personal demographics, anything.” The program also comes with a number of builtin categories for organizing customer information, such as events at the center and leagues, making it even easier to create optimum lists for the center’s marketing needs. Among other Customer Connect features: no software disks, nothing to install–the program will reside on a dedicated server at the International Bowling Campus, providing access to all the center’s data and all the Customer Connect functionality from any computer; daily and weekly data backups with regular monitoring by IT pros–and no worry about losing customer data if a computer at the bowling center goes down; real-time updates on USBC-certified bowlers who use the center; for proprietors who don’t use BPAA’s website hosting, a free add-on “widget” can be embedded on a center’s website; a visitor to the site can fill out a form, and the information will go directly into the center’s database; annual updating of mailing addresses by the U.S. Postal Service; an optional third-party email management service.
For those who use BowlerTRAC now, or who remember the older database management program, comparisons with Customer Connect are inescapable. Burger and the beta testers don’t duck the confrontation. The first testers, such as Doty, were recruited from the BPAA technology and marketing committees because they know BowlerTRAC. “We had to make sure we didn’t go backward and lose any functionality that we had [in BowlerTRAC]; everything was going to be an enhancement,” says Alan Nordman, Illinois proprietor, chair of the BPAA technology committee, and like Doty a beta tester. Burger says BPAA is stressing the point. “We’ve made it very clear to our present users of BowlerTRAC that they’re not going to lose the functionality and the things they like–the processes and the reports,” he remarks, but in the first place, the functionality of the new product is far more powerful. “CRM is a database on steroids,” Burger tells people. With the control it gives a proprietor over the lists he can generate, CRM compares to database management–even the database management of just a few years ago–like a 50-inch plasma TV compares to a smart-phone screen. In the second place, Burger says, Customer Connect is being designed to be “much more user-friendly” than early BowlerTRAC was–notoriety that still clings to the older program. “It was a little too complicated for a lot of people,”
remembers Michael Ducat, who spearheaded BowlerTRAC’s early development as president of BPAA 2000-02. “They didn’t have to use all the features, but the fact that [the features] were there made it [appear] like it was too complicated.” “Really ahead of their time,” offers Burger, talking about the people who put BowlerTRAC together a decade ago, “thinking through what they wanted the tool to do. Unfortunately, technology wasn’t quite ready to deliver that.” Adds Shults, “If you wanted to get an email list, you had to go through over 10 steps just to get a segmented list. With Customer Connect, you can get a segmented email list with three clicks.” Ducat, whose centers have worked with some of the test modules, agrees. “It’s a totally new look, easier. The background, a lot of it, works the same, with a lot of additions and easier flow. It’s much more user-friendly. People will love it a lot more.” And for any skeptics who raise a question about the wisdom of developing Customer Connect in-house, Ducat says flatly “we’re much better off.” BowlerTRAC was developed by outof-house expertise at significant expense because BPAA didn’t have the technical infrastructure to do the job itself. Not only does in-house development cost less, says Ducat, but Shults and his staff, working full-time in bowling, better understand what proprietors need. “They ‘get it’ a lot more.”
“This is probably going to be the most intensely tested system that’s ever come out of BPAA,” Nordman told us midway through the testing. “We do feedback while they’re still heavily in the development stages. There’ve been cases where they had to make significant changes, but they didn’t have to go through the whole development cycle before they could do it.” Reported beta tester and Staten Island proprietor Frank Wilkinson, “There have been several conference calls, one to get you set up, get you started, understand what we’re doing; then constant communicating. They provided us with a form to submit every time we come across issues or problems: what screens did you work with? how did the software perform? describe any bug-related issues; what do you like about the software? what don’t you like? suggestions?” In addition to the testers who were familiar with BowlerTRAC, a second wave of testers who didn’t know the older program were signed up to work with Customer Connect at their centers, a double-check on its user-friendliness. Testers Doty, Nordman and Wilkinson weren’t waiting for the beta phase to conclude before they began contemplating the operational benefits, however. For Wilkinson, a BPAA Young Gun and heavy user of IT in running and marketing his business, Customer Connect is going to put “everything in one place. Huge value. It does everything I have now does, but everything I have now is in different places.” IBI
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INDUSTRY ISSUES The Customer Connect team discusses results from beta testing.
Four places, to be exact. Wilkinson has one database in his league secretary software, one in a rewards program, he uses BowlerTRAC, and he maintains Excel spreadsheets for emailing, coupon redemption and special events. He devotes about eight hours of staff time a week to inputting data in these various places–and loses some time that his staff could be spending dealing with his customers. Meanwhile he has to rely on going from one place to another when he wants to segment customers, as for a Kids Bowl Free promotion or an email promotion. “Each bowling center should have one central location for their data–and all sorts of data,” Wilkinson told us firmly. With Customer Connect, he’ll have it. He seemed to be anticipating a celebration when he said he would be getting rid of his Excel spreadsheets. For Nordman, Customer Connect is going to free him from being “stuck on one PC. “The biggest issue we’ve had is [that] the data entered from our various free-game promotions and whatnot is sitting on a particular computer, and that station isn’t always manned.” Sometimes, he added, it would be great to be able to use two or three people simultaneously on a data-based project, and he doesn’t have an intranet to handle it. With Customer Connect, “We could be doing it completely off-site [or] at five different terminals inside this building if we had a rush project. For me personally, that’s going to be the biggest thing on the backside.” Nordman is also looking for what he calls the front end in customer relations management–communication with bowlers and prospective bowlers, not only convenient data storage. “In today’s environment, you need this. We’re [taking] our biggest hits with the 20-somethings. [Getting these people back for repeat business] is where this system is going to be way ahead of anything else 16
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that we’ve had in the industry. They’re the ones that are technologically literate. We’ve got to be able to use their mechanisms. Newspapers, TV– those things don’t work with this group. We’ve got to hit them in what they’re looking at, and this is the way we’re going to be able to do it.” Doty is looking even farther ahead. A few years down the road, he sees Customer Connect doing the job for which an industry marketing fund has been boomed for years. “There’s nobody with a white horse that has 8 million bucks a year. In the real world that person is not going to come along, and even more so now. We’re never going to tax bowling balls. We’re never going to have enough money to buy an ad for the Super Bowl and it probably wouldn’t be worthwhile anyway. The person with the least money to put up is the bowling proprietor–us–and in most cases, we probably can’t get all 3,600 [BPAA] members to do it. “Customer Connect gives us the option of management for our email addresses. [We could] do a national marketing campaign with all these email addresses. Then it’s also going to have an option for proprietors to do Twitter, Facebook and the like, that we don’t do a very good job with right now. “The end result, as I see it, is to help the proprietor do a social marketing program that we need in the industry to help promote bowling on the local level. We still have to get the word out about bowling, and the social media is the way to do that. I look at it as being our industry marketing fund.” BPAA has a charge to train people on how to do social marketing, Doty noted. What’s needed is the ability to slice and dice customer data to put the message where the market is. If Doty is right, Customer Connect will be the way bowling will be doing that. ❖
Fred Groh is a regular contributor to IBI and former managing editor of the magazine.
