COVER STORY
THE MAGIC STORM
Barbara and Bill Chrisman built Storm into an iconic bowling brand. By Jim Goodwin
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n 1988, there was no such thing as a Storm bowling ball. 30 years later the brand is dominating the sport on almost every level around the globe. Wherever bowling exists, in more than 90 countries worldwide, bowlers know about IBI
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Storm and ask for the brand when choosing to own a high performance bowling ball. That, by any standard, is a remarkable achievement in only three decades. And it is even more amazing that Barbara and Bill Chrisman built their global
COVER STORY business not from a hotbed of bowling but in the beautiful Rocky Mountain state of Utah. Barbara best describes Storm’s early years and the reason why bowlers and pro shops got on board with its mission: “I think there was a real excitement about what we were doing,” she said. “We were the little guys going against the big corporations, and it almost took on a David versus Goliath mystique. We connected on a very personal level.” “And it is still happening,” Bill added. “We see it when we travel and when we read these Facebook posts. Heck, they even go so far as asking for my autograph. I always think, ‘Man, this isn’t even real.’” In a 1996 interview, Bill told IBI that the first Storm bowling ball rolled out of a converted school kitchen in August of 1991, and by January of ‘92, they had built 709 more. That was the start for a company that now produces around 2,500 balls every day from their current 80,000square-foot headquarters in Brigham City. And total production in all those years is now between 12-14 million.
BUILDING BRAND LOYALTY What is it about Storm that has made it so special? Perhaps there is no simple answer, but over the years we have talked to high average bowlers, pro shop operators, and people from all corners of the industry about the incredible brand loyalty Storm has developed and enjoyed. All had many positive things to say, and they also had one thing in common – they all said that Storm manufactures only top quality bowling balls. It is rare and remarkable
president of Storm. “I don’t think there is a magic formula, we just treat everyone a little more than fair, and that started with Bill and Barbara Chrisman.” Symes has been with the company since 1997 and was made president in 2006. “Bill insisted that we hire bowlers who can talk the talk and walk the walk,” said Symes. “He is really smart at marketing, and he has always encouraged us to be innovative. We talk to bowlers and pro shop operators all over the planet, and we speak their language. They are our friends and family.”
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS The company actually began six years before they started building bowling balls, in 1985, with the name High Score Products and a bowling ball cleaner called U Clean U Score. At the time, the Chrismans owned a small industrial supply company, and a bowling ball cleaner seemed like a natural addition to their other cleaning chemicals. With U Clean U Score selling well, Bill started talking to his friend Keith Ortan about branching out into the bowling ball business around February of 1991. Ortan had been in the business for a while and had a good reputation as the guy who developed the Excaliber ball for the Nuline company, and he had a lot to do with the very successful Blue Hammer representing Faball. The Excaliber is remembered by many as the first reactive ball, and its enhanced performance was defined by some as an accident, and by others as maybe just a lucky break. “I was there when that happened,” said Chrisman, “so I know the true story. There was a concern that the liquid ball material could freeze during shipping from the east coast to Utah in cold weather, so an ingredient was added to prevent that from happening. That is all there is to it.” The unexpected result was that the ball made from that material produced a very strong hook on the back end of the lane as a result of the added ingredient, and the new reactive concept was born.
High Score Products original building.
when a business can create not just customers but enthusiastic fans. We think of companies like Apple, Starbucks, Southwest Airlines, and a few others when looking for that magic that translates into loyalty and huge success. “I’ve heard people say that Storm is the Harley Davidson of bowling balls,” said Dave Symes,
Current world headquarters of Storm Products, Inc.
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When Bill and Keith started building balls in their small shop under the High Score Products label, pouring the materials out of Kentucky Fried Chicken buckets, they were looking for a dynamic name that meant power and performance. At dinner with friends one evening, Barbara suggested Storm. Everyone liked the name, and before too long, the HSP label on every ball was replaced by Storm with its distinctive lightning bolt graphic. Other key people in the early years were Ron Wood, who became the first international Dave Symes, president distributor to buy Storm balls, of Storm. and Peter Somoff who was one of the first to feature Storm balls in his pro shops. Hall of Fame bowler Bob Hart was the first to represent Storm on the PBA50 Tour and remains on the staff today. “Storm is to bowling what Titleist is to golf,” said Hart. “I have had a wonderful relationship and friendship with Bill and Barbara for 24 years. It is a family operation and everyone involved really cares about one another. Bill and Barb built this business based on trust in their employees, honesty and integrity, and when you have that, you Bob Hart have it all. It has been my honor to be a part of it.”
was that I hoped it would not hurt bowling, because it was almost like a Storm infomercial.” “For the past 20 years, we have sponsored more bowlers and more tournaments than anybody because we love bowling and we want professional bowlers to get more money, so we do our part,” said Bill. In addition to all of the PBA and PWBA events, Storm was a primary sponsor of the High Roller, Eliminator, and Mini Eliminator megabuck tournaments in Las Vegas for many years. Storm has also sponsored many events in the European and Asian markets.
