Cyber Report #966

E-dition No. 966 • Thursday, August 24, 2017

Editor: Bob Johnson (bjibob@aol.com)

 

Dykstra Promotes Trio at Brunswick Bowling

 

Brunswick Bowling Products CEO Corey Dykstra has announced three new promotions within the company.

 

“I truly believe that we have the most talented team in bowling,” said Dykstra, who was named CEO of the company in July. “As part of the transition into my new role, I am making some important changes to help our team effectively transition from ‘business as usual’ to growing Brunswick.”

 

• Brian Graham has been named Vice President of Consumer and Aftermarket Products.

 

“In his new role, Brian will lead our consumer and aftermarket product teams as we take advantage of some of the synergies in these two businesses,” said Dykstra.

 

Graham previously led sales and marketing for the consumer products group.

 

• Billy Orlikowski has been promoted to Director of Consumer Product Management, leading the consumer product engineering team and overseeing ball manufacturing.

 

“Billy will be working hard to continue to drive innovation and a continuous improvement mindset in our ball business,” said Dykstra.

 

• Bugsy Kelly is now Director of Marketing for Consumer Products.

 

Noted Dykstra, “Bugsy has done an outstanding job with the launch of our new bag, shoe and accessory lines, and he will now be tasked with driving consumer products growth in his new marketing role.”

 

Added Dykstra: “These promotions, along with some organizational changes, will ensure that Brunswick is positioned for growth while continuing to provide best-in-industry customer service and cutting-edge product innovation.”

 

 

Bowling Loses Another Hall of Famer: Al Matzelle

 

Al Matzelle, who devoted most of his adult life to the administrative side of bowling, has died, BJI was informed on Wednesday.

 

Matzelle had celebrated his 100th birthday on April 11, and spent recent years living at the Milwaukee Catholic Home.

 

Here is his USBC Hall of Fame biography from Bowl.com:

 

“Besides his efforts on behalf of ABC, Matzelle was instrumental in the early years of the Bowling Hall of Fame and Museum.

 

“He joined ABC in 1938 as official typist of rule book envelopes. After later serving as assistant to Hall of Famer Frank K. Baker for 19 years, he eventually was elected to the ABC executive post in 1972.

 

“In 1980, he moved to St. Louis to plan and organize the Bowling Hall of Fame and Museum, and was the person in charge of the shrine when it opened in 1984. He returned to Milwaukee the next year and has spent part of his time… volunteering his services at Bowling Headquarters.”

 

No details regarding services have been announced.

 

In recent weeks, bowling has also lost Hall of Famers Milt Rudo, Bill Lillard and Mike McGrath. A memorial service for McGrath is scheduled Saturday at the home of Barry and Christy Asher in Costa Mesa, Calif.

 

 

St. Paul Center Loses Lease; Soccer Stadium on Way

 

Some leases are more ironclad than others, as Alan Loth and Scott Koecheler, the co-owners of Midway Pro Bowl in St. Paul, Minn., have found out the hard way.

 

The shopping center in which the bowling center is located has been sold to the owner of the new Minnesota United soccer team, who plans to build a $200 million stadium on the site.

 

This message was posted on the center’s website: “Bill McGuire (owner of the Minnesota United Soccer team) and RK Midway (current owner/landlord of the Midway Shopping Center) have terminated our lease, which means they are putting us out of business.” Eight years remained on the lease, but it included a clause that allowed for early termination.

 

Read more here: http://www.twincities.com/2017/08/21/midway-pro-bowl-closing-to-make-way-for-st-paul-soccer-stadium/. Be sure to scroll all the way down to view a vintage newspaper ad promoting the center’s opening 34 years ago this month.

 

 

Lucky Strike Opens at Ala Moana Center

 

Ala Moana is Honolulu’s largest shopping mall, and the seventh largest in the United States, with more than 340 shops and restaurants.

 

While much of its success can be credited to the heavy tourist traffic it receives, it also serves the local community with anchor stores such as Macy’s. Owners have modernized on a regular basis, most recently adding a children’s play area and currently developing an indoor/outdoor dining venue featuring specialty food vendors and seating for 450.

 

Now, Ala Moana also is home to a Lucky Strike Entertainment venue.

 

Lucky Strike Social brings together chef-driven food, state-of-the-art electronic gaming, craft beverages, the original Lucky Strike Lanes and a live performance club in one fully immersive venue.