MARKETING
Building a
National Fundraiser from Scratch
With true grit, street savvy and trusty contacts, Ed Sousa knocks down cancer. A proud Ed Sousa
By Joan Taylor
E
d Sousa believes in dreaming big. But unlike other dreamers, he turns his dreams into reality. For example, as Director of Classic Bowl, a 60-lane bowling center in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, he brought in the pop group “A Flock of Seagulls” to perform during National Bowling Day October 4, 2008. He has also wooed and won the bowling component of the 2015 Pan Am Games, which in turn will not only bring international revenue into the center, but also to the entire community.
Another opportunity presented itself in a roundabout way. In October of 2010 while watching his favorite NFL team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sousa noticed the players had pink enhancements on their uniforms, and were using pink towels. He discovered that the entire professional football league was supporting National Breast Cancer Awareness month that October and every October since by displaying pink. That started his dream. “We as an industry don’t really do anything of the magnitude as the NFL did and yet we are in a sport that spans from 3-year-olds to people well into their 90s. We missed an opportunity to promote this (cancer awareness and research), while anybody in bowling can participate in the fight against cancer.” Sousa went right into action. 18
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“My first thought was that I didn’t want to saturate the market during October because that’s when everybody’s fundraisers ran.” So he targeted January for his newly formulated fundraiser. He started with the rental shoes at his center. He could create pink bowling shoes and donate twenty-five cents from each rental directly to the Canadian Cancer Society. Easy, right? Maybe not so easy. He contacted his friend, Colin Jon, president of the BOK shoe company. While Jon was enthusiastic, he wasn’t sure he could get all the shoes (men’s, women’s, youth, in all sizes) to Classic Bowl before the January kickoff. They were manufactured overseas, and shipping by normal freight from China means they would never make it in time. But Sousa refused to accept words like “never.” He had the shoes made and express shipped. They arrived on December 28th for the January event. While the normal
MARKETING lead-time is anywhere from 120-150 days, Sousa and Jon pulled it off in sixty days. The next step was to get approval from the Canadian Cancer Society to see if it was worthy of their endorsement. They agreed it was one of the best campaigns they ever heard of and got behind it 100 percent. It was now time to put it all together. Sousa contacted his trade association, Bowl Canada, their version of the USA’s BPAA, for their support and approval. They, too, went all in. From there Sousa created a Knockdown Cancer logo so he could brand the entire campaign. The Canadian Cancer Society approved the design, but now Sousa had only about 45 days to the planned opening event. Armed with the logo, he had tee shirts made and regulation sized bowling pins painted pink. He invited cancer society volunteers to man a booth inside the center for the month of January. Because this is a general cancer awareness program that encompasses research to eradicate the disease, it appeals to men, women, and youths. Donation boxes were placed throughout the center. The cancer society brought in their own promotional items as well. For the big kickoff, Sousa invited the mayor, their member of the parliament and members of the provincial parliament, and they all came in for the launch scheduled for January 13, 2011. The local media came and all the politicians dressed in the pink shoes and tee shirts. With the pink bowling pins as well, it was a natural for photo ops and news broadcasts. One cabinet administrator had literally never set foot in a bowling center until then. “He was so impressed at what the bowling community did to enhance the quality of life, he said he had been missing this all his life. He has been back several times to bowl with his family. He
Team Knock Down Cancer. (L) Ed Sousa’s marketing ideas come to life.
already asked when the next national launch is going to be.” “There was such an interest,” Sousa said. “I was told that no burly gentleman would wear a size 12 or 13 pink rental shoe, but they were the ones who constantly asked for them when we ran out and they had to rent regular bowling shoes. That’s how popular the campaign became.” From the success of the first event came an invitation from Bowl Canada for Sousa to speak at Bowl Expo that June to the Canadian proprietors about Knockdown Cancer as a national campaign. They all signed up on site for the first national Knockdown Cancer campaign, slated to go coastto-coast in Canada in January of 2012. It will be the largest participation program in Bowl Canada’s history. The organization is already touting the event on its website with “details to follow.” Brunswick is creating a Viza-ball to be used as a house ball for January. They are also manufacturing the pink pins. Two or three pins will be placed in the cycle on each lane in all the participating centers come January. To Sousa’s delight, the centers in Quebec are not only participating (for the first time, participating in any campaign of this kind), but are also taking the program as is, without modifying it for its French-speaking population. The branded products will include golf towels, tee shirts, mini pins for sale, tote bags, tuques (winter hats), and mini shoes. The small shoes will sell for $15 a pair or $9 for one. Sousa said that 100% of the profits from merchandising would go directly to the cancer society. In his first attempt he raised around $10,000 US. Going into the national campaign for 2012 he expects to net “at least $100,000” which would be a national first for a cancer fundraiser. He expects each member center to host its own launch on January 7th to correspond with the national launch. Initially the branded products will only be available through the participating centers and then in 2013, for the general public to purchase. Sousa sees this as a fundraiser that individuals and families can participate in easily by just coming in to open bowl. They are not doing anything differently from what they would normally do. The only difference is that part of what they do that day will be donated to the fundraiser. The proprietors don’t have to do that much work, either. That’s the objective of Sousa’s programs, to not have to put much extra effort IBI
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MARKETING
Classic Bowl, home to Knock Down Cancer, and a pretty picture of the pink pins.
