E-dition No. 956 • Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Editor: Bob Johnson (bjibob@aol.com)
Greetings! We’re coming to you a day early this week as we prepare to head to Nashville for BPAA’s 2017 International Bowl Expo. If you’re attending Bowl Expo, be sure to stop by the Luby Publishing Inc. booth (No. 522) next Wednesday or Thursday at the Gaylord Opryland Resort Convention Center and say hello.
JCP’s Joe Pugliese Passes Away
Joe Pugliese installed a lot of bowling lanes over the course of his lifetime, first while working alongside his father at B&C Bowling, and later as the founder and owner of JCP Precision Bowling Systems and JCP Construction Corporation, based in Islandia, Long Island, N.Y.
Now, Pugliese has passed away following a long illness.
Stanley Kodish remembered his boss in a Facebook post on Wednesday: “He taught me to do what’s right for the customer first. Honesty and integrity was a must; it was a standard he set for me. On the personal side, Joe knew the importance of family and kindness. He has allowed me to telecommute, trusting in me and my ability and honesty as a person. This is why I loved the man and stuck by his side for so many years in a business when you see so many sales people float from job to job. He wanted me to be able to look after my aging parent. He was a wonderful employer.”
B&C flourished during the 1950s and ’60s — during America’s bowling boom — building and installing an estimated 6,000 lanes. When Pugliese founded JCP, the company served primarily as an installer of lanes and machines for AMF. Over time, JCP began selling lane and machine packages.
This led to JCP developing its own parts business so that it would not have to rely on other suppliers and could control costs. According to the company’s website, JCP today is “the largest independent supplier of new AMF and Brunswick replacement parts in the industry.”
Industry and Korean War Vet Kerzman Passes Away
The bowling industry lost another veteran personality when Larry Kerzman passed away on May 27. He was 85.
Kerzman worked for part of his career in sales with Murrey International, then spent about 10 years with Twelve Strike before retiring.
“He would always ‘strike a pose’ when he saw me with a camera,” recalled Twelve Strike’s Susiy Richmond in an email.
In 2011, Kerzman was among veterans honored for serving at the battle of the Chosin Reservoir, which has been described as “the Iwo Jima of the Korean War.” You can read more about that here: https://www.mca-marines.org/leatherneck/gallery/chosin-few-honored-during-1st-marine-division-70th-anniversary.
New Uptown Alley for Virginia College Community
A city block in the heart of Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond is getting a major makeover, and among the plans is an 18-story tower that would house a new location of the Uptown Alley chain.
Uptown’s Steve Uphoff, who also operates the Uppy’s chain of gas stations and convenience stores, owns a Sunoco gas station on the site, which is adjacent to the under-construction Institute for Contemporary Art. Uphoff told the local CBS affiliate that his building would include 129 apartments, retail businesses (including a pharmacy) on the ground floor, plus a one- or two-level version of his Uptown Alley entertainment center concept. The building would encompass a total of 209,000 square feet.
Uphoff said he hopes to begin construction in October, and expects the project to take 18 months to complete.
Uptown Alley already has a location in Richmond, along with other venues in Manassas, Va.; Virginia Beach, Va.; White Plains, N.Y.; Surprise, Ariz., and Changzhou, China.
Bowling Business Briefs…
* Storm Bowling has introduced a new program called “Spin,” designed to enable proprietors to earn additional revenue while capturing the attention of casual players and giving them a compelling reason to bowl more frequently. The program enables proprietors to stock performance balls for use as rental balls, enabling bowlers to experience more hook, roll more strikes and have more fun. A website geared toward the casual bowler also is part of the program. We’ll have much more on the program in the July issue of BCM.
* Sarah and Marty Letscher have purchased Harford Lanes, a 20-lane center in Aberdeen, Md. The Letschers also own McKinley Lanes in Niles, Ohio. David Driscoll, an associate of Sandy Hansell and Associates, Inc., served as the broker in the transaction.
* As part of this year’s BES X Road Show — which offered free training to centers on how to grow and expand their customer base while increasing visit frequency, linage and revenue — QubicaAMF sweetened the pot by also offering a special Bowl Expo package as a prize. Nic and Caitlin Pszenny of Cape Ann Lanes in Massachusetts attended the Road Show at Spare Time Vernon, and won the Expo package, which includes airfare for two, full Expo registration, Club Xpo passes and a five-night hotel stay in Nashville.