 

Lucky Strike’s consulting chef, Bradley Borchardt, worked with a local chef, David Saccomanno, to develop unique concepts and menu items that will appeal to tourists and locals alike, including poke bowls, huli-huli chicken and kalbi beef.

 

The two-level facility features a four-lane bowling suite, an arcade called “For the Win” featuring new and classic games with prize redemption using a swipe card, and a full bar.

 

As many as 1,200 guests can be accommodated for private functions.

 

 

2 Mother-Son Duos Among QubicaAMF World Cup Entrants

 

As we know, bowling is a family sport, and while there may not be a bowling gene, there’s no doubt young bowlers benefit from having an accomplished bowler as a parent.

 

This truism will be on display at the 53rd QubicaAMF World Cup, to be held Nov. 5-12 at Bol300 in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, which also hosted the tournament in 2008.

 

There, Sue Abela, who has represented Malta 12 times in bowling’s longest running international shiowcase, will be joined by her son, Justin Scicluna. Abela first bowled in the World Cup in 1987 — with a house ball. Four years later, with her own equipment, she finished sixth and was selected by her fellow players to receive the coveted “Sportswoman” award.

 

A second mother-and-son duo, Shagdar and Odkhuu Narantuya of Mongolia, also will be competing in Mexico.

 

America’s player selection process has evolved through the years, and presently the winners of the annual Team USA Trials receive the World Cup berths. So, in 2017, the U.S. will be represented by Jakob Butturff and Erin McCarthy.

 

“I am really looking forward to meeting up with everyone again,” said Anne-Marie Board, the QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup Manager. “It looks as if the competition will be as tough and exciting as ever, so we will be in for another fantastic event.”

 

You can read more about the World Cup here: https://www.qubicaamf.com/qubicaamf-bowling-world-cup/hermosillo-mexico/.

 

 

BowlersMart Makes $5,000 Donation to BVL

 

BowlersMart, one of the largest bowling equipment retailers in the country with 40 stores and counting, made a $5,000 contribution to the Bowlers to Veterans Link during International at Bowl Expo.

 

“On behalf of the veterans we serve, we truly thank Cliff and the BowlersMart organization for this wonderful donation,” said BVL Board Chairman John LaSpina. “They told us they were ready to step up to support BVL, and they certainly walked the walk.”

 

Beginning with one pro shop in Hudson, Fla., in 2004, BowlersMart now has pro shops throughout the country and continues to grow.

 

“Although we’ve long known about the great things BVL does to brighten the lives of America’s veterans, we decided that on the occasion of their 75th anniversary, it was time to launch a targeted collective campaign amongst all our pro shops and our online offerings,” said BowlersMart’s owner, Cliff Barnes.

 

For its BVL campaign, BowlersMart created signage at all locations highlighting BVL’s  mission and anniversary. Contributions were solicited at the stores and from league bowlers at centers where their stores are located.

 

Barnes credits his staff for the success of the program. “We couldn’t have achieved this level of success without the BowlersMart staff accepting this challenge,” he said. “They are our boots on the ground for BVL.

 

“We are delighted to join the growing chorus of bowling-related entities in support of our sport’s own charity,” he added. “This is something we believe in and we’re going to keep going with our campaign.”

 

 

Business Briefs…

 

• Florida Trend, a magazine and website offering regionally-based stories about the business community, has selected Kegel as one of the top Florida-based companies to work for in 2017. Along with the recognition, Florida Trend headlined its August issue with a comprehensive story about Kegel. You can check out that story here: http://www.floridatrend.com/article/22617/bowling-for-dollars.

 

• A $2 California Lottery scratcher ticket turned into a $1.2 million payday for Albert Tirnetta and brought a $6,000 retailer bonus to the business where he purchased the ticket: Earl Anthony’s Dublin Bowl in Dublin, Calif.

 

• Last Saturday night, a gas station, a church and a community bowling center in Beaufort, S.C., were spray-painted with racist graffiti. So how did the operators of the bowling center — Love House Ministries — react? Rather than immediately painting over the graffiti, they decided to host an evening of free “Racial Harmony Bowling” last night. The idea was to have participants rotate lanes regularly and meet new people of different backgrounds and colors. Randy Roberts, co-owner of the bowling center and pastor of the church, told WSAV-TV, “While we may have different philosophies, we still have this thing called human race.”