into it either as a proprietor or a patron. As a youngster Sousa thought he might have a career in international trade with his outgoing personality and communication skills. “But fortunately I found my calling in life early on and this is it. It allows me to create campaigns and put bowling in a higher stead. I don’t want people to perceive it as an activity where you simply throw a ball and hit the pins.” At age 16, Sousa worked at his friend’s father’s bowling center in
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Brampton, Ontario near his hometown of Mississauga. He trained as a B mechanic, but his real calling was getting people to play. He moved up to the front desk and was soon creating marketing campaigns. From there he got his business degree and continued in the bowling industry. “I never thought I’d be where I am today. Some people hate getting up in the morning for their jobs. For me, every day creates a new challenge that helps me stay energized. Knockdown Cancer has brought it all to a head.” Sousa has always created programs looking down the road five, 10 and even 15 years. His goal, among others, is for the Knockdown Cancer campaign to go worldwide (after all, the Pan Am Games in 2015 are worldwide). Sousa has every confidence in that international launch, too. After all, he dreams big, and then makes those big dreams come true. ❖
Joan Taylor is a multi-award winning bowling writer based in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.
COVER STORY
MICHIGAN SCHOLARSHIP
DRAMA
The story of how one state averted an impending disaster with their high school scholarship tournament. 22
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COVER STORY By Fred Groh t’s a cautionary tale for states where bowling is a sanctioned high school sport and for states where proprietors want it to be. Check your state’s amateur-standing rules for high schoolers, and if you run scholarship tournaments, be compliant with the rules. For years, Michigan proprietors weren’t. “We’ve done bowling scholarship tournaments the same way since the beginning of time,” says Roger Philipi, current president of BPAA-affiliated Bowling Centers Association of Michigan (BCAM). Philipi was president last year when things came to a head. “You would run a bowling tournament and you would issue, basically, dollar amounts for placement, and that money would be turned over to Scholarship Management and Accounting Reports for Tenpins, a program designed to help association and organizations set up, manage and disburse youth bowling scholarship funds. Many times there wasn’t an academic element, a GPA [grade point average], a SAT [Scholastic Aptitude Test] review—there really wasn’t even a real look at the academic side of that athlete at all.” What there was, in Philipi’s memorable phrase, was layaway cash. “Without an academic element, it really is a layaway program for cash.” And tournaments usually weren’t compliant with the amateur-standing rules of the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA). “Our requirements aren’t specific to bowling,” explains Randy Allen, point man for bowling at MHSAA; nor are they specific to golf, softball, hockey or baseball, which also come before Allen’s desk. The requirements are two “very simple portions of our rules and regulations. “One is amateur status. Athletes cannot receive cash or merchandise. That’s the simplest way to put it. Therefore if you have something you’re calling a scholarship program but in reality it’s prize money that’s given later, that violates the amateur status rule.
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“Second, scholarships may be granted after graduation as long as they are based partially on other criteria than just athletic performance, such as academic criteria, community involvement, volunteer works, etc., etc.” Michigan proprietors who were running tournaments for high school scholarships knew full well there were amateur-standing rules, and presumably many of them knew the content of the rules. Some, like Jim Teuber, made changes in local tourneys as soon as MHSAA picked up bowling in December 2002. Teuber is past-president and current treasurer of the independent proprietors’ group Greater Michigan Bowling Center Owners Association (GMBCOA), as he was last year. “One of the things Randy told us from day one,” Teuber says, “was a scholarship couldn’t be based on performance alone. There needed to be other criteria. The most obvious would be some sort of academic component. In our local [USBC] tournaments here, we quickly put in a requirement that you needed to have a 2.5 GPA.” Many proprietors in the state made changes along the same line, Teuber recalls. “They thought they were in compliance.” But looking back, he sees how makeshift such efforts often were. Of his own 2.5 GPA requirement, he judges, “Of course there’s no real good way to police that, [and] it wasn’t being applied. So those Band-Aids, maybe we can call them, really didn’t meet the intent of [MHSAA] rules.”
Sending the Message MHSAA having taken on bowling, Allen was meanwhile grappling with the mighty work of putting together a state tournament for bowling under MHSAA auspices. Soon he was also crisscrossing Michigan to educate bowling folk who were going to be coordinating or coaching high school bowling. Most of them— “I would say 95%”—weren’t high school faculty but moms, dads and bowling center proprietors. Understandably they wouldn’t be as “connected” to schools
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COVER STORY civic organization might have a scholarship fund for a promising medical student or basketball player. “Their academics, their participation in bowling should be part of a formula that the people who operate the scholarship fund will [use to] disburse the money, and the kids with more bowling, better bowling, better grades will get a larger grant.” About three years ago, between engagements on the road where he pitched compliance, Allen got together with two spokesmen for USBC and its youth division. He gave them “five or six” plans for satisfying MHSAA requirements. “The folks that came to my office were very understanding. They said, ‘You’re right. We’re going to present some ideas for change to USBC about how we should do scholarship tournaments at state and national levels.” Unhappily, the plans were all tuned down. Allen wasn’t the only one at MHSAA concerned about bowling compliance. Jack Roberts, MHSAA executive director, was listening to lengthy reports from Allen on his excursions. Hitting the road too, Roberts was regularly relaying the updates from Allen to the 1,500 junior and senior high schools who are the members of MHSAA. Jim Teuber, Michigan Propreatore.
