international bowling industry magazine august 2014
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The World's Only Magazine Devoted Exclusively to the Business of Bowling.TRANSCRIPT
THE WORLD'S ONLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED EXCLUSIVELY TO THE BUSINESS OF BOWLING
PUBLISHER & EDITORScott Frager
[email protected]: scottfrager
OFFICE MANAGERPatty Heath
CONTRIBUTORSFred Eisenhammer
Fred GrohPatty HeathMark Miller
EDITORIAL DIRECTORJackie Fisher
ART DIRECTION & PRODUCTIONDesignworks
www.dzynwrx.com(818) 735-9424
FOUNDERAllen Crown (1933-2002)
12655 Ventura BoulevardStudio City, CA 91604(818) 789-2695(BOWL)
Fax (818) [email protected]
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,12655 Ventura Boulevard, Studio City, CA91604 USA. If possible, please furnishaddress mailing label.Printed in U.S.A. Copyright 2014, B2B Media,Inc. No part of this magazine may be reprintedwithout the publisher’s permission.
MEMBER AND/OR SUPPORTER OF:
6ISSUE AT HANDWords You Never
Want to HearBy Scott Frager
8INDUSTRY ISSUES
On the BlockBrunswick quits
bowling and sells it's centers;
the industry reacts.By Fred Groh
16INDUSTRY ISSUES
The New No. 1IBI’s Fred Groh talks withBowlmorAMF chief Tom
Shannon about why hebought Brunswick’s centers
and the part they’ll play inhis chain of 300+.
18OPERATIONSDealing with It
Untangling the mess ofcredit card charges and aquestionnaire to help you
find the best merchantservice provider.
By Fred Groh
CONTENTS VOL 22.8
8
34
IBI August 20144
22
22COVER STORYPlay Ball!Larry Schmittou has hadsuccessful careers in bothbaseball and bowling. Heshares his insights intohow the business ofbaseball is similar to thebusiness of bowling, allwith a big dose of fun.By Mark Miller
34WHAT BOWLINGMEANS TO MERick AuerbachThe former MLB playertrades homers for strikes.By Fred Eisenhammer
39PROFILETrouble with the CurveBut manager Mike Widmarhas no trouble withbowling.By Mark Miller
50REMEMBER WHENCoca-Cola1951By Patty Heath
42 Classifieds
48 Datebook
49 Showcase
6 IBI August 2014
THE ISSUE AT HAND
4THIS MONTH AT www.BowlingIndustry.com
When your parents say, “You’re mom andI are getting a divorce.”
When your employer says, “You’re jobhas been terminated.”
When your wife sobs, “Honey, our puppyran away.”
And pretty much any conversation thatbegins with, “We need to talk.”
Sometimes, the words are half-expected.They may be hard to hear but they reallyaren’t a surprise.
Other times they hit you like a ton ofbricks. That’s what happened whenBrunswick Corporation announced the saleof its bowling centers division to BowlmorAMF. The same announcement told us thatthe bowling manufacturing division wouldalso go up for sale.
It was a bowling industry equivalent of ashot heard ’round the world.
I first heard the rumblings at Bowl Expo.There was a little chatter, but nothing to
verify. Then a few weeks later an email hit my mailbox, thenanother and another, and then the formal announcement.
Within the pages of this magazine and online atwww.BowlingIndustry.com, you can follow and participate in thediscussion about this earth-shattering news. You can voice youropinion about the effects this may have on the industry and yourbusiness in particular. There has been wild speculation aboutthe possibilities: some good, some bad. I’ve even heard aconspiracy theory or two. What do you see in Brunswick’sdecisions?
For myself, when I take stock I believe that the Brunswickboard of directors really did, and are doing, the right thing: lookingout for the best interest of their shareholders.
Stripping away the “warm and fuzzy” of the Brunswick brand,maybe it will be even better off in the hands of visionaries likeTom Shannon and the yet-to-be-chosen suitor of the capitalequipment division.
Perhaps corporate headquarters regarded the bowling divisionsas the ugly duckling of the Brunswick family, and now it will reallyfind its swan’s feathers.
As tough as it may be to hear that you got fired, or that yourparents are getting a divorce, or thatyour dog ran away, we are often justifiedin finding comfort in the thought thateverything will all work out in the end.
– SCOTT FRAGER, PUBLISHERAND [email protected]
Words You Never Want to Hear
Change is hard, especially in business. However, kudos to Andrea Gage-Werren, generalmanager of La Habra 300 Bowl in La Habra, CA. Her enthusiasm is refreshing versus the doomand gloom we so often get. Even more importantly, a big shout-out for her willingness to shareher thoughts in her post on IBI Online.
“From the viewpoint of a relatively young General Manager, I believe that bowling is on theupswing in terms of popularity.” Seeing all the parties, leagues, open play, marketing and socialmedia ideas through the eyes of this young manager might put a new spin on your view.
What’s your thought for the day about bowling? Share it with bowling folks across the industryat “Blog Posts” on www.BowlinIndustry.com home page. Not a member? Now’s the time.
INDUSTRY ISSUES
8 IBI August 2014
runswick, a major bowling name sincecompany president Moses Bensinger
helped organize ABC in 1895, has announced itsdecision to exit the industry.
The news came in a release July 17 notifying newsmedia that the company had accepted an unsolicitedoffer from Bowlmor AMF for the 85 centers in theBrunswick portfolio. The sale, for $270 million, isexpected to close about the middle of October.
With the divestiture of its bowling centers,Brunswick also decided to seek a buyer for its bowlingcapital equipment division, the release said. LazardAsset Management is consulting on the sale, whichBrunswick wants to complete by the end of 2014.
Brunswick will retain its billiards business.Tom Shannon, Bowlmor AMF chairman, CEO and
president, said, the acquisition “will provide us witha strategic foothold in a number of additional marketswhile enabling us to further scale our operations andmission by leveraging our strong marketing, employeetraining and operational infrastructure.”
Already the world’s largest chain after picking up259 former AMF centers last year, Bowlmor AMF willown 335 centers when the purchase is completed.Chains next in size are Round1, a Japanese brand with100+ locations including three in the U.S., and ArdentLeisure (formerly Macquarie Leisure Trust) with about50 units in Australia, New Zealand and the U.S.
In a conference call later on the day of theannouncements, Brunswick Corp. chairman and CEODustan McCoy told reporters that the divestiture hadnot been prompted by prospects in the marine orfitness industries, where Brunswick will continue to beactive. Sales in the two industries accounted for 92%of company net revenue last year.
“Initially, we thought we knew what we could dowith the bowling business,” McCoy said. “We knew that
it was going to take investment to continue to update concepts in retailcenters and we knew it would take investment to either convert centersto [those] new concepts or to buy other locations, and we have a verygood view of what the returns for those are.
“And while the returns were something we could live with being inthe business, when Bowlmor AMF came to us and gave us theopportunity to exit the business at what we thought for us was anattractive multiple, it told us, ‘Let’s take the cash and invest the cashin our remaining businesses because we think there’s more returnopportunity there.’ It was really that simple.”