 

• “People are as socially connected as we’ve ever been thanks to technology, but we’re as disconnected as we’ve ever been,” Dale Schwartz, the CEO of Pinstripes, said in a story in today’s Chicago Tribune. “We want to, in some respects, go back to the future and allow people to gather and spend time together.” The story went on to detail Pinstripes’ expansion plans, with Schwartz noting that the company could eventually venture overseas. “At the end of the day, we want people to connect in a very high-quality way,” Schwartz added. “Pinstripes is sophisticated fun.” Read the full story here: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-pinstripes-expansion-0823-biz-20170822-story.html.

 

• The Oklahoma community of Chickasha has a new place to recreate with the opening of Chickasha Bowling Center and Pub. The facility features 16 lanes, a food-service area, arcade games, and wall paintings with local theming. “We felt like the city of Chickasha needed something for family entertainment,” proprietor Jim Houser told the Chickasha News. “We just decided that the business opportunity was there and we decided to take on the challenge.” Chickasha is located in southwestern Oklahoma, and is home to the state’s University of Science and Arts. More than 1,500 people had “liked” the center’s Facebook page during the lead-up to its opening.

 

• It’s a sad time at the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire, as the eight lanes at the school’s Hilltop Recreation Center are being removed to make way for an exercise studio, spin studio and other recreation spaces. Andy Jepsen, the Director of Recreation and Sports Facilities at the university, called it “a very difficult decision to make, but we really involved our students to make sure that we’re going forward to something new and exciting for them.” The Hilltop Recreation Center continues to be home to the Riverview Café, the primary contract dining facility on campus, as well as a billiards center.

 

 

Other News You Can Use…

 

• Coldwater, Ohio, a community of 4,400 residents, will be the focal point of the bowling world this weekend when the 16-lane Pla-Mor Lanes hosts the 10th annual Kenn-Feld Group Classic, one of the PBA’s most anticipated events of 2017. Many of the world’s premier players are headed to western Ohio for the PBA Xtra Frame Storm Cup season finale, where points leader E.J. Tackett will try to hold off Dom Barrett, Marshall Kent and Dick Allen in the battle for $20,000 in Storm Cup bonus prize money in the final event on the 2017 PBA Xtra Frame Tour schedule. More: http://www.bowlersjournal.com/coldwater-ohio-to-host-pba-xtra-frame-storm-cup-series-finale-this-weekend/.

 

• On paper, there was no question about the strength of the United States contingent headed to the 2017 World Bowling Senior Championships, and the group was dominant all week at Dream-Bowl Palace near Munich, earning nine of the event’s 10 gold medals. The tournament ended as it began, with USBC Hall of Famer Lynda Barnes atop the podium, this time celebrating her Masters gold medal. World Senior Championships rookie Parker Bohn III, also a hall of famer, won on the men’s side. Report: http://www.bowlersjournal.com/u-s-sweeps-masters-gold-medals-as-world-bowling-senior-championships-concludes/.

 

• Tommy Jones, Bill O’Neill, Dom Barrett, Tom Daugherty, Chris Via and Malaysia’s Zulmazran (Z.Z.) Zulkifli were participants in the inaugural Mookie Betts Big League Bowl held last Thursday at Jillian’s Lucky Strike Lanes in Boston, helping the Boston Red Sox star and noted bowling enthusiast raise more than $150,000 to benefit Pitching In For Kids and One Mission, a pair of charities aimed at improving the lives of children in New England and helping affected kids with their battles with cancer. Read more about the event here: https://www.pba.com/articles/PBA-Spare-Shots-PBA-Players-Help-Bostone28099s-Mookie-Betts-Raise-24150000-for-New-England-Kidse28099-Charities.

 

• Mariah Carey went bowling with her boyfriend, Bryan Tanaka, and her twins, Moroccan and Monroe, last Thursday night at Bowlmor’s Chelsea Piers location in New York, Us Weekly reports. No word on how many games were rolled, but we do know that the linage rate on Thursday nights is $10.59. Carey did not have to worry about paying for rental shoes as she bowled in heels. She also noshed on a cheeseburger, but Us Weekly did not report whether it was the Cravin’ Bacon, Super Cheesy, The Monster or the West Coast Turkey Burger. The magazine did report, however, that she ordered the burger with no bun.

 

• The guest this week on Phantom Radio is a bowling tournament director, Gina Moura. To listen to the interview, go to: http://www.kegel.net/phantomblog/2017/8/22/gina-moura-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.