or MHSAA regulations as high school coaches of well-established sports like football would be. “The bowling envelope is much, much bigger with a longer history of national [and] state events,” says Allen, speaking from bowling’s point of view. “It mushroomed over a period of years into something that tended to use the word ‘scholarship’ as a halo for everything—not with bad intentions and doing some good stuff—[but] over the years we’ve been somewhat lulled to sleep. Our athletic directors, who normally would keep very close tabs on athlete eligibility, would hear the word ‘scholarship,’ they would have no reason to think it [was] anything other than a legitimate scholarship.” Strong reasons, then, to launch an education program in 2003 that “kept repeating the same message,” he states. “We kept telling them that scholarships had to comply. Going to an event that called itself a scholarship event, which is a wonderful intention, where prize money is awarded in specific amounts to a specific bowler and then saved in a specific account with SMART and paid at a later date for a good cause, is not a scholarship by our definition. It’s prize money that is deferred.” Allen pointed out to them that tournaments could operate with the same pool of money—the sponsorship dollars, dollars added from the host proprietor, 50/50 raffles on site. The same kids could have access to it, in the same way that a local 24
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The Year of Decision As the 2010-11 school year loomed, it would clearly be “a very critical year” as far as MHSAA’s governing council was concerned, Allen says. The program to educate bowling people about compliance was in its seventh year. He remembers, “After years when we allowed efforts to be made to change, we finally said we’re not seeing much progress here. Last fall, we said if these things don’t move forward to where we need them to be for more legitimate scholarship programs—not prize money that’s just deferred payments to colleges—we will have some very difficult Randy Allen at the Michigan High School Athletic Association.
COVER STORY
Roger Philipi, President of BCAM.
decisions to make.” With proprietors and USBC, MHSAA shared a desire for “the best things for kids,” but at last they had come to “a tipping point” about how to do them, Allen says. Responding to an invitation, USBC’s Stu Upson flew to Michigan for a joint meeting, “to hear everybody out and see if there might be a solution,” Upson remembers. “Then,” Allen says,
“the wheels started to turn.” “We understood that some action had to be taken,” Philipi of BCAM says. “I think the Michigan High School Athletic Association was starting to question the validity of those [bowling scholarship] events and how [they] would affect the qualifications of an athlete and how they were somewhat contrary to the other sports. “Nicely we were asked by [Randy Allen], ‘You need to help us out here. We’ll help you out, but we can’t let this thing drag on any more.’ “I think,” Philipi speculates, “the challenge was if it was going to continue to be a non-academic-based scholarship tournament, [MHSAA] would eventually [be] challenged by [other] sports, ‘Well, if you’re letting them [bowling] do that, then we’ll do that.’” Michigan proprietors recognized the value of the MHSAA brand. “We do not have the ability to communicate with schools’ athletic directors and work through that type of problem—rule governance—as they do,” Philipi offers. “They’ve helped build [bowling] into a large program beneficial to every proprietor. The brand is beneficial to every proprietor. It was just too much of a risk to not want to work with the brand.” For his part, Teuber at GMBCOA put out some feelers and called Roger Schildroth, president of the Michigan USBC youth association. “[GMBCOA] had a committee and we were looking at [the compliance issue] but we knew that ultimately we needed a solution that would be embraced by everybody in the state. We needed a solution they could either mirror or buy into and be part of, but we needed something that would fit every league and tournament out there.” Schildroth and his wife, Sharon, the manager of the state USBC youth association, had worked out a points 26
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system for their state tournament that had been deemed compliant. Teuber’s idea “from day one” was that the Schildroth’s system could be tweaked into the solution state proprietors needed for scholarship tournaments. “I talked to Roger and said, ‘We need to talk and come up with a system people can buy into.’ He said, ‘Give me a couple of days, Jim. I’ll talk to Roger Philipi. We’re working on this. We’re going to set up a meeting.’ It took a couple of weeks but a meeting ensued.” A proprietor/USBC committee was assembled last fall. Sitting around the table were Teuber, Philipi, the Schildroths, BCAM members Greg Gumtow and Randy Shank, GMBCOA members Pete Tomassoni (GMBCOA president) and Bob Lomanaco, Mark Martin of of the Southeast Michigan USBC chapter and the national USBC board, and Jerry Trabeck of the Michigan Junior Masters Association, which runs a major tournament for top bowlers in the state. A year later, Philipi describes the result as “similar to Grand Prix,” a points-based scholarship program that at its height, before SMART was established, was being used by about 25 state proprietor associations. Similar to Grand Prix, but the committee couldn’t figure out how to accommodate all the state’s existing leagues and tournaments in the Grand Prix concept, says Teuber. In the new template for Michigan scholarships, a graduating high schooler who has bowled in the program applies to redeem his points. The points are reviewed by a committee considering his college entrance exam scores, GPA, community service and bowling ability. Crunching the numbers by a set of formulas determines the bowler’s award. Any qualified applicant gets something, but no one gets a pre-determined amount. “A child doesn’t have to participate in these point events,” Philipi adds. “They can go ahead and participate in high-dollar
COVER STORY scholarship events with no academic element. [However] they just may put themselves in a position to not be eligible for high school athletics. We’re trying to make sure that everybody understands if you want to play on a high school sporting team, this is what a scholarship is.” Allen concurs. “We had kids play in the Buick Open [PGA golf] all the time that were high school kids. They can play in the professional event. They simply can’t win the money. You can play with the pros without being one.”
