4

6ISSUE AT HAND

On The BrinkBy Scott Frager

8SHORTS

Roseland celebrates 50Years with Key to the City

Benefits abound acrossthe US.

Slip and Fall in Michigan atyour own risk

Compiled by Patty Heath

14INDUSTRY ISSUESMaking It PersonalBPAA’s new software,

Customer Connect,promises to help centers

better understand theircustomers

By Fred Groh

18MARKETING

Knock Down CancerEd Sousa’s inspiration leads

to a national fundraisingcampaign

By Joan Taylor

30

CONTENTS

22COVER STORYMichigan’s ScholarshipDramaHow the curtain almost fellon high school bowlingBy Fred Groh

30CENTER STAGEGlenn Hendrix’s Ken-Cliff Lanes #2Rebuilding the PastBy Anna Littles

33OPERATIONSThe Red Flags RuleTips and tools to manageyour growing data needsBy Mark Miller

46REMEMBER WHEN1940sBorden’s Elsie the Cow

35 Showcase

36 Datebook

37 Classifieds

VOL 20.1THE WORLD'S ONLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED EXCLUSIVELY TO THE BUSINESS OF BOWLING

IBI January 2012

14

22

PUBLISHER & EDITORScott Frager

frager@bowlingindustry.comSkype: scottfrager

DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISINGChris Holmes

holmes@bowlingindustry.com

EDITORIAL CONSULTANTGregory Keer

keer@bowlingindustry.com

OFFICE MANAGERPatty Heath

heath@bowlingindustry.com

CONTRIBUTORSFred Groh

Patty HeathAnna LittlesMark MillerJoan Taylor

EDITORIAL DIRECTORJackie Fisher

fisher@bowlingindustry.com

ART DIRECTION & PRODUCTIONDesignworks

www.dzynwrx.com(818) 735-9424

FOUNDERAllen Crown (1933-2002)

13245 Riverside Dr., Suite 501Sherman Oaks, CA 91423

(818) 789-2695(BOWL)Fax (818) 789-2812

info@bowlingindustry.com

www.BowlingIndustry.com

HOTLINE: 888-424-2695SUBSCRIPTION RATES: One copy ofInternational Bowling Industry is sent free toevery bowling center, independently ownedpro shop and collegiate bowling center inthe U.S., and every military bowling centerand pro shop worldwide. Publisher reservesthe right to provide free subscriptions tothose individuals who meet publicationqualifications. Additional subscriptions maybe purchased for delivery in the U.S. for $50per year. Subscriptions for Canada andMexico are $65 per year, all other foreignsubscriptions are $80 per year. All foreignsubscriptions should be paid in U.S. fundsusing International Money Orders.POSTMASTER: Please send new as well asold address to International Bowling Industry,13245 Riverside Drive, Suite 501, ShermanOaks, CA 91423 USA. If possible, pleasefurnish address mailing label.Printed in U.S.A. Copyright 2010, B2B Media,Inc. No part of this magazine may be reprintedwithout the publisher’s permission.

MEMBER AND/OR SUPPORTER OF:

6 IBI January 2012

THE ISSUE AT HAND

About four months ago, a concernedproprietor called to share somestartling news about high schoolbowling scholarships.

As executive director of the BowlingCenters of Southern California and itsfoundation’s Grand Prix scholarshipprogram for six years, I’ve seen andheard it all about GrandPrix. From those who threwtheir hearts and souls intocreating it, to studentsgrateful to have had theopportunity to earn moneyfor college while engaging ina sport they love, to parentswho tell me how important Grand Prixmoney is. Believe me, these days noamount of financial help with schoolexpenses is unappreciated.

I also hear regularly from proprietorswho preach—and practice—the valueof youth bowling. “Our kids are ourfuture” may be a cliché, but it’s true.

So when my proprietor-caller said hewanted to chat about a problem withhigh school bowling in Michigan, myears perked up. Was he going to tell meabout something serious or would it bea false alarm?

What I heard was a scenario about how frighteningly close much ofour industry may be, state by state, to losing our ability to use tournamentprize funds and scholarships to recruit, retain and promote bowling tohigh-schoolers.

Imagine waking up one morning, taking a leisurely drive to yourcenter, waving and greeting staff and bowlers while grabbing yourmorning cup of joe. You casually walk into the office to open yesterday’smail and find a letter from your state’s high school athletic association.

It advises you that bowling center“scholarships” don’t comply with theamateur standing rule in the state, and ifyour young bowlers accept the money,they won’t be able to play in college sports.

This came close to happening inMichigan.

If arguably the strongest, most activeand most sophisticated state about high school bowling could finditself 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 theMichigan situation. I am grateful to those who took the time to share thisstory with us and the industry. It is absolutely vital we understand whathappened in Michigan and what our other stateswith sanctioned high school bowling, along with theBPAA and USBC, need to do to make sure that weprotect ourselves.

– SCOTT FRAGER, PUBLISHERAND EDITORfrager@bowlingindustry.com

Brink of Disaster

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 theChat button, you can see who’s online and instantly communicate with industry friendsand colleagues around the world. It is one more tool to make the business of bowling avital, 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 andit’s free!

�THIS MONTH AT www.BowlingIndustry.com

8 IBI January 2012

SHORTS

Good causes abound and centers all acrossthe nation do their part for their communities.

Hodag Lanes in Rhinelander, WI, hostedthe 2nd annual Tri-County Council onDomestic Violence and Sexual Assault’sbowling fundraiser. Organizers stated thatproceeds go to help pay for a holiday dinnerand gift baskets to over 20 families in need.

A friendly night of bowling competitionwas held at AMF East Meadow Lanes inEast Meadow, NY, to benefit Child AbusePrevention Services (CAPS), Long Island’sleading nonprofit organization dedicated tothe prevention of bullying, child abuse andneglect.

The Chicago chapter of the JuvenileDiabetes No Limits Foundation kicked offNational Diabetes Month by holding acandlelight bowl fundraiser at Orland Bowl.Money raised will be used to conduct CheckB4U Drive, which helps teens with diabetesbecome better drivers.

Thousands of members of the NationalAssociation of Letter Carriers participated in abowl-a-thon across the country to benefit theMuscular Dystrophy Association. Among thecenters participating were NorthgateRecreation Center in Hudson, IL, andSouthside Bowl in Hagerstown, MD.

Sigma Alpha Lambda, a community serviceorganization on Emporia State Universitycampus in Emporia, KS, put together abowling fundraiser, “Strike 4 Prague.” Heldat Flint Hills Lanes, fifty percent of theproceeds go to help a small orphanage inPrague which is housed in an old monastery.

The Annie Penn Hospital Foundationreceived a $6,224 check from the GreaterRockingham County Bowling Association ofNorth Carolina, to strike out breast cancer.In Illinois, Thunder Bowl in Mokena, heldthe 2011 Knock ’em Down Bowl-a-thon for itsCancer Support Center.

The bowling industry can be proud of allthe events each and every center in everylocale does to support national as well ashome-grown charities. Let us know what yourcenter is doing.