* The bowling world now has 32 fewer wooden lanes, as 10 Pin Alley in Las Cruces, N.M., has replaced its original lanes with synthetic lanes. The Najar family also is upgrading the center’s pinsetting machines, installing new tile floors, and remodeling its restaurant and bar. Read more here: http://www.lcsun-news.com/story/news/local/2017/06/04/10-pin-alley-updates-bowling-lanes/364059001/.
* A fire broke out Tuesday evening at Bowlarena Lanes in Jacksonville, N.C., causing the center to be evacuated. According to NBC affiliate, WITN, the call went out at 8:23 p.m., and the cause of the fire is under investigation. In a Facebook post, the management of the center said, “Bowlarena Lanes is temporarily closed due to a fire. We will keep you informed right here on our FB when we plan to reopen. Thank you all for your love and support.”
Other News You Can Use…
* USBC Hall of Famer Liz Johnson claimed her first title of the 2017 PWBA Tour season, delivering in the final frame of the PWBA Storm Sacramento Open. The 2015 and 2016 PWBA Player of the Year captured her 17th career PWBA title by defeating Latvia’s Diana Zavjalova, 224-211, in the title match of the stepladder finals, which aired on CBS Sports Network Tuesday evening. Look for a full report in the July issue of BJI.
* Australia’s veteran two-handed star, Jason Belmonte, rediscovered his magic just in time to upset his youthful Swedish protégé, 22-year-old Jesper Svensson, and advance to the championship match of the inaugural Main Event PBA Tour Finals at Main Event Entertainment in Orlando, Fla. The Main Event PBA Tour Finals is a new event featuring the top eight PBA members in total earnings over the past 30 months, divided into two pods of four players for a combination of round-robin match play and stepladder matches. The Group One stepladder finals round aired Tuesday on CBS Sports Network. The Group Two stepladder finals round will air on Tuesday, June 20, at 9:30 p.m. Eastern. Full report: https://www.pba.com/articles/Jason-Belmonte-Upsets-Jesper-Svensson-Advances-to-Main-Event-PBA-Tour-Finals-Championship-Match.
* Even though PBA Hall of Famer Norm Duke takes a 63-pin lead into third round qualifying in the Suncoast PBA Senior U.S. Open Presented by Storm, he’ll be the first to tell you there’s nothing you can take for granted. Duke, the 2014 Senior U.S. Open winner, rolled a 1437 six-game set in Tuesday’s second round at the Suncoast Bowling Center in Las Vegas to bring his pinfall total for two rounds to 2784, a 232 average. Fellow Hall of Famer Walter Ray Williams Jr. began today’s action in second place with 2721. “I’m not looking for any vindication; I just don’t want history to repeat itself,” said Duke, recalling his 11th-place finish in the 2016 Senior U.S. Open. “I got off to a good start in qualifying but let the tournament get away from me in match play.” Full story: https://www.pba.com/articles/Duke-Not-Taking-Anything-For-Granted-As-Suncoast-PBA-Senior-US-Open-Leader-After-Second-Round.
* Kelly Kulick, who lost prime years of her career during the time there was no PWBA Tour, tells the Wichita Eagle that she lost her love for the sport when her mother passed away late last year. “I feel like when I lost [my mom], I lost my love for bowling right now,” Kulick said. “I’m bowling every week, I’m coming back and I’m just trying to find my love right now. I’ve been doing it non-stop since I turned pro, even when there was no ladies’ tour, and I think I got a little burned out.” You can read Jeffrey Lutz’s full story here: http://www.kansas.com/sports/other-sports/article153913274.html.
* There’s no guest this week on Phantom Radio. Instead, The Phantom talks about his years with Kegel, which have included writing a book, overseeing publication of a newsletter and hosting more than 800 episodes of “Phantom Radio” — all to carry out the request of Kegel founder John Davis to share as much information as possible with the bowling industry. He also previews a new initiative that is about to debut, dubbed “The Phantom Philes.” To listen to Nicholson’s report, go to https://www.kegel.net/phantomblog/2017/6/14/len-nicholson-phantom-radio.
* CONTACT: Please send business news, event information, etc. to Bob Johnson at bjibob@aol.com. For breaking business news, visit bcmmag.com or bowlersjournal.com, and “Like” Bowling Center Management and Bowlers Journal International on Facebook. BJI Cyber Reports are now archived at bcmmag.com.
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