McCoy said the company will retain ‘Brunswick’ for its umbrellaname and license the name for bowling products. “It will be not a carteblanche. There will be restrictions on what can be done [by] thebusiness, and we’ll need to be consistent with the business we’redoing today so that we don’t harm the present name’s goodwill.”
Of the company’s $3.9 billion in net sales for 2013, the Bowling andBilliards segment accounted for $310 million, with 60% ($187m) frombowling centers and a third ($101m) from bowling capital equipment.The segment generated $27 million in EBIT for the year.
Brent Perrier, president of Bowling Products (capital equipment), saidhe received “six or seven” calls from parties interested in buyingBowling Products in the first three business days following theannouncements.
“We’re involved in getting them up to speed,” Perrier said, referringto Lazard. “Then we’ll be approaching people that have expressedinterest in purchasing the company as well as probably putting somefeelers out to other interested parties.”
Jim Fox, president of Bowling Retail (bowling centers), said theBowlmor AMF offer had been under consideration at Brunswick sincethe first quarter this year.
“My responsibility is to continue to lead the business and operate‘business as usual’ for Brunswick Corp. between now and the close of thistransaction,” Fox said. “We are also helping Bowlmor AMF learn how weoperate and assisting them in preparation for the change of ownership.”
Perrier indicated he has been “amazed” by some reactions to theannouncements. “People say, ‘Is my warranty no longer good?’ Ofcourse it is. ‘Brunswick is going out of business.’ Nothing could be
B
By Fred Groh
INDUSTRY ISSUES
10 IBI August 2014
further from the truth.“It’s absolutely business as usual,” Perrier said, stressing the same
point as Fox. “A lot of times, businesses are sold because they’reunsuccessful. That wasn’t the case with Bowling Retail and that isn’t thecase with Bowling Products today. We’re profitable in a very stressedmarket situation.
“We’ve got a great team and a great brand. We’re spending a lotof money on new products and we’re out there to serve our customerstoday and tomorrow just like we have been for the last decades.
“Brunswick Bowling Products is still part of Brunswick Corp., and evenwhen we have new ownership, any contract signed under BrunswickCorp. will carry on to the new ownership.”
INDUSTRY RESPONSEReaction was swift after the announcements were posted on
BowlingIndustry.com.Frank Zhao in China (IBI cover story in April) called the news
“shocking.” Retired Australian proprietor Peter Brierley termed the sale of the
centers a “massive vote of no confidence in the Bowling Industry whena long term major player sells core assets for a paltry 18 months’ worthof turnover.”
BPAA past-president Joe Schumacker wrote that most long-timersin the industry would feel Brunswick’s exit “as a body blow.” Calling themove “a milestone,” he also saw it as an occasion for renewedcommitment to re-energizing the industry. “Although it appears theoptions for Bowling [businesses] are fewer today then even five yearsago, if we as a group can rationally justify a decision to invest incompetitive bowling, we can assure a future for Bowling,” he wrote.
In phone calls to other industry leaders for their first reaction,respondents told us they were “flabbergasted,” “saddened” and“devastated.” Brunswick’s move was “good,” “bad,” and “very positive.”Except for parties to a closely-held rumor at Bowl Expo that somethingwas in the works with Brunswick, everyone was surprised.
Jeff Bojé, BPAA past-president and current BPAA treasurer: “Theeffect on the industry is going to be a huge black eye. I can see it now.The headline’s going to be: ‘The Day Bowling Died.’
“I can think of something positive. There’s any number of peopleinside the industry that might buy [Bowling Products]. Private companiestend to be much better run than a public company.
“Tom’s [Shannon] up against a huge endeavor,” Bojé added. “Iwould not take the CEO job of [Bowlmor AMF] if you paid me $20 milliona year because I don’t like to lose and I think that’s a mountain only Godcan climb.”
Tom Martino, current BPAA president: “I was flabbergasted. Secondimpression after I thought about it for a while: a very positive happening.Bowlmor AMF sees the value of the Brunswick bowling center group.The capital equipment side I believe is a positive as well because it’s aprofitable piece of business; if some other individual or company buysthat asset, they are going to be very happy with it.”
Terry Brenneman, Bowlers’ Supply, distributor: “It was a real surprise.
I guess the good is Tom Shannon is certainly a verysmart business person and marketer, and if he feelsstrongly enough to invest this type of money, he mustfeel the future for bowling is rosy. The bad is that Ialways liked the idea of competition between AMF andBrunswick on the capital equipment. I certainly wouldlike to see a strong entity purchase [Bowling Products]to provide the competition; it helps the consumer.”
Brenneman said many of his pro shop customerswere concerned about possible new policies underBowlmor AMF ownership. “The change in hours at theAMF centers,” after Bowlmor AMF acquired them,“hurt many pro shops when their operating hourswere cut,” he reported. “[Pro shops are] an importantpart of the business we certainly don’t want to lose.”
Sandy Hansell, Sandy Hansell and Associates,bowling center broker: “Over the years, Brunswick hasbeen a great supporter of the industry. Theysupported Bowl Expo and all the state conventions,the PBA and industry activities. I think the issue will be:will the new owners continue that type of policy?”
Fred Kaplowitz, president, The Kaploe Group,industry consultant: “My first reaction, it was like adeath in the family. [As a proprietor] I’m going to haveto explain to my banker why one of the biggestcompanies in the bowling industry divested themselvesof the bowling industry. I’m going to turn aroundand say, ‘But look, here’s Bowlmor AMF who wantsto grow their share in the bowling industry. Isn’t thatencouraging?’”
Wally Hall, BPAA past-president, on the purchaseby Bowlmor AMF: “Interesting move. Bold. I didn’texpect it so soon after the creation of Bowlmor AMF,because they’ve still got to address the challenges ofthat deal. Now they’ve created a higher break-evenpoint for that group of centers than what existedbefore when Brunswick owned it, so now they’ve gotto perform better than Brunswick have beenperforming. And Brunswick in the retail division[centers] have not been a bad performer.” ❖
Read the latest on Brunswick’s exit from bowling,comment, and read previews of related stories in IBIat www.BowlingIndustry.com.
Fred Groh is a regular contributor to IBI and former
managing editor of the magazine.
INDUSTRY ISSUES
12 IBI August 2014
THE NEW NO.1In chain operations, it’s now Bowlmor AMF by a long way. TomShannon, Bowlmor AMF’s chairman, CEO and president, talks
with IBI ’s Fred Groh about the Brunswick bowls he bought andthe future he’s launching for his soon-to-be 300+ centers.
IBI: Why did you want the Brunswick centers and why sosoon after acquiring AMF?
Tom Shannon: Well, there are certain advantages to scale. We’re amarketing-driven company and having more centers gives you the abilityto cast a wider net, certainly in terms of national marketing spend. The biggeryour center base, the easier it is to amortize these big national TV buys andother sorts of buys.
I guess the other thing is that we’re fundamentally bullish on bowling.We’ve been in bowling now coming up on 18 years and it’s what we do andwe love it. So “why not get bigger?,” I guess.
IBI: Have you given a thought to taking your companypublic?