Email: info@bowlingindustry.comGO

OD

WIL

L C

EN

TR

AL

As highlighted by the Wall Street Journal and AssociatedPress, Santonio Holmes overcame sickle cell anemia to becomea Super Bowl MVP and one of the NFL’s best wide receivers. Nowhis son, Santonio III, suffers with the same disease.

Determined to try to help find a cure, Holmes organized acharity bowling event at Jersey Lanes, Linden, NJ, which wasattended by dozens of Jets teammates, including Mark Sanchezand coach Rex Ryan. His III & Long Foundation has raised morethan $100,000 during the past few years.

“Mainly, this is for my son and all the friends he has made whoare sickle cell patients. It’s just an honor to be able to give backto the community of kids who suffer from this disease.”

JETS’ HOLMES RAISES $34KFOR SICKLE CELL

A Chanukah Rock & BowlThe 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 ofunlimited Extreme Bowling, thelighting of a unique bowling pinMenorah, hot latkes, donuts andChanukah crafts.

“The light of the Menorahenriches our lives with the light oftradition,” said Rabbi ShlameLanda. The entire community,regardless of background oraffiliation, was invited to join in thefestivities. Who knows, Santamight even stop by!

Joseph Thomas Antonelli Sr. passed awayin November of an apparent heart attack.He was 89. In 1958, Antonelli startedCommonwealth Recreation Co. Inc, whichowned bowling centers. In 1961, the companymerged with Major League Bowling, whichlater became MLB Corp., developing andowning centers from New Jersey to Florida.

“He revolutionized what bowling alleys were ... and turnedthem into family entertainment centers,” his daughter, LisaAntonelli Bacon of Richmond, said. “They even had day careas early as the 70s. He brought tenpin bowling to Richmond.”

REMEMBRANCE S

Richmond Times-Dispatch

11IBI January 2012

SHORTS

At Your Own RiskSmoking Ban and Bowling Shoesnot a match made in Michigan

Michigan’s governor Rich Snyder signed a bill inNovember that provides bowling centers immunity fromcivil prosecution if patrons wear their bowling shoesoutside and then slip and fall after returning inside.

This is particularly important during inclementweather when there is water from snow or rain that canbe tracked back into the center. Since 2010, whenMichigan enacted a smoking ban which covers centers,this type of incident has become more prevalent.

As quoted by the InjuryBoard.com and posted byNolan Erickson, under the new law, individuals who wearbowling shoes outdoors and then return inside willnot be able to seek legal recourse if they slip andsuffer an injury…as long as the owner or operatorposts a “conspicuous notice.”

At Bowl-O-Drome Lanes, Port Huron, MI, there areslip-on shoe covers available for those who don’t wantto take the time to change their shoes before going outto smoke.

Sometimes a break is necessary evenin the world of jurisprudence. That is whatColin Campbell of North Carolina’sJohnston County’s The Herald reported.A trip to upscale Sparians in Raleigh wasjust the ticket for a staff meeting andteam-building event for Susan Doyle,Johnston County District Attorney, and herprosecutors.

“This was a positive event to boostmorale, encourage team building andreward my employees for all of the unpaidovertime hours they work,” she said.

Sparians was a good venue as the private suite allowed herstaff to discuss pending cases and enjoy some camaraderie atthe same time.

Bowling, a Team Builder

Johnston County districtAttorney Susan Doyle

SELL YOUR CENTEROR EQUIPMENT FAST!(818) 789-2695

Little did Pete and Rosalie Scimone know in 1961 thattheir 16-lane Roseland Lanes in Oakwood Village, Ohiowould grow and prosper into what is currently a 50-lanerecreation center.

To celebrate the 50th Anniversary, Pete, 87 years young,and Rosalie, 90, after whom the center is named, will be giventhe Key to the City and a tribute plaque from the USBC tocommemorate their accomplishments.

It will truly be a bash! There will be entertainment by thePop Tarts on a Profit Platform on the lanes along with 50-centbowling, shoes, hot dogs and more.

Pete built the center from the ground up includingadditions and remodeling while, at the same time, workingfor Brunswick Corporation installing lanes and machines forexisting centers in Ohio and surrounding areas.

In 2008, the BPAA awarded Pete and Rosalie the GoldenPin Award for Center Administration.

Still a family operation, the center is now managed bydaughter, Anna Marie Slaby, and her husband Chuck . SonsTony and John and other daughter Lauretta also playedroles in the continued success.

The Scimones’ philosophy has been the same over 50years—“treat our customers so they are only a stranger butonce.” Congratulations and Happy 50th Anniversary!

12 IBI January 2012

SHORTS

Bill White of Akron Lanes was named 2011’s Ohio BowlingProprietor of the Year. According to the Suburbanite.com,

White has been in the bowling businessthe greater part of his 83 years in oneway or another. He is very proud of thefact that he has several employees whohave been in his employ for over 30years. Quite a testament!

Besides the business end, Whitehas many bowling honors to his credit.He was five times Ohio bowler of theyear 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 theassociation for all her years of service and especially herinvolvement in youth programs.

Circus Circus Hotel & Casino, theEldorado Hotel Casino and SilverLegacy Resort Casino announced thatJim Sturm has been named ExecutiveDirector of Bowling Operations. Sturmwill work to develop new, long termbowling events for the NationalBowling Stadium and will work hand-in-hand with the sales teams at each of thethree properties to promote future conventions and tradeshows that have an affinity for bowling.

“We are thrilled to have Jimmy on board in this newposition,” said Gary Carano, general manager of SilverLegacy. “His expertise, experience and enthusiasm willgreatly benefit our properties, the National Bowling Stadiumand downtown Reno.”

Presently, Sturm serves on the board of directors for theBPAA, USBC as well as Strike Ten, which serves as themarketing arm of the bowling industry.

PEOPLEWATCHING

From left, Stuart Moss, LA USBC Youth President; Renella Cormier; andMarc Pater, LA BPA Executive Director

Jim Sturm

Roseland Celebrates

50thAnniversary

Pete and Rosalie Scimone being given the Key to the City by OakwoodVillage Mayor Gary Gottschalk.

The Pop Tartsentertained the crowd

on a Profit Platformplaced across the lanes.

Bill White

INDUSTRY ISSUES

14 IBI January 2012

im Doty will tell you, as he told us: “I don’tknow how you market your center, how youpromote, without some type of tool–other

than 3x5 cards.”Doty, general manager of the Royal Pin Leisure

Centers in Indianapolis, is using something thesedays that’s a lot better than index cards.

When he wants to run a men’s league on Mondaynights, he needs to contact men, not junior bowlersor seniors, he explains. “I design a profile of who Ithink will bowl in this league. Before the league ispromoted, there’s a marketing plan that tells uswho we’re going to promote this to. This tool letsyou design your marketing plan for the leaguesyou’re trying to form, so you’re not just pullingnames from a card-file box.”

“This tool” is a new computer program forcustomer relations management–or CRM–calledCustomer Connect. A combined product of BPAA’sIT, education and marketing departments, it willbe a free member benefit for BPAA centers after itslaunch at Summit this month. Doty, head of BPAA’smarketing committee, is one of a half-dozen betatesters who have been working with programmodules as they have rolled out of the BPAAtechnology department since the summer.