The Resolution At press time, the details of the new template were being finalized, but a web presence for students to apply for point redemption will be featured. Two statewide conference calls had been planned by the proprietor/USBC committee to answer questions from anyone interested in the new look for bowling scholarships, including parents. Documents explaining the nuts and bolts of the program for those who will administer it were being polished. The template did not have to be submitted to MHSAA for approval, but the bowling committee asked for the association’s review. Allen and company were happy to comply, especially when they found that “not only was it compliant, they went above and beyond what we require. They added in some criteria: ACT [a standardized test for college admission] and SAT scores, volunteer work in your community.” Philipi, for one, is quick to express appreciation. MHSAA was, he states, “very supportive. They appreciate the fact we kept our word— that we would work with them to come up with a concrete answer. They’re not there to solve this problem. They’re there to guide us and they have. They’ve helped us all the way along.” That amicable end of the story makes the mood of a year ago all the more remarkable. Asked whether MHSAA seriously considered the possibility of dropping bowling, Allen answers without hesitation, “Absolutely. Our council [MHSAA governing board] had three meetings over the last school year—December, March and May [2010-11]. Our
reports to them were very comprehensive, letting them know what the situation was.” At first, there was little to report. “‘We don’t know where this is going to go. We’re hopeful,’” Allen told them. “Our goal was not to cut bowling loose. It was to hold on to bowling.” Later in the year he could report that bowling people had been told, “Unless we see the progress and the results, in March and May when our council meets again, we’re going to have to make a recommendation. We need to see bona fide and genuine efforts to move this scholarship program where it needs to be.” They did see it—“dedicated” bowling people, “committed” to hammering out a workable plan, “making great progress,” Allen reported. “Everything we needed to see took place in time for our May council meeting.” “We’re in the business of opportunities at the high school level and bringing more kids into the orbit of school sports and learning and fun and education,” he reflects. “Our goal was to say, ‘We need you and want you to be compliant.’” They, and Michigan proprietors, got what they wanted. ❖
Fred Groh is a regular contributor to IBI and former managing editor of the magazine.
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CENTER STAGE
Glenn Hendrix stands beside his new replica of the old Ken-Cliff Lanes sign.
BUILD IT, AND THEY WILL COME Glenn Hendrix achieves his dream of rebuilding Ken-Cliff Lanes after a year of backbreaking work By Anna Littles
A
rdmore, Oklahoma, is known for its steamy summers, ice storms in winter and weather that can change on a dime. It is this dynamic landscape that forged the heart of a very special adventurer by the name of Glenn Hendrix. In 1975 Hendrix was a teenager when he walked into Ken-Cliff Bowling Lanes and fell in love with the sport.
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As a bonus, he bonded with the wonderful family that ran the bowling alley, Jim and Jackie Meeks. Hendrix talked Jackie into hiring him to work the front desk. A year later Ken-Cliff Lanes closed, torn down and replaced with a parking lot. But, that one year of working there was long enough to plant a dream into Hendrix’s heart. It was a dream that led him to break ground in 2010. By February 2011, with the blessings of the Meeks family, Hendrix opened the doors of a brand new bowling center named after his beloved Ken-Cliff Lanes. This 21st Century re-mix is dramatically different from the 1975 original. It’s a steel structured building, simple in design and located on Dogwood Road in Ardmore. For Hendrix, it was a choice that proved to be cost effective and faster construction. It is a worry and maintenance free facility that is well insulated, thus keeping the overhead down and utility costs low.
CENTER STAGE
The framing is underway in the spring.
The snowy, empty lot before construction begins. The reclaimed equipment as it arrives at Ken-Cliff Lanes, before being refurbished.
The reclaimed lanes get wet during a surprise downpour while being delivered.
Gently moving in one of the refurbished pinsetters. The final product.
Testing the ball return. IBI
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CENTER STAGE But here is where we part ways with the new millennium – the entire interior of KenCliff Lanes Bowling Center is completely refurbished with vintage mid-20th century equipment. As Hendrix explains it was a lot easier to find vintage equipment however, refurbishing it was a whole different story. He worked with Darryl Tucker, a used equipment dealer down in the Texas Pan Handle who owns Bowling Parts Inc. With Tucker’s help, Hendrix was able to assemble a treasure trove of old AMF vintage furniture; streamlanes, settees and bowling equipment, including tele-e-scores and screens along with magic circle ball returns. One of the lanes even had a built date of 1948. However, refurbishing 60 year old equipment was where the real journey began. Fortune smiled on Hendrix and he was able to recruit the help of a genius by the name of Willis Bell, an expert who has worked on AMF equipment for over 50 years. Thanks to Bell, Hendrix was able to rebuild everything and get those AMF 82-30 pinspotters (affectionately known as" the old gals") to work. Then, he added his favorite auto body shop to the mix. That’s right, Colormatch International Auto Body Shop. Colormatch repainted all the masking units, and all the old AMF lockers. According to Hendrix, “They went whole hog on this. They even repainted the sweeps and everything.” Between refurbishing and painting, Hendrix worked non-stop to get ready for the Cater County USBC 54th Annual Tournament, which was scheduled to launch the grand opening of Ken-Cliff Lanes. He has a long history with them. In fact, the last Tournament Hendrix worked was USBC’s19th Annual. Hendrix made his February
2011 opening deadline by the skin of his teeth. Construction wasn’t really finished but they made it work. The best part is that the tournament put Ken-Cliff Lanes on the map. The size of the new/old bowling center is 4 lanes, creating a warm, friendly and homey environment. Hendrix offers complete, personal one-on-one service by handling one group at a time. He thought his love for Ken-Cliff Lanes would be a fun, part time business. Hendrix had no idea what he had created. This adventure has turned into a true labor of love that he works 7 days a week. Hendrix has to turn people away just to get a day off! His trusty staff consists of a part-time employee who handles the front desk. For added flair his 17 year old German shepherd dog, Buster, along with his sidekick, Smokey, the (bowling) alley cat, lovingly greets everyone who enters. I asked Hendrix, “Why go through all of that trouble to do vintage?” “First love! And it’s different! People come in and say ‘this is how a bowling alley is supposed to look,’ but then they are all living in the past.” For Glenn Hendrix, the past paved the way for him to have a great time fulfilling a dream of recreating his first love. ❖ For more photos from the construction process of Ken-Cliff Lanes please visit bowlingindustry.com.
Anna Littles, a screenplay and freelance writer and producer originally from the Bronx, New York, now resides in Santa Monica, California. You can see her work on YouTube, IMDB, or on her website at www.alittleLA.com.