TS: No, we haven’t thought about exit at all. I think there’s a lot left todo before we would consider something like that. There’s an enormousamount of potential in the portfolios and we’re really just starting to see thathit on the AMF side.
We increased profitability very quickly [on the AMF side] by puttingsome disciplines in place, but we took a revenue hit because we cut backhours of operation and made some other conscious decisions to stop someunprofitable activity. Now we’re really in growth mode. So we’ve investeda tremendous amount of capital back in the properties. Last year, our firstyear [as Bowlmor AMF], we deployed $35 million back into the centers. Thisyear the number’s $45 million, and that does not include Brunswick. Theyhave their own capital plan that we’ll most likely be following.
What’s happening is that the AMF portfolio, which had been under-invested in for a very long time, is now starting to really shape up. The centersare looking better and better. We’re now in the second year [of] what Iconsider a three- or four-year turnaround plan. [AMF centers are] a businessthat needed addressing in every way, from training and hiring of staff—theway that impacted the customer—marketing messages, sales, the facilities,loss-prevention technology—everything needed to be re-done.
And we’re talking about a company the size of AMF now becoming thesize of AMF and Brunswick put together, and it’s just a lot of work. I’m not
even thinking about exit. It’s at least a couple ofyears off.
IBI: How are you financing therenovations?
TS: We’re financing all the improvements outof cash flow. The company generates anenormous amount of cash.
IBI: Did you pick up AMF’s financialinterest in QuibicaAMF?
TS: Yes, we got half of QuibicaAMF.
Continued on page 16
Tom Shannon
INDUSTRY ISSUES
16 IBI August 2014
IBI: Brunswick has four brands. How will they fitinto the Bowlmor AMF portfolio?
TS: We have a five-year licensing agreement that wenegotiated, so we’re going to keep all those brands in existence.I think Brunswick has a lot of brand equity, every bit as muchbrand equity as AMF, if not more. AMF was 3½ times [the size]of Brunswick and yet people seem to know Brunswick everybit as much as AMF.
IBI: Will the Brunswick centers change any of yourplans for brands on the AMF side?
TS: No.
IBI: What operational changes will we see onceBowlmor AMF actually begins running theBrunswick centers?
TS: We’re going to run Brunswick as a standalone companyfor a lengthy period. I don’t know how long that’ll be, at leastsix months. We’re not changing anything like hours, or pricing,or reporting structure, nothing.
There are a couple of reasons for that. One is Brunswick isa very stable business. It’s very well-run and it’s not in need ofturnaround like AMF was. The other thing is that there’s a lotthat we can learn from Brunswick. They’re a very disciplinedcompany in how they run the business. Brunswick isfundamentally a manufacturing company and they run thebowling centers with the same discplines and process that youwould run a manufacturing plant. I want to learn those. I wantto learn what it is they do better. I know some of the things theydo better; I want to learn how and why they do them.
There will be changes that will flow from Bowlmor AMF toBrunswick and there will be changes that will flow fromBrunswick to Bowlmor AMF. For example, Brunswick does amuch better job of maintaining and nurturing their leaguebase. It’s simply because historically they’ve taken a verydisciplined approach to that; they’re very pro-active. They’vehad more stable center management, too, and that helps interms of maintaining those long-term relationships. They’re alsomore disciplined when it comes to maintenance issues andenergy consumption and some things on purchasing.
We didn’t buy Brunswick to change it. We really boughtBrunswick to maintain it, and then as we got through diligence,we found “here’s a lot of stuff we can learn from Brunswick”;that’s just up-side.
Brunswick will benefit from our marketing spend, whichwill approach $20 million over all the brands—a lot of marketing.There will be interior and cosmetic upgrades to the Brunswickcenters over time, just like there were on the AMF side,
although that will not happen at least in the first year. They[Brunswick] don’t have a sales presence in the majority of theircenters; we would probably increase that, have more customer-facing people for booking parties and things like that, but we’retalking about stuff at the margin, right? Fundamentally, I wouldlike the Brunswick division of Bowlmor AMF to just sort of runas it has run—for the last hundred years, I guess.
IBI: Some people think the Brunswick purchasemay be a shot in the arm for the industry on thetheory that a private company often looks after itsproperties better than a conglomerate does.
TS: I heard someone put it pretty well on the Brunswickside. There was obviously some initial concern among theBrunswick folks: “We know Brunswick. We’ve been part ofBrunswick our whole lives, and now we’re going over, and whois this guy Tom Shannon? We hear he doesn’t like leagues”—which isn’t true, by the way; I love leagues and we arecompletely committed to that business; in fact, I created a newposition, vice president of leagues, in charge [of] the care andnurturing of leagues.
[But] when an outsider comes in, people are naturallyconcerned. One of the directors of operations said to one ofhis fellow D.O.s, “You know, this is a good thing, and I’ll tellyou why. When Brunswick senior management got up in themorning, they thought about boats. When the Bowlmor AMFsenior management wakes up in the morning, they thinkabout bowling.”
I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to do this.What’s really exciting is that we have the scale and the resourcesto really reinvigorate bowling. It’s no secret to any of us in theindustry how difficult things have become, and I think youput it well when you said that private companies often run thecenters better. We’re very entrepreneurial and we’re veryfocused on creating a really good customer experience andmaking bowling hyper-relevant in the mind of the consumer.
We’re now quite large—which is quite surprising to me, thatwe got here this quickly—but what it enables us to do is hirethe best talent at every level, from the senior managementdown to even the hourly employee. We’re not there yet andwe’re actively hiring, actively looking for general managers, forassistant managers who have growth potential, and we havethe resources to pay up for talent and to re-invest in theproperties and to get the marketing message out. You needto do all three.
Through size, we’re able to achieve the things we need tothrive as a company, and I think there will be a spillover effectto the industry that will be very beneficial. ❖
Read the latest on Brunswick’s exit from bowling,comment, and read previews of related stories in IBI atwww.BowlingIndustry.com.
Continued from page 12
OPERATIONS
18 IBI August 2014
merchant services statement, detailing credit cardtransactions, has caused more than one business owner toglaze over.
No wonder. One merchant’s actual statement for a single month
shows transactions with seven different cards from Visa, each with adifferent fee (rate + transaction cost) the merchant paid:
VISA CPS REWARDS 2 @ 1.95% + $.10VISA SIG PREF CNP @ 2.40% + $.10VISA BUS ENH CNP @ 2.45% + $.15 VISA SIG BUS CNP @ 2.60% + $.20
VISA US REG @ .05% + $.22 VISA BUS CNP DB @ 2.45% + $.10
VISA CPS/EC BASC DB @ 1.65% + $.15 VISA CPS/ECOMM BASC @ 1.80% + $.10
Customers at a busy restaurant can pay with 80 or 90 different cardsin a month, according to David Quintana, founding partner of 360 PaymentSolutions (San Jose, CA), a merchant processing company.
As to fees, merchants may pay PIN debit fees, address verificationservice fees, Internet gateway, voice authorization, network access, setup,reprogramming fees... You get the idea.