The centerpiece of the new program allows aproprietor to generate “completely customizable”lists of customers and prospects, reports HeathShults, BPAA director of technology and thedevelopment/team lead manager for the project. Hislab wrote Customer Connect.

Explains Bart Burger, BPAA vice president ofbusiness development, who is heading the CustomerConnect project, “Say you have an operation thathas a sports bar or volleyball or laser tag. If in yourdata collection you ask folks what they like, youcould pull out all the folks that said ‘I’d like to hear

J

MAKING IT PERSONALBy Fred GrohBPAA's Customer Connect provides

the tool to customize marketingdata - all in one place.

Heath Shults, Ronny Dodd, Shera Harrison, Kiran Patel,and BPAA vice president of business development BartBurger savor satisfaction as beta testing winds up.

Photos courtesy of Ron De Roxtra BPAA Communications Coordinator

15IBI January 2012

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 hislists on and the segmentation part of the program will groupit together–“game profile, interests, personal demographics,anything.” The program also comes with a number of built-in categories for organizing customer information, such asevents at the center and leagues, making it even easier tocreate 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 BowlingCampus, providing access to all the center’s data and all theCustomer Connect functionality from any computer;

� daily and weekly data backups with regular monitoring byIT pros–and no worry about losing customer data if a computerat the bowling center goes down;

� real-time updates on USBC-certified bowlers who use thecenter;

� for proprietors who don’t use BPAA’s website hosting, afree add-on “widget” can be embedded on a center’s website;a visitor to the site can fill out a form, and the information willgo directly into the center’s database;

� annual updating of mailing addresses by the U.S. PostalService;

� an optional third-party email management service.���

For those who use BowlerTRAC now, or who remember theolder database management program, comparisons withCustomer Connect are inescapable. Burger and the betatesters don’t duck the confrontation. The first testers, such asDoty, were recruited from the BPAA technology and marketingcommittees because they know BowlerTRAC. “We had tomake sure we didn’t go backward and lose any functionalitythat we had [in BowlerTRAC]; everything was going to be anenhancement,” says Alan Nordman, Illinois proprietor, chair ofthe BPAA technology committee, and like Doty a beta tester.

Burger says BPAA is stressing the point. “We’ve made it veryclear to our present users of BowlerTRAC that they’re notgoing to lose the functionality and the things they like–theprocesses 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. Withthe control it gives a proprietor over the lists he can generate,CRM compares to database management–even the databasemanagement of just a few years ago–like a 50-inch plasma TVcompares to a smart-phone screen.

In the second place, Burger says, Customer Connect isbeing designed to be “much more user-friendly” than earlyBowlerTRAC 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’searly development as president of BPAA 2000-02. “They didn’thave to use all the features, but the fact that [the features] werethere made it [appear] like it was too complicated.”

“Really ahead of their time,” offers Burger, talking about thepeople who put BowlerTRAC together a decade ago, “thinkingthrough 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 togo through over 10 steps just to get a segmented list. WithCustomer Connect, you can get a segmented email list withthree clicks.”

Ducat, whose centers have worked with some of the testmodules, agrees. “It’s a totally new look, easier. Thebackground, a lot of it, works the same, with a lot of additionsand easier flow. It’s much more user-friendly. People will loveit a lot more.”

And for any skeptics who raise a question about the wisdomof developing Customer Connect in-house, Ducat says flatly“we’re much better off.” BowlerTRAC was developed by out-of-house expertise at significant expense because BPAA didn’thave the technical infrastructure to do the job itself. Not onlydoes in-house development cost less, says Ducat, but Shultsand his staff, working full-time in bowling, better understandwhat 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 midwaythrough the testing. “We do feedback while they’re still heavilyin the development stages. There’ve been cases where they hadto make significant changes, but they didn’t have to go throughthe whole development cycle before they could do it.”

Reported beta tester and Staten Island proprietor FrankWilkinson, “There have been several conference calls, one toget you set up, get you started, understand what we’re doing;then constant communicating. They provided us with a formto 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 thesoftware? 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 programwere signed up to work with Customer Connect at theircenters, a double-check on its user-friendliness.

Testers Doty, Nordman and Wilkinson weren’t waiting for thebeta phase to conclude before they began contemplatingthe operational benefits, however.

For Wilkinson, a BPAA Young Gun and heavy user of IT inrunning and marketing his business, Customer Connect is goingto put “everything in one place. Huge value. It does everythingI have now does, but everything I have now is in different places.”

16 IBI January 2012

INDUSTRY ISSUES

Four places, to be exact. Wilkinson has one database in his leaguesecretary software, one in a rewards program, he uses BowlerTRAC, andhe maintains Excel spreadsheets for emailing, coupon redemption andspecial events. He devotes about eight hours of staff time a week toinputting data in these various places–and loses some time that hisstaff could be spending dealing with his customers. Meanwhile he hasto rely on going from one place to another when he wants to segmentcustomers, as for a Kids Bowl Free promotion or an email promotion.

“Each bowling center should have one central location for theirdata–and all sorts of data,” Wilkinson told us firmly. With CustomerConnect, he’ll have it.

He seemed to be anticipating a celebration when he said he wouldbe 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 ourvarious free-game promotions and whatnot is sitting on a particularcomputer, and that station isn’t always manned.” Sometimes, he added,it would be great to be able to use two or three people simultaneouslyon 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 rushproject. For me personally, that’s going to be the biggest thing onthe backside.”

Nordman is also looking for what he calls the front end in customerrelations management–communication with bowlers and prospectivebowlers, not only convenient data storage.

“In today’s environment, you need this. We’re [taking] our biggesthits with the 20-somethings. [Getting these people back for repeatbusiness] is where this system is going to be way ahead of anything else

that we’ve had in the industry.They’re the ones that aretechnologically literate. We’ve gotto be able to use their mechanisms.Newspapers, TV– those things don’twork with this group. We’ve got tohit them in what they’re looking at,and this is the way we’re going to beable to do it.”

Doty is looking even fartherahead. A few years down the road,he sees Customer Connect doingthe job for which an industrymarketing fund has been boomedfor years.

“There’s nobody with a whitehorse that has 8 million bucks ayear. In the real world that person isnot 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 anad for the Super Bowl and it probably wouldn’t beworthwhile anyway. The person with the least moneyto put up is the bowling proprietor–us–and in mostcases, we probably can’t get all 3,600 [BPAA] membersto do it.

“Customer Connect gives us the option ofmanagement for our email addresses. [We could] doa national marketing campaign with all these emailaddresses. Then it’s also going to have an option forproprietors to do Twitter, Facebook and the like, thatwe don’t do a very good job with right now.

“The end result, as I see it, is to help the proprietordo a social marketing program that we need in theindustry to help promote bowling on the local level.We still have to get the word out about bowling, andthe social media is the way to do that. I look at it asbeing our industry marketing fund.”

BPAA has a charge to train people on how to dosocial marketing, Doty noted. What’s needed is theability to slice and dice customer data to put themessage where the market is. If Doty is right, CustomerConnect will be the way bowling will be doing that. ❖

Fred Groh is a regular contributor to IBI andformer managing editor of the magazine.