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OPERATIONS
Keeping customer and employee information safe is good business for centers and pro shops; and it’s the law. Here are some tips and tools to manage your growing data needs. By Mark Miller
L
ike other businesses, bowling centers and pro shops collect sensitive personal information from the people they deal with so how they keep and protect it is vital. Such data is primarily provided by customers and employees. Information received from customers usually occurs when they sign up for leagues, book birthday parties or corporate events and includes such publically-available information as name, address, phone number, birthdate and e-mail. Personal information also is obtained when customers use credit cards to pay for their games, shoes, equipment, food and
beverage. No wonder identity theft is today's top consumer fraud issue. "It's a very dangerous world for identity theft," said Phillip Johnson, co-owner and chief operating officer of Lakes Lanes in The Colony, Texas, whose backround is in accounting, economics and finance. "You may not even be aware your information is out there to be stolen." To avoid such problems, bowling centers and pro shops should first create a written, identity theft, prevention plan. This will help identify the warning signs or "red flags" that can occur in their day-to-day operations. In fact, many organizations and businesses are required by the Federal Trade Commission to create and implement such a plan called The Red Flags Rule. "Safeguarding sensitive data in your files and on your computers is just plain good business," the FTC said in the "Fighting Fraud on the Red Flags Rule" part of its www.ftc.gov website. "After all, if that information falls into the wrong hands, it can lead to fraud or identity theft." Having such a plan allows businesses to be better aware when fraud might be occuring. By knowing the signs, they can stop potential problems before they become too big. The FTC also offers many excellent educational tools. One is an interactive tutorial called Protecting Personal Information: A Guide for Business which features building a plan on five key principals: 1. Take stock - know what personal information you have in files and computers and who has access to it. 2. Scale down - keep only what you need for your business. 3. Lock it - protect the information you keep. 4. Pitch it - properly dispose of data you no longer need. 5. Plan ahead – create a plan to respond to potential problems. "Folks are concerned about their personal identity and it often gets stolen through their credit card numbers," said Bart Burger, vice president of business development for the Bowling Proprietors' Association of America in Arlington, Texas, and a former long-time Brunswick employee. "In its simplest form, if a business does a transaction with a customer credit card what happens to that information? Some centers take deposits for parties and hold that money. What do
you do with that information? Another example is you take online reservations that are secured with a credit card. Where does that transaction go?" Using the correct processing company will help eliminate any possible stolen information. "Our computers don't hold credit card numbers," Johnson said. "Beyond the transaction we can't ever see them. Only our payment processor does." Most likely, such payment processors are compliant with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard which ensures credit card transactions are IBI
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OPERATIONS maintained securely. Such standards apply to any merchant who accepts credit or debit cards. Information about PCI compliance can be obtained at www.pcisecuritystandards.org. Employee information is another animal because employers usually maintain much more delicate, personal, information such as benefits, payroll and tax forms with social security numbers, bank account and routing numbers to direct deposit payroll checks and insurance options. Sara Warren, director of human resources for the International Bowling Campus in Arlington, has several tips: 1. Only collect the information you need. 2. Be careful of social security numbers as they not only identify the employee but also dependents including children. 3. Shred outdated documents on-site. 4. Only show employees their own files. 5. Keep files secure and out of sight. "Be careful of what information you ask for on your employment application or get in resumes," Warren said. "Don't use social security numbers as employee numbers. You don't need social security numbers on paychecks, and be careful who handles paychecks; don't leave them out." Warren recommends reviewing employee information at least annually and keep it for former employees for at least seven
years after they leave the company. Also, be sure to background check applicants before you hire them especially if they will be dealing with sensitive information. As added safeguards for information kept electronically, Warren said to use firewalls and passwords and limit who has access to private information. Only the person maintaining the information and his/her supervisor should be able to see it. Even someone's address can be a piece of the puzzle. "It's public information to us and you may not think much of it but a crook trying to piece the puzzle together does," Johnson said. "Seemingly harmless information can be pieced together." Johnson said one way to keep criminals at bay is to never expose an employee's last four social security numbers. That's because the first five digits are public information based on the region he/she lives in and pairing the sets can make it easier to find someone. Warren said that even if your center or pro shop isn't required to follow the Red Flag Rules, make sure vendors handling your 401k, payroll, flexible spending and bank accounts are compliant. If you are asked to verify someone's employment, instead of giving out a social security number, ask the inquiring person for it and have a signed release for salary data. The Society for Human Resources Management's website (www.shrm.org) provides additional tips. Among them are to make sure you don't leave any personal information in the garbage, a goldmine site for identity theft. Overwrite computer hardrives so data can't be recovered. And be sure to check with your local and state laws to learn their requirements. To help member centers properly protect their customer information and especially credit card numbers, BPAA is introducing a new free member product called Customer Connect. This will allow centers to keep their data secure offsite because it will be internet based. According to Burger, Customer Connect will run information through programs such as national change of address and email opt-out. "We will do this for proprietors because many proprietors don't have the time to do it themselves," Burger said. "It's a manifestation of BowlerTrac, the next level. It's a BowlerTrac hardware-based program that's web-based and securly housed at the International Bowling Campus." Not properly securing your customers' and/or employees' personal information can cost you their trust and business plus result in potential lawsuits and Federal Trade Commission fines. If there is a data compromise, notify your employees or customers immediately. It's just good business. â?–
Mark Miller is a freelance writer from Flower Mound, Texas. He is the national and Dallas-Fort Worth bowling writer for Examiner.com and a columnist for the Bowling News Network.
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SHOWCASE COVER WORTHY
As featured on the front cover of IBI’s December issue, The Profit Platform is a huge success in centers across the country. According to Dave Hanscom of Wheat Ridge Lanes, "Now our concourse is full of customers, they stay longer and F&B sales are way up.” The Profit Platform is manufactured in the USA using recycled LDPE composites. For more information on the Profit Platform contact GKM Int'l LLC at 310-791-7092 or go to the company's website www.profitplatform.biz.
AFFORDABLE E-MARKETING
eBowl.biz has introduced new lower pricing for 2012 PLUS save an additional 15% by bundling its services. eBowl.biz is the largest provider of internet marketing tools to the bowling industry including email campaigns, websites, facebook for bowling, and text messaging. Contact Carey Tosello at 877-326-9599 or go to www.BowlingWebDoctor.com
EVENT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
INCENTIVE VACATIONS
Brunswick Event Host Manager is the first special event software designed specifically for the bowling industry to include more features and automatic integration with your reservation and management systems. It will increase customer satisfaction and center profitability. For more information, go to www.brunswickbowling.com/products or contact your Brunswick Representative, call 800-YES-BOWL or 231-725-4966.