“Our business is nothing different than a retail-wholesale business,much like a retail clothing store,” offers Steve Ciabattoni, CEO of360 Payment Solutions, slicing the complexity into bite-sizepieces. “They buy clothes from a manufacturer at a wholesale
cost and retail them to make a profit. We buyrates at a wholesale cost and we retail them to
make a profit.”All merchent processing companies
(processors) have the same wholesale rates,called interchange rates, set by the credit
card issuers such as banks. The ratesare determined by variables such as
processing method (keyed, swiped,Internet), type of account (rewards, consumer,
business), and type of business, but mainly bythe risk of chargeback and fraud and whether the
card offers rewards, Ciabattoni explains. Rewardcards cost the merchant more. The revenue frominterchange rates goes to the card-issuing bank.
The card brand (Visa, MasterCard or the like)adds an assessment for each transaction. Thisincome goes to the card brand. Assessments arethe same for all processors.
The third element of the merchant’s cost for atransaction is the processor’s markup. This is whereyou can go shopping.
Ben Dwyer of CardFellow.com illustrates thecost breakdown with an imagined $50 transactionusing a consumer, no-rewards Visa card:
Interchange: 1.54% plus $0.10 = $0.87 goes tothe issuing bank
Assessment: 0.11% plus $0.0195 to Visa whenthe transaction is authorized and another $0.003when it's settled = $0.07 goes to Visa
Card Markup: .20% plus $0.10 to the processor= $0.20 goes to the processor
Merchant’s share: $50 - $0.87 - $0.07 - $0.20 =$48.86 (2.28% overall effective rate)
The overall effective rate is the most importantof the numbers. Calculated as the percentage oftotal fees per transaction (total fees ÷ total sales),the overall effective rate is the bottom-line figure.It’s also an overall indication of how well yourprocessor is doing for your business.
ABy Fred Groh
OPERATIONS
20 IBI August 2014
“You shouldn’t be shopping for rates,”Dwyer advises (“Credit Card ProcessingFee and Rates,” at CardFellow.com).“Instead, you should be shopping for thelowest overall markup over [interchangerates]. Furthermore, you want to look at thewhole picture and consider the effectiverate. Don’t just focus on the interchangemarkup or another single fee.”
The processor’s share of a credit cardtransaction can vary with the processor’spricing model as well. Adding even morecomplication in sorting out the chargesto a merchant, there are three models.
In base and surcharge, as the namesuggests, the merchant pays a flat baserate subject to surcharges in certaintransactions.
In tiered pricing (also called bundledor bucket pricing), the processor assignsa transaction to one or another of severaltiers (buckets), each of which has adifferent markup.
In interchange-plus pricing (also calledpass-through), the processor’s markup isa fixed percentage (the “plus”) on alltransactions.
Like any business owner, bowlingproprietors want to know exactly whatthey are paying for. Knowing moreenables closer scrutiny of expenses andprovides more points of comparisonbetween competing suppliers. A helpfulguide in appraising competing processorsis offered by “The Processor’s Polygraph,”a three-page form devised by 360Payment Solutions (see next column).
Reading a merchant services statementisn’t too tough when you know what theabbreviations mean (your processorshould be able to tell you if you’re unclear).Understanding its import for a businessisn’t so easy. Is it worth the time and effortto learn? Consider the money at stakeover the long run. ❖
GOING SHOPPING
1. Supply a definitive fee and discount per item (DPI) for the following:Cards: swiped, signature, check/debit/signature-based, key-entered, rewards1, rewards2,small ticket debit, corporateFees: transaction, IRS regulatory, compliance, PCI, statement, annual, installation,maintenance[‘IRS regulatory’ covers a processor’s expenses pursuant to new merchant liability formisreporting to IRS; ‘compliance’ and ‘PCI’ are connected with security procedures; aninstallation fee may be charged for plugging in a terminal; ‘maintenance’ is miscellaneousaccount fees.]
2. Your profit margin?
3. How long are my rates guaranteed not to change?
4. Term of your contract.[Some processors do not require a contract.]
5. Your cancellation fee.
6. Your funding timeline.[How quickly the merchant gets his money.]
7. Do you refund to me the interchange fees on customer refunds?[Visa refunds a substantial part of the fee to the processor; some processors then refundto the merchant.]
8. When do you debit your fees from the money you deposit in my account? (Daily, monthly,
weekly) Do I have a choice?
9. Do you charge retrieval or chargeback fees? Amount?
10. Will I need to purchase or lease new equipment? Who backs up the warranty?[Terminal lease terms should be examined very carefully to see whether the leaseis advantageous everything considered.]
11. Do you have an online portal? Your monthly fee for this service?
12. Explain how my business will benefit from the Durbin Amendment (2011) to Dodd-Frank.[On debit cards, Durbin forced a lower rate and raised the transaction fee.]
13. Describe your chargeback processes.
14. Describe your arbitration process.
15. How does your company handle rate increases and decreases from Visa, MasterCard,
Discover, American Express?
Attach:Your proposal, including my monthly savings.Complete terms and conditions of your merchant agreement.If interchange-plus pricing is used, attach a copy of the most recent interchange tables.Document detailing your rate increases and decreases over past two years.Sample copies of two consecutive monthly statements for businesses with my SIC[industry] code.
A proprietor who wants to compare credit card processing companies could submit the following queryto each of his prospects. We’ve adapted it from one section of a three-page form, “The Processor’s
Polygraph,” developed by 360 Payment Solutions of San Jose, CA. The form is not intended to be a fullsubstitute for consultation with a processing company. Our comments are in square brackets.
Fred Groh is a regular contributor
to IBI and former managing
editor of the magazine.
COVER STORY
22 IBI August 2014
23IBI August 2014
COVER STORY
cout, coach, executive, and owner were
titles Larry Schmittou held during more
than three decades of involvement with
the sport of baseball.
While it's hard to believe anyone would give up
something like that by their middle 50s, Schmittou
knew it was tim
e. After owning nine minor league
franchises, he had worked long and hard enough to
comfortably settle into a leisurely retirement.
“I had opportunities to stay in baseball with major league
clubs scouting or marketing but I really didn't want to move,”
the lifelong Nashville, TN, resident said. “I had been there and
done that.”
Yet like so many others with a competitive streak, boredom
ensued. Sure, he piddled around with a few things for a few
years but nothing really satisfied him. So he turned to bowling.
Today the 74-year-old Schmittou is president and managing
partner of S&S Family Entertainment which owns 13 centers
in Tennessee plus neighboring Kentucky and nearby Indiana
and Ohio. His baseball business knowledge actually has
helped create a very successful bowling model, something
that proved easy because of the many similaritie
s
between his two careers.
“Bowling is customer relations. It’s a sport,” he
By Mark Miller
S
COVER STORY
24 IBI August 2014
said. “But it’s also fun.”“In minor league baseball
you have your season-ticketholders who I relate toleague bowlers, who yousee more often and take itmore serious. They wantedthe team to win and play wellsimilar to a league bowlertaking it more serious andknowing more about thesport.
“The people who came tobaseball games four or five timesa year came to have a good time.They wanted the team to win butwanted to have a good time likethe open play bowler. They like tobowl well but don’t know anythingabout oil patterns and don’t care.They are more interested in thehot dog being good.”