The Customer Connect team discusses resultsfrom beta testing.

18 IBI January 2012

MARKETING

d Sousa believes in dreaming big. But unlike other dreamers, he turns his dreams intoreality. 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 componentof the 2015 Pan Am Games, which in turn will not only bring international revenue into the center,but also to the entire community.

Building aNationalFundraiser

from Scratch

With true grit, street savvyand trusty contacts, Ed Sousa

knocks down cancer.

Another opportunity presented itself in a roundabout way.In October of 2010 while watching his favorite NFL team, thePittsburgh Steelers, Sousa noticed the players had pinkenhancements on their uniforms, and were using pink towels.He discovered that the entire professional football league wassupporting National Breast Cancer Awareness month thatOctober and every October since by displaying pink.

That started his dream. “We as an industrydon’t really do anything of the magnitudeas the NFL did and yet we are in asport that spans from 3-year-oldsto people well into their 90s. Wemissed an opportunity topromote this (cancer awarenessand research), while anybodyin bowling can participate inthe fight against cancer.”

Sousa went right into action.

“My first thought was that I didn’t want to saturate the marketduring October because that’s when everybody’s fundraisersran.” So he targeted January for his newly formulated fundraiser.

He started with the rental shoes at his center. He couldcreate pink bowling shoes and donate twenty-five cents fromeach 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 wasenthusiastic, 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, andshipping by normal freight from Chinameans they would never make it in time.But Sousa refused to accept words like

“never.” He had the shoes made andexpress shipped. They arrived on December

28th for the January event. While the normal

By Joan Taylor

EA proud Ed Sousa

19IBI January 2012

MARKETING

lead-time is anywhere from 120-150 days, Sousa andJon pulled it off in sixty days.

The next step was to get approval from theCanadian Cancer Society to see if it was worthy oftheir endorsement. They agreed it was one of thebest campaigns they ever heard of and got behindit 100 percent.

It was now time to put it all together.Sousa contacted his trade association,Bowl Canada, their version of theUSA’s BPAA, for their support andapproval. They, too, went all in. Fromthere Sousa created a KnockdownCancer logo so he could brand theentire campaign. The CanadianCancer Society approved the design,but now Sousa had only about 45 days tothe planned opening event. Armed with thelogo, he had tee shirts made and regulation sizedbowling pins painted pink. He invited cancer societyvolunteers to man a booth inside the center for themonth of January. Because this is a general cancerawareness program that encompasses research toeradicate the disease, it appeals to men, women,and youths. Donation boxes were placed throughoutthe center. The cancer society brought in their ownpromotional items as well.

For the big kickoff, Sousa invited the mayor, theirmember of the parliament and members of theprovincial parliament, and they all came in for thelaunch scheduled for January 13, 2011. The local mediacame and all the politicians dressed in the pink shoesand tee shirts. With the pink bowling pins as well, it wasa natural for photo ops and news broadcasts. Onecabinet administrator had literally never set foot in abowling center until then. “He was so impressed at whatthe bowling community did to enhance the quality oflife, he said he had been missing this all his life. He hasbeen back several times to bowl with his family. He

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 theones who constantly asked for them when we ran out and they had torent regular bowling shoes. That’s how popular the campaign became.”

From the success of the first event came an invitation from Bowl Canadafor Sousa to speak at Bowl Expo that June to the Canadian proprietorsabout Knockdown Cancer as a national campaign. They all signed up onsite for the first national Knockdown Cancer campaign, slated to go coast-to-coast in Canada in January of 2012. It will be the largest participationprogram in Bowl Canada’s history. The organization is already touting theevent on its website with “details to follow.” Brunswick is creating a Viz-a-ball to be used as a house ball for January. They are also manufacturingthe pink pins. Two or three pins will be placed in the cycle on each lanein 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 alsotaking the program as is, without modifying it for its French-speakingpopulation. The branded products will include golf towels, tee shirts,mini pins for sale, tote bags, tuques (winter hats), and mini shoes. Thesmall 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 cancersociety. 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. Heexpects each member center to host its own launch on January 7th tocorrespond with the national launch. Initially the branded products willonly 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 canparticipate in easily by just coming in to open bowl. They are not doinganything differently from what they would normally do. The onlydifference is that part of what they do that day will be donated to thefundraiser. The proprietors don’t have to do that much work, either. That’sthe objective of Sousa’s programs, to not have to put much extra effort

Team Knock Down Cancer. (L) Ed Sousa’smarketing ideas come to life.

20 IBI January 2012

MARKETING

Joan Taylor is a multi-award winning bowling writerbased in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.

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. “Butfortunately I found my calling in life early on and this is it. It allows meto create campaigns and put bowling in a higher stead. I don’t wantpeople to perceive it as an activity where you simply throw a ball andhit the pins.”

At age 16, Sousa worked at his friend’s father’s bowling center in

Brampton, Ontario near his hometown of Mississauga.He trained as a B mechanic, but his real calling wasgetting people to play. He moved up to the front deskand was soon creating marketing campaigns. Fromthere he got his business degree and continued in thebowling industry. “I never thought I’d be where I amtoday. Some people hate getting up in the morning fortheir jobs. For me, every day creates a new challengethat helps me stay energized. Knockdown Cancer hasbrought it all to a head.”

Sousa has always created programs lookingdown the road five, 10 and even 15 years. Hisgoal, among others, is for the Knockdown Cancercampaign to go worldwide (after all, the Pan AmGames in 2015 are worldwide).

Sousa has every confidence in that internationallaunch, too. After all, he dreams big, and then makesthose big dreams come true. ❖

Classic Bowl, home to Knock Down Cancer,and a pretty picture of the pink pins.

22 IBI January 2012

COVER STORY

MICHIGANSCHOLARSHIPDRAMA

The story of how onestate averted an impendingdisaster with their high schoolscholarship tournament.

The story of how onestate averted an impendingdisaster with their high schoolscholarship tournament.

23IBI January 2012

COVER STORY

t’s a cautionary tale for states wherebowling is a sanctioned high school sportand for states where proprietors want it to

be. Check your state’s amateur-standingrules for high schoolers, and if you runscholarship tournaments, be compliant withthe rules.

For years, Michigan proprietors weren’t.“We’ve done bowling scholarship

tournaments the same way since thebeginning of time,” says Roger Philipi,current president of BPAA-affiliated BowlingCenters Association of Michigan (BCAM).Philipi was president last year when thingscame to a head.

“You would run a bowling tournamentand you would issue, basically, dollar amountsfor placement, and that money would beturned over to Scholarship Management andAccounting Reports for Tenpins, a programdesigned to help association andorganizations set up, manage and disburseyouth bowling scholarship funds. Many timesthere wasn’t an academic element, a GPA[grade point average], a SAT [ScholasticAptitude Test] review—there really wasn’teven a real look at the academic side of thatathlete at all.”

What there was, in Philipi’s memorablephrase, was layaway cash. “Without anacademic element, it really is a layawayprogram for cash.”