ONLY THE BEST
What makes Storm so successful is its top quality bowling balls. “I was never interested in building house balls and lower end balls,” said Chrisman. “We are in business to make money, and as a smaller company, why would we want to build $50 balls when we can build $100 balls? Having said that, we do have some less expensive balls in our line, but for the most part, our concentration has been on the high end market.” One result of Storm’s high performance philosophy is that it has attracted great PBA players like Pete Weber, who has been on the Storm staff for more than 20 years, and Norm Duke. “I am so lucky to have the support of Storm, and it all starts with Bill and Barbara,” said Duke. “They have always been committed to making the best products for the world to enjoy, but they have provided a family atmosphere for the staff, players, and their employees.” On the women’s side, Hall of Fame bowlers Leanne Hulsenberg, Liz Johnson, and Kelly Kulick all use Storm equipment. Hulsenberg is now a Storm sales representative. As the brand grew, so did the product line. Top pro and amateur bowlers around the world look forward to the latest and greatest Storm ball like Apple customers looking for the newest phone. And with success, Storm has been able to buy other brands. In 1997,
RAPID EXPANSION OF PRODUCTS, BRANDS, PEOPLE Storm’s mission from the beginning has been to build the best bowling balls in the world, and by all measures, they have achieved that goal. They currently enjoy a 50% worldwide market share of high performance balls, and their staff players have dominated the biggest tournaments in the world for the past decade. In 2011, Storm bowlers swept all nine events in the PBA World Series of Bowling, and in 2013, all TV finalists in the U.S. Open were rolling Storm balls. “When we walked in for that U. S. Open TV show and saw that our guys had given everyone in the audience Storm t-shirts, I thought, ‘Holy Cow! This is an all Storm show!’” said Barbara. “And then my second thought 48
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Barb and Bill Chrisman attending the HJ Malone tradeshow in the early days of Storm, c. 1992.
they purchased the very respected Roto Grip brand, and they now own the 900 Global company in San Antonio. They came very close to acquiring the Columbia 300 brand before the decision was made to sell it to Ebonite International. The product line now includes an extensive line of bags, shoes, clothing, and accessories, including a line of products from Master Industries which was acquired by Storm a couple of years ago.
INTERNATIONAL SALES HAVE BEEN SENSATIONAL When we attended the most recent World Bowling Championship Tournament in Las Vegas, we could not help but notice that many bowlers were wearing jerseys with the Storm logo. There is a good reason for that. As good as sales are in the U.S., they may become even better in Europe and Asia, thanks in large part to great representatives like Tim Mack, who was recently elected to the USBC Hall of Fame, and Robert Dong, who was an early hire to represent Storm in the Asian markets. Mack is well known globally as a warrior on the lanes, and a champion for Storm and all of bowling. “I said in my Hall of Fame speech that I approach every day with Storm with the same enthusiasm I had in 1995 when I started,” said Mack. “Bill and I have a relationship like a father and son. I have learned so much from him. How many companies have an owner that is accessible to anyone? That is what makes Storm work. As representatives of Storm, we think of ourselves as extensions of Bill and Barbara Chrisman, and we believe that we make a difference and make bowling better.” Mack has traveled millions of miles across Europe and Asia singing the praises of Storm, not just as a salesman but as a top 52
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level bowler. Storm not only allowed him to bowl in tournaments but encourages it, because it fits perfectly with their philosophy of being recognized as the bowlers’ company. Along the way, Mack won 70 tournaments in 30 different countries to earn his Hall of Fame stripes. “So much is happening in Asia again. The Korea market is booming, the big sleeping giant China is waking up to bowling, and it is an exciting time again,” added Dong. “Storm is truly the bowler’s company, from top to bottom. Asia knows that Storm cares, and we stand behind our products and service. We have seen the caring personality of both Mr. and Mrs. Chrisman throughout the last 25 years in Asia. They are almost iconic figures in Asia. [They are] loved and respected; you can speak to anyone in Asia, and they will tell you this. They are also the two most dedicated people I know, and they truly represent what is good in bowling all over the world. Storm is totally committed to building a better bowling industry in Asia, and providing technical service and total care for sport and leisure bowling. I also believe we know what the Asian bowling public wants, and we are able to deliver it to them with very close personal service.”