Schmittou’s philosophy remainssimple: give the people what theywant and they will show up. Ifthey want great birthday parties,to jump on a bungee jump, bowl10 games, join a league—caterto all of them. Make sureyour food, beverage andalcohol are top-notch. Trainemployees to be friendly,personable and caring.
Ironically, Schmittou’sforay into bowling centerownership happened becauseof baseball. That’s because theformer Melrose Bowl waslocated near Herschel GreerStadium where the NashvilleSounds team played; he ownedthe team for 19 years.
“I knew the owner had diedand thought it would be fun to runthat center and give me somethingto do,” Schmittou said.
Though his offer was turned down, it alerted the grapevineof his bowling interests. That included the owners of aMurfreesboro, TN, center. There also was a guy named RickScott, then a businessman and venture capitalist whose earlyinvestments included a Connecticut bowling center. Today,
Scott is seeking re-election as governor ofFlorida.Schmittou met Scott
when major league baseballcontacted him about puttingtogether a group to buy theKansas City Royals. Thoughthat deal didn’t happen, it ledto Schmittou and Scottbecoming business partners.Their first bowling ventureoccurred in 2000 when theypurchased the leases on threeLouisville, KY, centers.
Studying the business modelof the Bowl America chain,Schmittou thought the bestchance for success was inregionalization. With that in
mind, S&S added and sold numerousestablishments, holding as many as15. Today, it features four in metroNashville (Hendersonville Strike andSpare/Circus World, DonelsonPlaza, Hillwood, and Murfreesboro),three in Knoxville (Family, WesternAvenue, and Fountain), four inmetro Louisville (Fern Valley,Executive Strike and Spare,Tenpin, and Hoosier), WesternBowl in Cincinnati and CardinalLanes in Paducah, KY.
The centers range from more traditionalfacilities like Family and Cardinal to the 74,000-square-footHendersonville Strike and Spare Family Fun Center/CircusWorld where Schmittou and the corporate offices are located.Besides bowling, Hendersonville features entertainment optionslike bungee jumping, laser tag, roller skating, and bumper cars.
“Initially we leased everything,” Schmittou said. “Ouremphasis over the years has shifted to where we own as many
1. Ernie Banks, Larry andPhil Niekro2. Larry with Hank Aaron3. George Steinbrennerand Larry
1
2
3
properties as we can. We’ve been pretty selective. If an offer presented to us is toohigh or just didn’t fit, we don’t do it. And I try to stay within a 300-mile radius so Ican drive it in one day.”
Schmittou not only regularly visits each center but personally meets with as manyleagues as possible. He’s hired managers who must be doing something right, sinceSchmittou said business has improved through the years.
“We’ve made the margin of profit we look for to reinvest in our centers,” he said.“We’re not ones to go in and make 20% and put every penny in our pocket. We’ve takenmore of an approach like Bowl America did to get rid of any debts you have first. Secondly,
if you need a new scoring system, put itin. If you need new carpet, put it in.”
Schmittou said his centers take in about$18 million in bowling lineage with only10% coming from leagues. That amountsto 50% of total revenue, down from 55-56% when he started. Food, beverageand liquor now make up 32% of thechain’s revenues, up from 27%. Theremaining income is split betweenentertainment and pro shop rentals andsales.
“We don’t throw bad money afterbad money, but do what you can,” he
said. “You make yourself modern. In myopinion, the old traditional bowling alleysare dead. There’s no hope for them. It’sjust a matter of time before theydisappear. I think the future of bowlingis creating fun whether that’s fun bowlingin a league or something else.”
Schmittou knew bowling was fun fromoccasional visits to the old EaglewoodLanes while attending Nashville’s CohnHigh School and Peabody TeachersCollege. He even joined a league offellow Nashville Public School Systemteachers in the early 1960s, averagingabout 160.
But a sports career outside theclassroom began taking him away from
COVER STORY
28 IBI August 2014
COVER STORY
30 IBI August 2014
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the lanes. It started as a junior high school football andbasketball coach and later as a high school lead basketballcoach. His baseball career started in 1965 as a territorialscout for the Cleveland Indians.
He became Vanderbilt University’s head baseballcoach and football recruiter in 1968. By the time he left10 years later, his teams won more than 300 games andoverall Southeast Conference championships in 1973and 1974.
In 1978, he put together a group of investors—including country singers Conway Twitty, Jerry Reed,Larry Gatlin, and RichardSterbin—to bring minorleague baseball back toNashville. Their team wasthe Sounds and theyplayed before big crowdsat the then-new HershelGreer Stadium. His worknetted him Sporting NewsDouble A and SouthernLeague Executive of theYear honors in 1978 and1981 and the same awardfor Class AAA in 1989.
Schmittou later owned asecond Nashville team, theXpress, plus franchises inDaytona Beach, FL; Wichita, KS; Greensboro, NC; Salem, VA; and Winston-Salem,NC, around a 1983-86 stint as a vice president of marketing for the Texas Rangers.In 1997, he sold all his baseball properties and went into semi-retirement before
officially beginning his bowlingcareer three years later.
Schmittou, who was inductedinto the Tennessee Sports Hall
of Fame in 2006, knew when he joinedthe bowling industry that leaguecompetition was declining so that didn’tbother him.
“What did surprise me was most ofmy employees that I inherited still werethinking of the 1950s,” he said. “That’sbeen the biggest challenge: to get themout of ‘we don’t care about openbowlers; we used to have double andtriple shifts.’ Those days are over.
“I’ve had a hard time getting that outof some of my long-time people. Andreally most of my general managers ofother centers I bought didn’t have thatbackground and they accepted changea whole lot easier than those old-timersdo. There’s still some resentment to that.”
Schmittou also has a problem withwhat he perceives as a disconnect withinthe bowling industry, something hedidn’t see in baseball.
“The many organizations they have,the different philosophies they have, is
4. Larry with Pete Rose5. Larry with Roger Clemens
4
5
32 IBI August 2014
different than I’m used to,” he said.“In baseball everyone was on thesame page. That’s not true in bowlingand I think it’s a mistake.”
He cited as evidence the mergerthat created USBC, that association’sfocus on higher-average bowlers,eliminating many awards for lower-average competitors, and the way theindustry markets itself.
So to provide more customer service,S&S created its own bowling awardsprogram. Men who bowl 800 or betterand women who shoot at least 700 earnjackets. Bowlers with other achievementscan earn towels and gift certificates.
When not overseeing his centers,Schmittou can be found doting on his 16grandchildren, most of whom live around Nashville. He andhis wife of 55 years, Shirley, have five children, four in Nashville,one in Chicago.
Schmittou’s partner has become mostly silent sincebecoming Florida’s governor early in 2011. Scott’s investmentswere put into a blind trust and his current duties also have kept
him mostly away from bowling. “He’s still very interested but not
very involved like he used to be,”Schmittou said. “He was very involvedbefore that. He even was a prettygood bowler.”