And tournaments usually weren’tcompliant with the amateur-standing rules ofthe Michigan High School AthleticAssociation (MHSAA).

“Our requirements aren’t specific tobowling,” explains Randy Allen, point manfor bowling at MHSAA; nor are they specificto golf, softball, hockey or baseball, whichalso come before Allen’s desk. Therequirements are two “very simple portionsof our rules and regulations. “One is amateurstatus. Athletes cannot receive cash ormerchandise. That’s the simplest way to putit. Therefore if you have something you’recalling a scholarship program but in realityit’s prize money that’s given later, thatviolates the amateur status rule.

“Second, scholarships may be granted after graduation as long as they arebased partially on other criteria than just athletic performance, such as academiccriteria, community involvement, volunteer works, etc., etc.”

Michigan proprietors who were running tournaments for high schoolscholarships knew full well there were amateur-standing rules, and presumablymany of them knew the content of the rules. Some, like Jim Teuber, madechanges in local tourneys as soon as MHSAA picked up bowling in December2002. Teuber is past-president and current treasurer of the independentproprietors’ 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 ascholarship couldn’t be based on performance alone. There needed to be othercriteria. The most obvious would be some sort of academic component. In ourlocal [USBC] tournaments here, we quickly put in a requirement that you neededto 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 howmakeshift 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.”

MHSAA having taken on bowling, Allen was meanwhile grappling with themighty work of putting together a state tournament for bowling under MHSAAauspices. Soon he was also crisscrossing Michigan to educate bowling folk whowere 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 bowlingcenter proprietors. Understandably they wouldn’t be as “connected” to schools

I

Sending the Message

By Fred Groh

24 IBI January 2012

COVER STORY

or MHSAA regulations as high school coaches ofwell-established sports like football would be.

“The bowling envelope is much, much bigger witha longer history of national [and] state events,” saysAllen, speaking from bowling’s point of view. “Itmushroomed over a period of years into somethingthat tended to use the word ‘scholarship’ as a halo foreverything—not with bad intentions and doing somegood stuff—[but] over the years we’ve been somewhatlulled to sleep. Our athletic directors, who normallywould keep very close tabs on athlete eligibility,would hear the word ‘scholarship,’ they would haveno reason to think it [was] anything other than alegitimate scholarship.”

Strong reasons, then, to launch an educationprogram in 2003 that “kept repeating the samemessage,” he states. “We kept telling them thatscholarships had to comply. Going to an event thatcalled itself a scholarship event, which is awonderful intention, where prize money isawarded in specific amounts to a specific bowlerand then saved in a specific account with SMARTand paid at a later date for a good cause, is nota scholarship by our definition. It’s prize money thatis deferred.”

Allen pointed out to them that tournamentscould operate with the same pool of money—thesponsorship dollars, dollars added from the hostproprietor, 50/50 raffles on site. The same kidscould have access to it, in the same way that a local

civic organization might have a scholarship fund for a promising medicalstudent or basketball player. “Their academics, their participation inbowling should be part of a formula that the people who operate thescholarship fund will [use to] disburse the money, and the kids with morebowling, better bowling, better grades will get a larger grant.”

About three years ago, between engagements on the road wherehe pitched compliance, Allen got together with two spokesmen for USBCand its youth division. He gave them “five or six” plans for satisfyingMHSAA 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 USBCabout how we should do scholarship tournaments at state and nationallevels.” Unhappily, the plans were all tuned down.

Allen wasn’t the only one at MHSAA concerned about bowlingcompliance. Jack Roberts, MHSAA executive director, was listening tolengthy reports from Allen on his excursions. Hitting the road too,Roberts was regularly relaying the updates from Allen to the 1,500 juniorand senior high schools who are the members of MHSAA.

As the 2010-11 school year loomed, it would clearly be “a verycritical year” as far as MHSAA’s governing council was concerned,Allen says. The program to educate bowling people about compliancewas in its seventh year.

He remembers, “After years when we allowed efforts to be made tochange, 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 tobe for more legitimate scholarship programs—not prize money that’sjust deferred payments to colleges—we will have some very difficult

Jim Teuber, Michigan Propreatore.

Randy Allen at the Michigan High School Athletic Association.

The Year of Decision

26 IBI January 2012

COVER STORY

decisions to make.”With proprietors and USBC,

MHSAA shared a desire for “thebest things for kids,” but at lastthey had come to “a tippingpoint” about how to do them,Allen says.

Responding to an invitation,USBC’s Stu Upson flew toMichigan for a joint meeting, “tohear everybody out and see ifthere might be a solution,” Upsonremembers. “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 AthleticAssociation was starting to question the validity of those[bowling scholarship] events and how [they] would affect thequalifications of an athlete and how they were somewhatcontrary to the other sports.

“Nicely we were asked by [Randy Allen], ‘You need to helpus out here. We’ll help you out, but we can’t let this thing dragon any more.’

“I think,” Philipi speculates, “the challenge was if it was goingto continue to be a non-academic-based scholarshiptournament, [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 MHSAAbrand. “We do not have the ability to communicate withschools’ athletic directors and work through that type ofproblem—rule governance—as they do,” Philipi offers. “They’vehelped build [bowling] into a large program beneficial to everyproprietor. The brand is beneficial to everyproprietor. It was just too much of a riskto not want to work with the brand.”

For his part, Teuber at GMBCOA putout some feelers and called RogerSchildroth, president of the MichiganUSBC youth association. “[GMBCOA] hada committee and we were looking at [thecompliance issue] but we knew thatultimately we needed a solution thatwould be embraced by everybody in thestate. We needed a solution they couldeither mirror or buy into and be part of,but we needed something that would fitevery league and tournament out there.”

Schildroth and his wife, Sharon, themanager of the state USBC youthassociation, had worked out a points

system for their state tournament that had been deemedcompliant. Teuber’s idea “from day one” was that theSchildroth’s system could be tweaked into the solution stateproprietors needed for scholarship tournaments.

“I talked to Roger and said, ‘We need to talk and come upwith a system people can buy into.’ He said, ‘Give me a coupleof 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 weeksbut 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, GMBCOAmembers Pete Tomassoni (GMBCOA president) and BobLomanaco, Mark Martin of of the Southeast Michigan USBCchapter and the national USBC board, and Jerry Trabeck of theMichigan Junior Masters Association, which runs a majortournament for top bowlers in the state.

A year later, Philipi describes the result as “similar to GrandPrix,” a points-based scholarship program that at its height,before SMART was established, was being used by about 25state proprietor associations. Similar to Grand Prix, but thecommittee couldn’t figure out how to accommodate all thestate’s existing leagues and tournaments in the Grand Prixconcept, says Teuber.

In the new template for Michigan scholarships, a graduatinghigh schooler who has bowled in the program applies toredeem his points. The points are reviewed by a committeeconsidering his college entrance exam scores, GPA, communityservice and bowling ability. Crunching the numbers by a set offormulas determines the bowler’s award. Any qualified applicantgets 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

Roger Philipi, President of BCAM.

28 IBI January 2012

COVER STORY

scholarship events with no academic element. [However] they just mayput 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 playon a high school sporting team, this is what a scholarship is.”