Vacation Adventures International has been providing incentive vacations for more than 25 years. Trips include a Bahamas Cruise Excursion (cruise & land package) and Air/Resort packages to Aruba, Cancun, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Las Vegas and more. Vacation Adventures provides global operations and full administrative support with prices from just $99! Visit www.vacationadventures.biz to learn how Vacation Adventures can help you increase your bottom line! Call today and SAVE an additional 20% (888) 448-3980 or email vacationadventures@comcast.net.
MARKETING PROGRAMS
SYNTHETIC PINS
DISPOSABLE BOWLING SHOE PAD
GREAT CENTERPIECE
Randy Isenberg of Super Bowl Entertainment Centers says of Chris Swanson with BMA Marketing, “Dick Poore and I use Chris even in centers where we have developed a strong sales staff. Chris goes on my list as one of this GENERATION's leading professionals who makes a real difference to operators of facilities that include bowling.” Call Chris today at 888-243-0685 or visit www.ibi.bmamkt.com.
Centers are now earning between $500$900 extra income per month from their casual bowling customers who dislike wearing rental shoes. BowlSoles are the world's only disposable bowling shoe pads specifically designed to adhere to your own shoes. BowlSoles are sanctioned by the U.S.B.C., leave no sticky residue, and are designed to fit everyone. Suggested retail is $1 more than your standard rental shoe fee. See increasing your income video at www.bowlsole.com.
Ebonite Bowling Center Direct is the U.S. distributor of Twister Pins, the sole USBC-approved synthetic pin on the market. Made by IQ Bowling Industries, headquartered in Made, The Netherlands, Twister is the result of over thirty years of specialized German engineering. Since 1999, Twister has been successful as a cost-effective replacement for wood pins, offering durability and an extended life on the lanes. Visit www.ebonitebowlingcenterdirect.com to order.
Rotosphere™ LED is a mirror ball simulator that is easy to use and DMX controllable. Covers a very large area and changes color with movement and sound. Powered by five tri–color LEDs, this fixture blankets the entire room in multi–colored beams with smooth and continuous 360° rotation. Evenly spaced lenses optimize output and reduce dead spots while adjustable rotation speed lets you match the mood of the music. Call 888-746-5483 or visit www.thelightingstore.com.
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DATEBOOK
JANUARY 2012
FEBRUARY
MAY
16 DJ & KARAOKE HOSTING SCHOOL Newton, IA Hosted by The Lighting Store 641-791-3397 cj@soundandlightkaraoke.com
7 WSBPA Mid Winter Summit Best Western River’s Edge – Tukwila, WA Greg Olsen, 206-762-6752; greg@wsbpa.org
21 Illinois State BPA Board of Directors Meeting Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, Normal, IL Bill Duff – billduff@bowlillinois.com
24 Mayor’s Celebrity Bowling Challenge to Strike Out Hunger Baton Rouge River Center U.S. Open Championship Lanes Marc Pater, 225-603-5914 paterm@bellsouth.net
31 – 6/3 2012 Hall of Fame Extravaganza (BPAA & USBC) Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa Las Vegas, NV David Garber, 702-495-4249; david.garber@stationscasinos.com
27 Illinois State BPA Board of Directors Meeting Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, Normal IL Bill Duff billduff@bowlillinois.com
JUNE
20-22 Super Bowling Championship Weekend National Bowling Stadium, Eldorado, Silver Legacy and Circus Circus Hotels Jimmy Sturm, 888-808-7720 22-26 BOWLING SUMMIT The Meritage, Napa Valley, CA 800-343-1329 www.bpaa.com/summit
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3-5 Kansas State BPA Annual Meeting Chateau on the Lake, Brandon, MO Mary Thurber, 913-638-1817
CLASSIFIEDS
EQUIPMENT FOR SALE REPAIR & EXCHANGE. Call for details (248) 375-2751.
USED BRUNSWICK PARTS, A2 parts and assemblies. Large Inventory. www.usedpinsetterparts.com. NEW & USED Pro Shop Equipment. Jayhawk Bowling Supply. 800-2556436 or jayhawkbowling.com.
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CLASSIFIEDS EQUIPMENT FOR SALE 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) 724-2695. The Mechanics Choice! AMF XL & BOSS scoring for small and large centers with LCD monitors. (712) 253-8730 .
EQUIPMENT WANTED LANE MACHINES WANTED. We will purchase your KEGEL-built machine, any age or condition. Phone (608) 764-1464.
CENTERS FOR SALE
CENTERS FOR SALE SOUTHWEST KANSAS: well-maintained 8-lane center, A-2s, full-service restaurant. Includes business and real estate. Nice, smaller community. Owner retiring. $212,000. Leave message (620) 397-5828.
WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA: One of the top five places to move! Remodeled 32-lane center. Good numbers. $3.1m gets it all. Fax qualified inquiries to (828) 253-0362.
NE MINNESOTA: Food, Liquor & Bowling. Established 8 lanes between Mpls & Duluth w/ large bar, dining room, banquet area. Two large State employment facilities nearby. High six figure gross. Call Bryan (218) 380-8089. www.majesticpine.com.
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.
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. 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. 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.
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. 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. 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. NW KANSAS: 12-lane center, AS-80s, Lane Shield, snack bar, pro shop, game & pool rooms. See pics and info @ www.visitcolby.com or contact Charles (785) 443-3477.
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January 2012
CENTERS FOR SALE
NORTHWEST LOUISIANA: 12-LANE Brunswick center. REDUCED TO SELL NOW! Includes auto scoring, glow bowling, pizza, large dining area & video poker. Good income. Long Lease. Great opportunity. Call Mike (318) 578-0772.
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. 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.