Just as Scott generally stays out ofbowling, Schmittou likes to keep hisdistance from bowling politics, rarelyinvolving himself in the nationalscene.
“I don’t worry about whatsomebody else is doing,” he said. “Ijust do what I’m familiar with and tryto get my people to be totallyhonest with our customers, and it’sworked.” ❖
COVER STORY
Mark Miller is a freelance writer, editor, and public relations
specialist from Flower Mound, TX. He's the author of Bowling:
America's Greatest Indoor Pastime available at Amazon.com or
directly from him at [email protected].
WHAT BOWLING MEANS TO ME
34 IBI August 2014
et’s see Bo Jackson do it. Or Deion Sanders. Or anyof the other acclaimed two-sport athletes. Let’ssee if any ballyhooed multi-sport player can dowhat Rick Auerbach has done – prosper in a second
sport 25 years after exiting the stage from his first sport.Auerbach put together an 11-year career as a major league
infielder from 1971 to 1981 and is now shining as an eliteamateur bowler in the Los Angeles area. He’s blastedfour perfect games, notched a noteworthy 800 seriesand carries an average of more than 210.
As for those aforementioned two-sport sensations:Jackson was a Heisman Trophy winner from Auburnwho showcased extraordinary power and speedduring a prominent career in the NFL and majorleagues. Sanders also flourished in the NFL andmajors, playing outfielder and defensive back for anumber of teams.
Unlike Jackson and Sanders, Auerbach wasn’t astar in the majors by any stretch of the imagination.But he had some glittering moments as a utilityplayer for four teams, including three seasons withthe Los Angeles Dodgers and four with the Cincinnati
Reds during their lateryears as the Big Red Machine.
The key point is that Jackson and Sanders recordedtheir feats concurrently – at the peak of their athleticism.When Auerbach had long hung up his baseball spikes, hetook up bowling in a Los Angeles league about seven years ago.And he impressed right off the bat.
Auerbach averaged a sterling 191 in his first season inleague bowling at AMF Woodlake Lanes in Woodland Hills.Each year thereafter, he’s been adding to his average, whichstood at 213 at the end of the 2012-13 “Wednesday Stars’’league at Woodlake Lanes.
And each year, he’s adding to his bowling milestones.In March, he blasted his fourth 300 game at the age of 63
and was exuberant after it was all over. “This is just fun. I wasjust having fun. This is frickin’ great!” he exclaimed. Eightmonths earlier, Auerbach registered his first 800 series. Withscores of 276, 276 and 266, Auerbach finished with an 818.L
After a pro baseball career,Rick Auerbach is on a rollwith bowling.
By Fred Eisenhammer
Rick Auerbach rolled his fourth perfect game this year at the age of 63.“This is just fun. I was just having fun. This is frickin’ great,” he said.
WHAT BOWLING MEANS TO ME
36 IBI August 2014
“[Top bowler] Troy Gibson congratulated me and said, ‘You don’t feelyou’ve arrived until you bowl an 8’, ” Auerbach said.
Auerbach, a Woodland Hills, CA, resident, has certainly arrived inthe world of bowling. He’s not only making a name for himself in thesport, but his animated style and diligence have won over his colleagues.He frequently bowls 15 to 20 games a night for practice – twice a week.
This dedication seems the norm for Auerbach. “I just wantto get better,” he said. “Everyone tells me I can’t bowlso much but I enjoy it. And I do it to stay in shape. Youbowl 15 or 20 games, now that’s a workout!”
Auerbach’s extreme bowling regimen has certainlydrawn notice. Mike Weekley, who bowls in PBA regionals,says of Auerbach, “Not many people are conditioned tobowl that many games – people’s ribs or shoulders canget sore – but Rick is a machine. He can bowl another15 games. Not many people can bowl that many.”
As far as his fellow bowlers are concerned, Auerbachis a throwback. He uses an antiquated rubber ball thatseems as if it’s been around forever. “It went out with theEdsel,” said Auerbach two years ago. “I had it in my bagfor about 30 years and it wasn’t until five years ago myson [Brett] said, ‘Let’s go and bowl.’ He actually taughtme how to bowl.”
When Auerbach is on the lanes preparing to bowl, healways takes his time. He seems to really enjoy being inthe spotlight. And his fellow bowlers enjoy watchingthe spectacle of the right-handed Auerbach readyinghimself to bowl.
Said veteran bowler Siena Cawelti, “He has a routine,like a baseball player. He goes to the line and takes a
Rick Auerbach bowls in the same league as Carol Tucker. He’s won over his colleagueswith his animated style and diligence.
WHAT BOWLING MEANS TO ME
38 IBI August 2014
deep breath to get ready. Then he has a big sigh.He takes about two minutes [before bowling]. It’salmost comical, but it works for him.”
And Cawelti adds: “Rick’s just crazy, justinsane. He can take things seriously and then hedoesn’t. He can make you laugh and he has amillion stories. How can you not love him?”
Auerbach bowls anchor on his league teams.He revels in the pressure of being needed to rolla strike – or several strikes – in the 10th frame toallow his team to win. “The game is not thathard,” Auerbach said, “but you have to be arobot at the line each time... same speed, samerelease. Once you get that down, then it’s justreading the oil [on the lanes].”
Then there’s the subject of pressure. It’s oneof Auerbach’s favorite topics. “What I always telleveryone is that pressure is self-inflicted,” he said.“There’s no such thing as pressure. It’s whatyou put in your brain.” Of course, Auerbachknows something about pressure, having playedbefore 40,000 and 50,000 fans in the majors. Hewas drafted by the Seattle Pilots in 1969 andreached the majors with the Milwaukee Brewersin 1971. Auerbach was a part-time starter atshortstop for the Brewers his first year. Then hebecame their starting shortstop the next year atage 22 when he played 153 games. He battedonly .218 that year, but the team batted .235during the second dead-ball era.
Auerbach ranked fourth in the league ingames played and ranked seventh in stolenbases with 24. Darrell Porter at 20 was the onlyyounger position player than Auerbach, butPorter appeared in only 18 games, according to
baseballreference.com.That was Auerbach’s only season as a starter.Auerbach came to the Dodgers for the 1974 season and
batted .342 his first year with an on-base percentage of.407, albeit in only 73 at-bats. He finished his career with theReds and Seattle Mariners, batting over .300 with the Redsin two of his three seasons there. Auerbach appeared inone playoff game – that with the Dodgers against thePittsburgh Pirates in 1974. The pressure of the playoffsapparently didn’t bother him; he doubled in his one plateappearance. In his 1,407 career at-bats, the right-hand-hittingAuerbach slugged only nine homers, but one of them cameagainst left-hander Vida Blue, the Cy Young Award-winningpitcher and National League’s most valuable player in 1971
as a member of the Oakland A’s.After bowling his 818 series, Auerbach found himself the frequent topic of
conversation in bowling circles. No longer was he just recognized as a certifiedtop amateur bowler, but he was being asked whether he should consider bowlingin professional tournaments. At that point, Auerbach showed a genuine respectfor pro bowling by acknowledging that he benefited from competing at thesame local bowling house week after week. He didn’t want to compare himselfwith the pros. “The house shot is a very easy shot. The pros have to deal withthose different patterns. You have to hit one specific board every singletime...and have to have the correct release, correct ball speed. Everything hasto be lined up almost perfectly.” Auerbach goes on to say, “To comparewhat I’m doing to the pros is apples and oranges. It’s 10 times easier [away fromtournaments]. A lot of people have told me that I’m better than the pros, butthey have no idea what [lane conditions] those pros have to bowl on and howdifficult they make it.”