Allen concurs. “We had kids play in the Buick Open [PGA golf] all thetime that were high school kids. They can play in the professionalevent. They simply can’t win the money. You can play with the proswithout being one.”

At press time, the details of the new template were being finalized,but a web presence for students to apply for point redemption will befeatured. Two statewide conference calls had been planned by theproprietor/USBC committee to answer questions from anyone interestedin the new look for bowling scholarships, including parents. Documentsexplaining the nuts and bolts of the program for those who willadminister 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 andcompany were happy to comply, especially when they found that “notonly was it compliant, they went above and beyond what we require.They added in some criteria: ACT [a standardized test for collegeadmission] and SAT scores, volunteer work in your community.”

Philipi, for one, is quick to express appreciation. MHSAA was, hestates, “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 andthey have. They’ve helped us all the way along.”

That amicable end of the story makes the mood of a year ago all themore remarkable. Asked whether MHSAA seriously considered thepossibility of dropping bowling, Allen answers without hesitation,“Absolutely. Our council [MHSAA governing board] had three meetingsover the last school year—December, March and May [2010-11]. Our

Fred Groh is a regular contributor to IBI and formermanaging editor of the magazine.

reports to them were very comprehensive, lettingthem know what the situation was.”

At first, there was little to report. “‘We don’t knowwhere this is going to go. We’re hopeful,’” Allen toldthem. “Our goal was not to cut bowling loose. It wasto hold on to bowling.”

Later in the year he could report that bowlingpeople had been told, “Unless we see the progressand the results, in March and May when our councilmeets again, we’re going to have to make arecommendation. We need to see bona fide andgenuine efforts to move this scholarship programwhere 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 timefor our May council meeting.”

“We’re in the business of opportunities at the highschool level and bringing more kids into the orbit ofschool sports and learning and fun and education,”he reflects. “Our goal was to say, ‘We need you andwant you to be compliant.’”

They, and Michigan proprietors, got what theywanted. ❖

The Resolution

30 IBI January 2012

rdmore, Oklahoma, is known for its steamysummers, ice storms in winter and weatherthat can change on a dime. It is this dynamic

landscape that forged the heart of a very specialadventurer by the name of Glenn Hendrix.

In 1975 Hendrix was a teenager when he walked intoKen-Cliff Bowling Lanes and fell in love with the sport.

As a bonus, he bonded with the wonderful family that ran thebowling alley, Jim and Jackie Meeks. Hendrix talked Jackie intohiring him to work the front desk. A year later Ken-Cliff Lanesclosed, torn down and replaced with a parking lot. But, that oneyear of working there was long enough to plant a dream intoHendrix’s heart. It was a dream that led him to break ground in 2010.By February 2011, with the blessings of the Meeks family, Hendrixopened the doors of a brand new bowling center named after hisbeloved Ken-Cliff Lanes.

This 21st Century re-mix is dramatically different from the 1975original. It’s a steel structured building, simple in design andlocated on Dogwood Road in Ardmore. For Hendrix, it was a choicethat proved to be cost effective and faster construction. It is a worryand maintenance free facility that is well insulated, thus keepingthe overhead down and utility costs low.

A

BUILD IT, AND THEY WILL COME

By Anna Littles

Glenn Hendrix achieves hisdream of rebuilding Ken-CliffLanes after a year of back-breaking work

CENTER STAGE

Glenn Hendrix stands beside his newreplica of the old Ken-Cliff Lanes sign.

31IBI January 2012

CENTER STAGE

The snowy, empty lotbefore construction begins.

The framing is underway in the spring.

The reclaimed lanes get wet during asurprise downpour while being delivered.

The reclaimed equipment as it arrives atKen-Cliff Lanes, before being refurbished.

Gently moving in one of the refurbished pinsetters.

The final product.

Testing the ball return.

32 IBI January 2012

2011 opening deadline by the skin of histeeth. Construction wasn’t really finishedbut they made it work. The best part isthat the tournament put Ken-Cliff Laneson the map.

The size of the new/old bowling centeris 4 lanes, creating a warm, friendly andhomey environment. Hendrix offerscomplete, personal one-on-one service byhandling one group at a time. He thoughthis love for Ken-Cliff Lanes would be a fun,part time business. Hendrix had no ideawhat he had created. This adventure hasturned into a true labor of love that heworks 7 days a week. Hendrix has to turnpeople away just to get a day off! Histrusty staff consists of a part-timeemployee who handles the front desk. Foradded flair his 17 year old Germanshepherd dog, Buster, along with hissidekick, Smokey, the (bowling) alley cat,lovingly greets everyone who enters.

I asked Hendrix, “Why go through allof that trouble to do vintage?” “Firstlove! And it’s different! People come inand say ‘this is how a bowling alley issupposed to look,’ but then they are allliving in the past.”

For Glenn Hendrix, the past paved theway for him to have a great time fulfillinga dream of recreating his first love. ❖

For more photos from the constructionprocess of Ken-Cliff Lanes please visitbowlingindustry.com.

Anna Littles, a screenplay and freelancewriter and producer originally fromthe Bronx, New York, now resides inSanta Monica, California. You can seeher work on YouTube, IMDB, or on herwebsite at www.alittleLA.com.

CENTER STAGE

But here is where we part ways with thenew millennium – the entire interior of Ken-Cliff Lanes Bowling Center is completelyrefurbished with vintage mid-20th centuryequipment.

As Hendrix explains it was a lot easier tofind vintage equipment however, refurbishingit was a whole different story. He worked withDarryl Tucker, a used equipment dealerdown 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 magiccircle 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 nameof Willis Bell, an expert who has worked on AMF equipment for over 50 years. Thanksto 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 bodyshop to the mix. That’s right, Colormatch International Auto Body Shop. Colormatchrepainted all the masking units, and all the old AMF lockers. According to Hendrix, “Theywent whole hog on this. They even repainted the sweeps and everything.”

Between refurbishing and painting, Hendrix worked non-stop to get ready forthe Cater County USBC 54th Annual Tournament, which was scheduled to launchthe grand opening of Ken-Cliff Lanes. He has a long history with them. In fact, thelast Tournament Hendrix worked was USBC’s19th Annual. Hendrix made his February

33IBI January 2012

OPERATIONS

ike other businesses, bowling centers and proshops collect sensitive personal information fromthe people they deal with so how they keep and

protect it is vital. Such data is primarily provided bycustomers and employees.Information received fromcustomers usually occurswhen they sign up forleagues, book birthdayparties or corporateevents and includes suchpublically-availableinformation as name,address, phone number,birthdate and e-mail.

Personal informationalso is obtained whencustomers use credit cardsto 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. "Youmay not even be aware your information is out there to be stolen."

To avoid such problems, bowling centers and pro shops should firstcreate a written, identity theft, prevention plan. This will help identifythe warning signs or "red flags" that can occur in their day-to-dayoperations. In fact, many organizations and businesses are requiredby the Federal Trade Commission to create and implement such a plancalled The Red Flags Rule. "Safeguarding sensitive data in your filesand on your computers is just plain good business," the FTC said inthe "Fighting Fraud on the Red Flags Rule" part of its www.ftc.govwebsite. "After all, if that information falls into the wrong hands, it canlead to fraud or identity theft."