CLASSIFIEDS
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
MARSHALL ELECTRONICS • Foul Units • Electronic Scoring Repair • Chassis Boards • AMF Accuscore Plus • Curtain Wall Chassis - $285 • Brunswick Scoring We repair all types of monitor boards. Call for a complete price list. 593 Loxley Drive, Toms River, NJ 08753
732-240-6554 • 800-782-9494
www.merepair.webs.com
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CLASSIFIEDS MINIATURE GOLF COURSES Indoor/Outdoor. Immediate Installation. $5,900.00 & up.
"Bowling Center Construction Specialists" New Center Construction Family Entertainment Centers Residential Bowling Lanes Modernization Mini Bowling Lanes Automatic Scoring CONTACT
BRIAN ESTES
(866) 961-7633 Office: (734) 469-4293
Toll Free:
Email: build@capitalbowlingservice.com
www.CapitalBowlingService.com
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
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2021 Bridge Street Jessup, PA 18434 570-489-8623 www.minigolfinc.com
CLASSIFIEDS
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CLASSIFIEDS
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 MIKE BARRETT Call for Price List
Tel: (714) 871-7843 • Fax: (714) 522-0576
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WWW.FACEBOOKBOWLING.COM
CLASSIFIEDS
WWW.FACEBOOKBOWLING.COM
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.
E-mail: huff@inreach.com FAX YOUR ORDER TO US AT:
530-432-2933
CALL TOLL FREE 1-800-700-4KEY INT’L 530-432-1027 Orange County Security Consultants
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CLASSIFIEDS CENTERS FOR SALE CENTRAL ILLINOIS: PRICED TO SELL!! 8-lane center with AMF 82-70s, full service restaurant, pro shop. Plus pool tables, karaoke machine & DJ system. Asking $125,000.00 with RE. (217) 351-5152 or toms-uvl@sbcglobal.net.
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/
GEORGIA: 32-lane center – strong leagues & good demographics in suburban Atlanta. Leased building with opportunity to expand. Jetbacks, synthetics, Accuscore all in good condition. Call Ken Paton (503) 645-5630.
SOUTHERN NEVADA: Excellent opportunity for qualified person! 8-lane center with AMF 82-70s, Twelve Strike scoring. $60,000 for business and equipment only. Long term lease available. Building being remodeled. Call Steve (702) 293-6072; cell (702) 414-5321; email: ljjaa1414@yahoo.com.
AMF • BRUNSWICK EQUIPMENT COMPLETE PACKAGES WORLDʼS LARGEST NEW – USED SPARE PARTS INVENTORY ALL AMF BUMPER PARTS, XS Q-BUMP, DURABOWL AND GEN II IN STOCK
SEL L
BUY
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.tuckerbowling.com WWW.FACEBOOKBOWLING.COM
We could not have gotten our loan without him. Max Cook and Fred Kaplowitz North Bowl Spokane, WA The leading source for real estate loans with low down payments
Ken Paton (503) 645-5630 www.kenpaton.com kpaton@kenpaton.com 44
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CLASSIFIEDS CENTERS FOR SALE IDAHO, Rigby: 8-lane center with Brunswick A-2s; refinished wooden lanes; assets $85,000; lease $1,200/month. BRING ALL OFFERS! (208) 535-9905, www.arthurberry.com. CENTRAL ILLINOIS: Major MSA – 12-lane center, 13K s/f, brick front, new roof, 4.2 developable acres, includes restaurant & lounge. Asking $575,000 w/ RE. Call Tom Thompson (309) 264-8011 or email: tt@phxaffiliates.com. WISCONSIN: Three centers from 16 – 48 lanes. Must sell. Great opportunities. Broker: (262) 901-1333.
SERVICES AVAILABLE See a list that will help centers fill lanes w/ 1200+ New Bowlers, Birthday Parties & Corporate Outings that generate $15,800 – a 600% ROI from 4 payments starting at $278. Visit mcprs.bmamkt.com or call (888) 243-0685.
Drill Bit Sharpening and Measuring Ball Repair. Jayhawk Bowling Supply. 800255-6436 or Jayhawkbowling.com.
SERVICES AVAILABLE AMF 65-25 CHASSIS: Conversion, Repair, Replace & exchange. Includes rewiring, requested repairs, conversion to MK 30 board system and converting chassis to new PR system where applicable. TOTAL SATISFACTION GUARANTEED! References available. CHASSIS DOCTORS (330) 314-8951.
MANAGER WANTED Don't miss your chance to grow with an Industry Leader! Looking for Experienced, Service-Oriented General Managers for our U.S. bowling retail center locations. Please check us out at www.brunswickcareers.apply2jobs.com for more details on our current openings. Act Now! Apply Today! Looking for experienced HIGH energy center manager for Michigan center. Forward resume to Great Lakes Realty, 28900 Schoolcraft Rd., Livonia, MI 48150.
WWW.FACEBOOKBOWLING.COM
POSITION WANTED Seeking managerial position: EXPERIENCED manager/district manager of single & multiple unit centers; specializing in turn around centers; great customer service skills, inventory and payroll controls and P & L controls. References and resume available upon request. Email: schronce.tony@yahoo.com or leave message @ (817) 232-2219. Former center owner with 15 years all around experience as GM, league promoter, A-level Brunswick mechanic, scoring system installer and lane technician. Well suited for many positions. Call Mitch at (808) 443-3868.
SELL YOUR CENTER OR EQUIPMENT
FAST! (818) 789-2695
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REMEMBER WHEN
1940’s W
ell this one definitely skews older. The date is not exact, but from roaming back through Borden Milk ads, Elsie and her friends are having a night out at the lanes during WWII (the mid 1940s). Obviously from the shadowed profile and the exasperated expression, Beulah does not drink Hemo. Taking a closer look down the lane, we have an over enthusiastic pin boy out in front of his place of operation and almost getting in the way of the action. Elsie the Cow with her garland around her neck has represented Borden Milk since 1936 and in 2007 helped the company celebrate 150 years. She started in print and moved to television. In 1966 she tried to retire but returned in 1971 to launch a highly successful ad campaign directed to families. All the while, of course, she bowled as did over 1.5 million ABC members in the late 70s and 4.2 million members in the WIBC. Hemo has come and gone, but bowling and Elsie roll on. â?–
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