Pro bowlers have expressed skepticism over Auerbach’s potential toperform at their level. Dick Sanders, the owner and director of the professionalWest Coast Senior Tour, said he expected Auerbach would encounterdifficulties bowling in some of his tournaments. But he indicated Auerbachcould be a worthy entrant. “Tournament play shouldn’t bother [Auerbach]because he was a ballplayer,” Sanders said. “And bowling 818 with a rubberball is an amazing feat.”
Most recently, Auerbach has been struggling a bit with his bowling game.Much or all of the blame could be traced to his bowling in a new center –Corbin Bowl in Tarzana, CA, where he said he’s in the process of adjustingto the lanes. After bowling a lackluster 156 game in his second week of a 34-week season at Corbin, he was asked what went wrong.
“It’s called ‘four splits,’ ’’ said Auerbach, smiling. “I have to find [a groovein] this place. Hopefully, I’ll find it.” Continuing his commentary, Auerbachadded: “I hate it. I suck. But it’s early. Talk to me after 99 games, and thenwe’ll see.” ❖
Fred Eisenhammer is a freelance writer and editor from Agoura Hills, CA. He’s
currently working for examiner.com, a national website for which he’s written 600
bowling stories. Fred served as a news editor and copy editor at the Los Angeles Times
for 20 years. He’s also co-authored three nonfiction sports books, including his most
recent one, College Football’s Most Memorable Games.
Auerbach during his Dodger days.
PROFILE
39IBI August 2014
ike Widmar didn’t become a pro ballplayer like his fatherand he didn’t turn into a name bowler like his mother. Butput the two sports together and you have a big part of thestory of how Widmar got where he is today, a bowling
center manager with more than 40 years in the game.The 58-year-old Widmar is general manager of Heritage Lanes in
Oklahoma City where he's overseen about 30 employees since 2000,after working at three Tulsa-area centers.
As someone who spent plenty of his youth roaming around baseballstadiums, Widmar easily could have turned to the diamond. After all, hisfather, Al, was a player, coach, scout, and executive for more than 50 years.
Al was just 17 when he signed with the Boston Red Sox in 1942.Making his big-league debut in 1947, he played with the Red Sox, St.Louis Browns (now Baltimore Orioles) and Chicago White Sox across fiveseasons. He appeared in 114 games, 42 as a starter and 72 in relief, andcompiled a 13-30 record and 5.21 earned-run average in 388 innings.
He retired as a player after a stint in the minors that included Seattleand Tulsa, and from the 1960s on, turned his hand to pitching coach andscout (Phillies, Brewers, and Toronto Blue Jays).
Leaving the game for good in the mid-’90s, he would give Mike his1993 ring (size 12) and Mike’s brother, Tom, the 1992 version (size 14).
But while Mike Widmar the youngster gave a thought to being a pitcherlike his dad, Mike soon realized his better bet was to follow mom Betty.
“I really didn’t work hard at baseball,” he said, recalling his youngerdays. “I played baseball, basketball and football, with football probablywhat I was best at. I really didn’t practice and Dad didn’t push us.
“Sure, he worked with us in summers when we were with him. He’d
get us out there with a catcher who would give mybrother [Tom] and I tips. It was a lot of fun. But thecurve ball didn’t work and I didn’t feel like the practiceethic of it, so I decided to do something else.”
Bowling was as close as the other side of thedinner table.
Tenpin TimeBetty Widmar picked up her first bowling ball in
1940 at the Masonic Temple in Scranton, PA.“It was the war years and there wasn’t much to do,”
she said in the 2005 Women’s International BowlingCongress Tournament Program. “But bowling hasalways been exciting.
“Through the years, my love for the game hasprovided me with excitement and many friendships.I love bowling in tournaments.”
Betty bowled in every WIBC Tournament from1958 to 2002, when the effects of seven majorsurgeries and undergoing treatments for cancer andblood clotting in the brain finally slowed her down.She had the nation’s third-highest women’s average(200) in the 1963-64 season, including her only 300game in 1964. When Mike showed her his ring for his
MBy Mark Miller
Mike shows off his father Al Widmar's 1992World Series Ring (L) and his 300 ring ( R).
40
first perfect game in 2003, all she could say was,“That’s great but my diamond is for real.”
She also loved helping bowling behind thescenes, serving 14 years as Tulsa WBAsecretary. Her devotion to local and statebowling netted her induction into the Tulsaand Oklahoma WBA halls of fame. She wasrewarded nationally when she rolled thefirst balls in the 1970 and 2005 WIBCTournaments in Tulsa.
“I grew up around bowling centers,” Mikesaid. “She took me with her when she bowledfive nights a week, sometimes six. She wasdragging me to all the centers.
“When I finally got to the point of management,I went to proprietors’ meetings. All these proprietorswho used to yell at me for running up and down theconcourse, now I was sitting across the table talkingbusiness with them,” Mike remembered.
Strikes and StrikeIt was at Claremore, OK, where baseball and bowling came
together for Mike Widmar. Al’s baseball money helpedfinance Betty in buying a center that Mike helped manage.
Betty had been working as an accounting clerk at RiverLanes in the town of Broken Arrow. When a center innearby Claremore burned down, Betty and River Lanesowner Brenda Marshall (also a former president of theTulsa Women’s Bowling Association) went into partnership
to build Cedar Lanes there.Mike, who had been pin-chasing at River Lanes, moved with
them into the new center. He was also running an independenttrophy shop. But he and his wife, Deb, realized it would not be ableto support the family they were starting (Brandon, today 30, andAlan, 27), so he accepted an offer to step up and manage the newbowling center.
Fifteen years later, he returned to River Lanes to take a similarposition. (Betty and Brenda sold their center two years after that.)“I decided to get out from under the family wing after I didn’t seeany possibility of buying into the center,” Mike said about his returnto River Lanes. “To own a ship would be nice, I guess, but I’ve beenused to running them for folks. It’s gone pretty well for me, so whymess up a good thing?”
When Andy Bartholomy bought River Lanes and some time laterasked Mike to manage his 40-lane house, Heritage Lanes, inOklahoma City, Widmar accepted.
Today, Mike, his wife Deb, and their son Alan carry on Betty’sbowling legacy at Heritage, with attendance at occasionalOklahoma City Redhawks games their main tie to Al’s career.
Those visits help Mike stay close to his father, but he still missesthe smell of pine tar and rosin that you can only enjoy by beingaround baseball players. ❖
Mark Miller is a freelance writer, editor, and public relations specialist
from Flower Mound, TX. He's the author of Bowling: America's
Greatest Indoor Pastime available at Amazon.com or directly from
him at [email protected].