Having such a plan allows businesses to be better aware when fraudmight be occuring. By knowing the signs, they can stop potentialproblems before they become too big. The FTC also offers manyexcellent educational tools. One is an interactive tutorial calledProtecting Personal Information: A Guide for Business which featuresbuilding a plan on five key principals:

1. Take stock - know what personal information you have in files andcomputers 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, vicepresident 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 transactionwith a customer credit card what happens to thatinformation? 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'thold credit card numbers," Johnson said. "Beyond thetransaction we can't ever see them. Only our payment

processor does." Most likely, such payment processorsare compliant with the Payment Card Industry Data Security

Standard which ensures credit card transactions are

LBy Mark Miller

Keeping customer and employeeinformation safe is good

business for centers and proshops; and it’s the law. Here aresome tips and tools to manage

your growing data needs.

years after they leave the company. Also, be sure to backgroundcheck applicants before you hire them especially if they will bedealing with sensitive information.

As added safeguards for information kept electronically,Warren said to use firewalls and passwords and limit who hasaccess to private information. Only the person maintaining theinformation and his/her supervisor should be able to see it.

Even someone's address can be a piece of the puzzle. "It'spublic information to us and you may not think much of it buta 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 neverexpose an employee's last four social security numbers. That'sbecause the first five digits are public information based on theregion he/she lives in and pairing the sets can make it easier tofind someone.

Warren said that even if your center or pro shop isn't requiredto follow the Red Flag Rules, make sure vendors handling your401k, payroll, flexible spending and bank accounts are compliant.If you are asked to verify someone's employment, instead ofgiving out a social security number, ask the inquiring person forit 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 tomake sure you don't leave any personal information in thegarbage, a goldmine site for identity theft. Overwrite computerhardrives so data can't be recovered. And be sure to check withyour local and state laws to learn their requirements.

To help member centers properly protect their customerinformation and especially credit card numbers, BPAA isintroducing a new free member product called CustomerConnect. This will allow centers to keep their data secure off-site because it will be internet based. According to Burger,Customer Connect will run information through programs suchas national change of address and email opt-out. "We will dothis for proprietors because many proprietors don't have thetime to do it themselves," Burger said. "It's a manifestation ofBowlerTrac, the next level. It's a BowlerTrac hardware-basedprogram that's web-based and securly housed at theInternational Bowling Campus."

Not properly securing your customers' and/or employees'personal information can cost you their trust and business plusresult in potential lawsuits and Federal Trade Commission fines.If there is a data compromise, notify your employees orcustomers immediately. It's just good business. ❖

OPERATIONS

IBI January 201234

Mark Miller is a freelance writer from Flower Mound, Texas. Heis the national and Dallas-Fort Worth bowling writer forExaminer.com and a columnist for the Bowling News Network.

maintained securely. Such standards apply to any merchantwho accepts credit or debit cards. Information about PCIcompliance can be obtained at www.pcisecuritystandards.org.

Employee information is another animal because employersusually maintain much more delicate, personal, informationsuch as benefits, payroll and tax forms with social securitynumbers, bank account and routing numbers to direct depositpayroll checks and insurance options.

Sara Warren, director of human resources for the InternationalBowling 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 employmentapplication or get in resumes," Warren said. "Don't use socialsecurity numbers as employee numbers. You don't need socialsecurity numbers on paychecks, and be careful who handlespaychecks; don't leave them out."

Warren recommends reviewing employee information atleast annually and keep it for former employees for at least seven

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CLASSIFIEDSCENTERS FOR SALE

WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA: One ofthe top five places to move! Remodeled32-lane center. Good numbers. $3.1mgets it all. Fax qualified inquiries to (828)253-0362.

CENTRAL IDAHO: 8-lane center andrestaurant in central Idaho mountains.Small town. Only center within 60-mileradius. Brunswick A-2 machines;Anvilane lane beds; automatic scoring.(208) 879-4448.

EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA: 6-laneBrunswick center, bar & grill, drive-thruliquor store in small college town. Also, 3apartment buildings with 40 units, goodrental history. Call (701) 330-7757 or (701)430-1490.

EQUIPMENT FOR SALE

Pinsetter Parts New from ALL majormanufacturers. HUGE IN STOCK inventory.USED Brunswick Scoring parts, AS90cameras, processors, lane cables,monitors, and PC boards. Order online @888SBIBOWL.com or (888) 724-2695.The Mechanics Choice!

AMF XL & BOSS scoring for small andlarge centers with LCD monitors. (712)253-8730 .

EQUIPMENT WANTED

LANE MACHINES WANTED. We willpurchase your KEGEL-built machine, anyage or condition. Phone (608) 764-1464.

CENTERS FOR SALE

UPSTATE NEW YORK: 8-lane center/commercial building built in 1992.Synthetic lanes, new automatic scoring,kitchen and room to expand! Reduced tosell @ $375,000. Call (315) 376-3611.

16-lane center in Southern Coloradomountains. Great condition. 18,000s/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, autoscoring, Anvilane synthetics, 82-70s. Greatfood 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 andinfo @ www.visitcolby.com or contactCharles (785) 443-3477.

CENTERS FOR SALE

SOUTHWEST KANSAS: well-maintained8-lane center, A-2s, full-service restaurant.Includes business and real estate. Nice,smaller community. Owner retiring.$212,000. Leave message (620) 397-5828.

NE MINNESOTA: Food, Liquor & Bowling.Established 8 lanes between Mpls & Duluth w/large bar, dining room, banquet area. Two largeState employment facilities nearby. High sixfigure gross. Call Bryan (218) 380-8089.www.majesticpine.com.

SOUTHERN INDIANA (close toIndianapolis): 18-lane Brunswick centerwith lounge, liquor license & movietheater on 4+ acres. Turnkey business.Owner retiring. Great investment! (765) 349-1312.

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

GEORGIA: busy 32-lane center, realestate included. Great location in one offastest growing counties in metro Atlanta.5 years new with all the amenities.Excellent numbers. Call (770) 356-8751.

NORTHWEST LOUISIANA: 12-LANEBrunswick center. REDUCED TO SELLNOW! Includes auto scoring, glow bowling,pizza, large dining area & video poker. Goodincome. Long Lease. Great opportunity. CallMike (318) 578-0772.

WWW.FACEBOOKBOWLING.COM

NE NEVADA: New 2001. 16 lanes, 19,200square feet, 1.68 acres paved, sound &lighting, lounge w/ gaming, arcade, fullservice snack bar & pro shop. Call (775)934-1539.