MAKING IT RIGHT AND GIVING BACK When folks who may not know the history look at Storm today, they may get an impression that all this success came easily, but the magic formula we see today was built on the three tenets: passion, tenacity, and customer service. One example of these tenets in action was in the early years of the business. Storm got a large order of balls from Korea. They filled it in a hurry, but when the balls started breaking in alarming numbers, Bill knew something was wrong with the materials. Replacing them might mean bankrupting the company. But Chrisman traveled to Korea, verified the problem and apologized, agreed to replace the entire order, and made it right. “When I arrived in Korea, I went immediately to the warehouse where the balls were stored,” said Chrisman. “The guys opened a box and I dropped one ball. It cracked like an egg. I proceeded to drop and watch bowling balls break until I became too tired to drop any more. We had no choice except to replace the entire 2,200-ball order at no charge. It cost us more than $125,000, an enormous amount for us in those days.” He then spent months getting the company back in the black, saving not only the company but everyone’s job. A lesser man might have walked away at that point. Once Storm started finding financial success, Bill and Barbara started looking for ways to give back to not only bowling, but to the local community and worthy charities. The Chrismans have made hundreds of donations over the years, including a
COVER STORY $400,000 donation to a local domestic violence center called Your Community Connection. They also donate to the Salvation Army, their local food bank, their local homeless shelter, and to many more. Through their involvement with the PBA /PWBA Mixed Doubles Tournament in Houston, commonly known as the Luci Tournament, they got involved in raising funds for breast cancer research. In the early years, that money went to The Stehlin Foundation in Houston where Luci Bonneau was treated. The past three years the Chrismans have given more than $250,000 to the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Utah. And then there is the local veterans home donations. The Chrismans give Storm employees the best way to give — paid time off to volunteer. “Every bowling ball that Storm sells makes all of that possible,” said Barbara. “Every bowler that owns a Storm ball has been a part of that,” added Bill.
BARBARA’S ROLE HAS BEEN ENORMOUS In the early days of Storm, Bill was the guy who traveled around the globe doing the meetings and negotiating the contracts. He was the face of Storm for many years, but during all that time, it was Barbara who held down the fort at home. In the beginning, no money was taken from Storm, and Barbara continued to run the industrial supply company to provide funds to keep Storm afloat. “Barbara was quite a good salesperson, and she is excellent at public relations,” said Bill. “For many years, we simply could not afford for both of us to travel, so she had to stay home, and that was very difficult, but she did it. In 2011, something happened that became a real wake up call for the Chrismans. While attending the 2011 combined Bowl Expo and USBC Convention, Barbara tripped on a marble staircase at the hotel and cracked her head open. It was a scary fall to say the least. “I was not right for maybe six months after that,” said Barbara. “That was the day I learned I could not fly!” All joking aside, the fall left her with a serious concussion, and made both Bill and Barb realize that life offers no guarantees for tomorrow. “It terrified me,” said Bill. “And it brought us closer together. We both realized that day that we could die at any moment, and we better work harder at enjoying our time together.” Barbara’s giving spirit has also extended to other parts of the industry. From 2005 – 2011, she served on the USBC Board of Directors. “When Mike Carroll called me and ask me to serve on that board, it was one of the proudest days of my life,” she said. Bill has also done his part, serving on the Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame Board, and on the International Bowling Pro Shops and Instructors Association board. With his connections in Asia, he was very involved in the World Bowling Olympic effort that is ongoing.
WHY IT ALL WORKS Not long ago, the University of Southern California School of Marketing did a study about the psychology of brand loyalty. What they discovered 54
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Bowling Balls just out of the molds.
was that companies like Storm that are able to achieve success share five core dimensions: w Sincerity – they are seen as honest and genuine w Excitement – the product is daring, spirited, and imaginative Competence – reliable, responsible, dependable w w Sophistication – glamorous, charming, romantic w Ruggedness – tough, strong, powerful They also discovered that the use of colors, well chosen words in marketing, and the creation of a sense of belonging were keys to create brand loyalty. When we ran across this study, we thought it might have been written especially for Storm, but in fact it is the other way around; companies like Storm are so naturally innovative they set the example for others to follow. Finally, the study revealed that, as an example, 76% of people who use Apple phones will replace their phone with the same brand, and 59% won’t even consider other brands, while remarkably 78% cannot imagine using another brand. We suspect that bowlers who use Storm products would fall into even better numbers than those enjoyed by Apple, and, if that is true, Storm and StormNation is headed for a very long road of continued success. Barbara says it best, “We are a family, and it is magic.” ❖
Jim Goodwin is the founder and president of the Bowling News Network and a former president and life member of the International Bowling Media Association.