PROFILE
IBI August 2014
Mike with photos ofhis parents.
Mike withhis wife Deb
in front ofHeritage Lanes.
42 IBI August 2014
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WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA: One ofthe top five places to move! Remodeled 32-lane center. Good numbers. $3.1m gets it all.Fax qualified inquiries to (828) 253-0362.
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 [email protected].
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.
16-lane center in Southern Coloradomountains. Great condition. 18,000 s/fbuilding w/ restaurant & lounge. Pavedparking 100+ vehicles. Establishedleagues & tournaments. $950,000 ormake offer. Kipp (719) 852-0155.
OKLAHOMA: 16-lane center w/ large lasertag, only arcade in area and thriving lounge.Steltronics SuperElex w/ 42” flat screens andrefurbished A2s. Completely upgraded andremodeled. Owner financing and option topurchase shopping center for viable buyers.Business for sale apart from real estate.(719) 251-1616.
NW NEVADA: Retiring Owner-Financed. 12-lanes + Leased Café + Large Bar/Lounge +Arcade. Established Bowling Leagues + PoolLeagues/Tournaments + Slots. A-2s, SyntheticLanes, Auto-Scoring, 13,000 s/f Building, 2Acres, All Equipment. $950K; $50K Down;5% Interest. (775) 867-5551 or Email:[email protected].
• Credit Card Processing Fees• Lease/Rent Restructuring• Telecom Rate Savings• Business Insurance Premiums• Payroll Processing Savings
Expense Reduction Solutions
CONTACT:Andrew Nadler, CEO
(240) 821- [email protected]
www.summit-strategies.com
Clients include:
INTEGRATED SOLUTIONS FOR OPTIMIZING CASH FLOW
ARE YOU A FAN OF BOWLING? www.Facebook.com/BowlingFan
48 IBI August 2014
CLASSIFIEDS
(818) 789-2695SELL YOUR CENTER
DATEBOOK
AUGUST5-6LaserTAG360 EVENTHilton Garden InnIndianapolisCarolyn GoettschCreative Works, Inc.317-834-4770
12-14BPAA Management SchoolRadisson Star PlazaMerrillville, IN219-769-6311
15Ace Mitchell TradeshowCarolier LanesN. Brunswick, NJ800-262-2695
OCTOBER2BCA of OhioExecutive Board MeetingCrowne Plaza, DublinPat Marazzi937-433-8363
6-8East Coast Bowling CentersConventionGolden Nugget, Atlantic Citywww.eastcoastbowl.com
13Alabama/Mississippi BPAAnnual MeetingRobinsonville MSChris Gallas817-385-8471
29Folds of Honor BowlingTournamentLittle River LaneLittle River, SCLaurie Romano804-301-6054
SEPTEMBER29Illinois State BPA BOD MeetingHoliday Inn & Suites, BloomingtonBill Duff, [email protected]
30BCA of FloridaAnnual Town Hall MeetingVillas of Grand CypressOrlando407-239-4700
49IBI August 2014
SHOWCASE
PIN MARKETINGHere’s a new twist on leaving abusiness card or flier. Next time,think a bowling pin. Develop amarketing plan around a special-ty pin which shows off your center and is a reminder that yourcenter is the go-to place for parties and events. For info on“Leave a Pin, Plan a Party” promotion, contact Dave Sapp,Done-Rite Pins and Capital Equipment at 800-222-2695 [email protected].
WINE PORTIONCONTROLAlcohol Controls offers PourMark, aportable glass etcher for makingpermanent portion control marks onwine glasses which eliminates bartenders and servers usingtheir discretion. Overpouring just a ¼” will yield only fourglasses of wine per bottle instead of five glasses. If your oper-ation empties five cases of wine per week, PourMark will payfor itself in less than three weeks. Learn more online atAlcoholControls.com or call 800-285-2337.
GET IN SYNCSync™ is Brunswick’s revolutionary newscoring and management system, comingin 2015. Sync is all-new to its core. Builtfrom the ground up with the fastest andsmartest performance and featuringmanagement tools, a sophisticated marketing feature and anenhanced bowler experience, Sync aligns what happens onthe lanes with what goes on behind the front desk and in theback office. It is one streamlined, easy-to-use system. Makeway for Sync. Info at www.brunswickbowling.com/the-one.
SPECIAL LIGHTINGEFFECTSPut a spotlight on your promotionalevents. NLFX Professional offers itsIkon LED, a high–output, single–Goboprojector powered by a bright, 60w,white LED. Brightness and Gobo rotation can be adjusted onthe rear of the fixture or by a wireless RF remote control. Idealfor private parties. This and other lighting needs can be foundat www.NLFXPro.com/Bowling or call 888-660-6696.
CHAIRS, BARSTOOLSAND MOREWhether you are looking for chairs forthe bowler’s settee, barstools for theconcourse, or stacking chairs for theparty rooms, Venue Furniture canprovide everything you need. They offer a wide range of steeland wood chairs, barstools, counter stools, stacking chairsand swivel barstools and counter barstools. Further, they cancustomize any look at an affordable price. Contact the salesoffice at 855-558-3683 or visit www.bowlingfurniture.com.
RED PIT BELTQubicaAMF’s PerformanceRed Pit Belt is in stock andready to ship! With 25%thicker plies than other PVC belts, a softer surface for fasterpin movement and fewer pin jams, less cleaning and less oiltransfer---it’s time to give it a try. Plus, it’s guaranteed for twoyears. Call 866-460-7263, option 2 to order Part # 000026753-RED today.
BOWLING PARTY KITSBowling is always fun!! ProductSpecialties, Inc. has created fourdistinct and fun party themes for olderkids. Each party kit comes in two sizes,250 or 500, including plates, cups,napkins, invitations, balloons andplastic forks. Also available are plastic, bowling-themed tablecovers which come in rolls to conveniently fit any size table.Food–safe and certified, Product Specialties always goes theextra mile for your safety. “Without us, a party is just lunch!”Call TOLL-FREE to place your order: 800-442-0552.
SCORING REPAIRS& UPGRADESNew Center Consulting, Inc.’sTouch Desk III and Touch Score3 received a big response and many new customers at BowlExpo due to its increased capabilities, new features, affordableoptions, and expanded tech support. The goal is scoring repairsand upgrades in “piecemeal” fashion to save expense and offeradditional support. The lowest-cost path to new scoring. Thenew Tech Support hotline is 239-244-9464; new Tech Supportemail is [email protected]. Additional info can befound at 248-375-2751.
IBI August 2014
REMEMBER WHEN
50
1951... THE PAUSE
THAT REFRESHES
lay. It is a word that conjures the best of images. TheCoca-Cola Company thought so in 1951.
• “Bring Coke into play” • “Play Refreshed” • “Play calls for a pause”
From these ad phrases, we know what to drink when playing,and we also know what to play. Bowling and Coke are the bestin combination.
In 1951, there were 1,679 BPAA centers, 31,607 YABAbowlers, 542,723 WIBC members, and 1,430,000 ABC members.What better segment to offer an ice-cold Coca-Cola!
Bowling played well with others. ❖
P