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CLASSIFIEDS

MARSHALL ELECTRONICS• Electronic Scoring Repair• AMF Accuscore Plus• Curtain Wall Chassis - $285

• Foul Units• Chassis Boards• 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 • 800-782-9494www.merepair.webs.com

ForFLORIDA CENTERS

CallDAVID DRISCOLL& ASSOCIATES

1-800-444-BOWLP.O. Box 189

Howey-in-the-Hills, FL 34737AN AFFILIATE OF

SANDY HANSELL & ASSOCIATES

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CLASSIFIEDS

Michael P. Davies (321) 254-7849291 Sandy Run, Melbourne, FL 32940

on the web: bowlingscorer.com email: mike@bowlingscorer.com

AS80/90 • BOARD REPAIR • FrameworxSERVICE CALLS WORLDWIDE • PRE-SHIPS • WE SELL

NEW KEYPADS • FRONT DESK LCD MONITORS

2021 Bridge StreetJessup, PA 18434570-489-8623www.minigolfinc.com

MINIATURE GOLF COURSESIndoor/Outdoor. ImmediateInstallation. $5,900.00 & up.

"Bowling Center Construction Specialists"

�New Center Construction �Family Entertainment Centers�Residential Bowling Lanes�Modernization�Mini Bowling Lanes�Automatic Scoring

Toll Free: (866) 961-7633Office: (734) 469-4293

Email: build@capitalbowlingservice.comwww.CapitalBowlingService.com

CONTACT BRIAN ESTES

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CLASSIFIEDS

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CLASSIFIEDS

PROPRIETORS WITH AMF 82-70S.S. & M.P. MACHINES

Save $$ on Chassis & P.C. BoardExchange & Repair!

A reasonable alternative forChassis and P.C. Board Exchanges

MIKE BARRETTCall for Price List

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

WWW.FACEBOOKBOWLING.COM

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CLASSIFIEDS

Orange County Security Consultants

•Keys & ComboLocks for allTypes ofLockers.

•One weekturnaroundon mostorders.

•New locks -All types

•Used locks1/2 priceof new

All keysdone bycode #.

No keysnecessary.

LOCKERKEYS FAST!

CALL TOLL FREE 1-800-700-4KEYINT’L 530-432-1027

E-mail: huff@inreach.comFAX YOUR ORDER TO US AT:

530-432-2933

WWW.FACEBOOKBOWLING.COM

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CLASSIFIEDS

CENTERS FOR SALE

CENTRAL ILLINOIS: PRICED TO SELL!!8-lane center with AMF 82-70s, full servicerestaurant, pro shop. Plus pool tables,karaoke machine & DJ system. Asking$125,000.00 with RE. (217) 351-5152 ortoms-uvl@sbcglobal.net.

GEORGIA: 32-lane center – strong leagues& good demographics in suburban Atlanta.Leased building with opportunity to expand.Jetbacks, synthetics, Accuscore all in goodcondition. Call Ken Paton (503) 645-5630.

WWW.FACEBOOKBOWLING.COM

AMF and some BRUNSWICK PC boardrepair/exchange. 6-month warranty, fastturnaround. Call or write: WB8YJF Service

5586 Babbitt Road, New Albany, Ohio 43054Toll 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/

The leading source for real estate loans with low down payments

Ken Paton(503) 645-5630

www.kenpaton.comkpaton@kenpaton.com

We could not have gottenWe could not have gottenour loan without him.our loan without him.

Max Cook and Fred KaplowitzMax Cook and Fred KaplowitzNorth BowlNorth Bowl

Spokane, WASpokane, WA

BUY SELL

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

PARTS INVENTORYALL AMF BUMPER PARTS, XS Q-BUMP,

DURABOWL AND GEN II IN STOCK

Danny & Daryl TuckerDanny & Daryl TuckerTucker Bowling Equipment Co. Bowling Parts, Inc.609 N.E. 3rd St. P.O. Box 801Tulia, Texas 79088 Tulia, Texas 79088Call (806) 995-4018 Call (806) 995-3635Fax (806) 995-4767 Email - bpitx@texasonline.net

www.tuckerbowling.com

SOUTHERN NEVADA: Excellentopportunity for qualified person! 8-lanecenter with AMF 82-70s, Twelve Strikescoring. $60,000 for business and equipmentonly. Long term lease available. Buildingbeing remodeled. Call Steve (702) 293-6072;cell (702) 414-5321; email:ljjaa1414@yahoo.com.

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CLASSIFIEDS

SERVICES AVAILABLE

AMF 65-25 CHASSIS: Conversion, Repair,Replace & exchange. Includes rewiring,requested repairs, conversion to MK 30board system and converting chassis to newPR system where applicable. TOTALSATISFACTION GUARANTEED! Referencesavailable. CHASSIS DOCTORS(330) 314-8951.

MANAGER WANTED

Don't miss your chance to grow withan Industry Leader! Looking forExperienced, Service-Oriented GeneralManagers for our U.S. bowling retailcenter locations. Please check us out atwww.brunswickcareers.apply2jobs.comfor more details on our current openings.Act Now! Apply Today!

Looking for experienced HIGH energy centermanager for Michigan center. Forward resumeto Great Lakes Realty, 28900 Schoolcraft Rd.,Livonia, MI 48150.

WWW.FACEBOOKBOWLING.COM

CENTERS FOR SALE

IDAHO, Rigby: 8-lane center withBrunswick A-2s; refinished wooden lanes;assets $85,000; lease $1,200/month. BRINGALL OFFERS! (208) 535-9905, www.arthurberry.com.

CENTRAL ILLINOIS: Major MSA – 12-lanecenter, 13K s/f, brick front, new roof, 4.2developable acres, includes restaurant &lounge. Asking $575,000 w/ RE. Call TomThompson (309) 264-8011 or email:tt@phxaffiliates.com.

WISCONSIN: Three centers from 16 – 48lanes. Must sell. Great opportunities. Broker:(262) 901-1333.

POSITION WANTED

Seeking managerial position:EXPERIENCED manager/district manager ofsingle & multiple unit centers; specializing inturn around centers; great customer serviceskills, inventory and payroll controls and P &L controls. References and resume availableupon request. Email:schronce.tony@yahoo.com or leave message@ (817) 232-2219.

Former center owner with 15 years all aroundexperience as GM, league promoter, A-levelBrunswick mechanic, scoring system installerand lane technician. Well suited for manypositions. Call Mitch at (808) 443-3868.

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 BallRepair. Jayhawk Bowling Supply. 800-255-6436 or Jayhawkbowling.com.

(818) 789-2695

SELL YOUR CENTEROR EQUIPMENT

FAST!

ell this one definitelyskews older. The dateis not exact, but from

roaming back through BordenMilk ads, Elsie and her friends arehaving a night out at the lanesduring WWII (the mid 1940s).

Obviously from theshadowed profile and theexasperated expression, Beulahdoes not drink Hemo. Taking acloser look down the lane, wehave an over enthusiastic pinboy out in front of his place ofoperation and almost gettingin the way of the action.

Elsie the Cow with hergarland around her neck hasrepresented Borden Milksince 1936 and in 2007helped the companycelebrate 150 years. Shestarted in print and movedto television. In 1966 shetried to retire but returnedin 1971 to launch a highlysuccessful ad campaigndirected to families. Allthe while, of course, shebowled as did over 1.5million ABC members inthe late 70s and 4.2million members in theWIBC.

Hemo has comeand gone, but bowlingand Elsie roll on. ❖

W

1940’s

46 IBI January 2012

REMEMBER WHEN