E-dition No. 986 • Thursday, January 25, 2018
Editor: Bob Johnson (bjibob@aol.com)
The Painted Pin Is Joined by The Painted Duck
The Painted Duck, described by its owners as “a distinguished drinkery, duckpin bowling, and gaming parlour,” has opened in the Stockyards Atlanta development on the Atlanta’s west side.
The QubicaAMF-equipped venue includes 16 full-service duckpin bowling lanes, two Belgian feather bowling lanes, two indoor horseshoe pits, knuckleball, toad in the hole, two indoor deck shuffleboard courts, 22-ft. table shuffleboard, a basketball 3-point and free-throw shootout, air hockey, snookball (a hybrid sport that blends pool with soccer) and other unique competitive group gaming options.
The cuisine is described as “backyard barfare,” and features shareable small plates, dips, sliders, sandwiches, salads, and skewered wood-fired meats and proteins called “quills,” prepared on a custom grill. The beverage program focuses on signature and classic cocktails, artisanal wines by the glass, and local and craft beer.
Valet parking is available during all hours of operation.
Justin Amick and William Stallworth are the owners of Painted Hospitality, an Atlanta-based company that creates and operates entertainment-driven concepts. Amick oversees all operations, while Stallworth oversees the private events. Their first concept, The Painted Pin (also in Atlanta), is an upscale boutique bar, bowling and entertainment venue with 20 full-service tenpin lanes in an industrial warehouse space in Buckhead.
The Painted Pin was named “One of the 50 Coolest New Businesses in America” by Business Insider, and was an award winner in BJI’s Bowling Center Architecture and Design Awards.
Third Dust Bowl Lanes & Lounge Opens in Little Rock
A new location of the Dust Bowl Lanes & Lounge has opened in downtown Little Rock, Kan.
Described by its owners as “a retro-inspired tribute to the bowling alleys and lounges of the 1970s,” the new facility joins Dust Bowl locations in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Okla. Each includes a lounge, full-service bar, patio, and a private VIP room with two lanes.
The new location also features a karaoke room, video games and giant screen TVs.
The food program includes both classic and modern takes on comfort food, including burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, appetizers and sides. Shakes are available in six flavors for $8, or guests can opt for an Extreme Shake by adding caramel, hot chocolate, whipped cream, house-made cookie and sprinkles (for $7 more).
Illinois, Wisconsin Proprietors Pass Away
Rich Supanich, owner of Lawn Lanes in Chicago, and Denise Richter, co-owner of Watertown Bowl 18 and Watertown Bowl North in Watertown, Wis., have passed away.
Supanich died on Monday at age 77. Richter passed away on Dec. 14.
Like so many proprietors of his generation, Supanich was a bowler. He had an American Bowling Congress Tournament runner-up finish to his credit, and also participated in international competition. He brought the perspective of a bowler to operating his centers. In addition to Lawn Lanes, he had ownership and operational interests in several other centers over the course of his career.
“Rich was very engaged from a leadership perspective,” said Bill Duff, Executive Director of the Illinois State and Chicagoland Bowling Proprietors Associations. “At the time of his death, he was serving on both the ISBPA and Chicagoland BPA boards, and had been President of both organizations. He also served on both local and state bowling councils for more than 20 years.”
There’s a nice photo of three generations of the Supanich family, including Rich, on the Lawn Lanes Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/LawnLanes/.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to Park Lawn for Developmentally Disabled Adults, 10833 S. LaPorte, Oak Lawn, IL 60453.
Richter, along with her sister, Diane Mallow, passed away unexpectedly just before Christmas.
“She was always seen with a smile on her face and a joy to be around,” said Yvonne Bennett, Executive Director of the Bowling Centers Association of Wisconsin. “She was an active volunteer with many of our BCAW programs, and was recognized with the 2017 BCAW Award of Excellence.”
Richter and Mallow were profiled in the November 2017 issue of BCM.
Long-time ABC Field Rep Butch Wittman Dies
Clarence “Butch” Wittman, who served as an American Bowling Congress field representative for many years, passed away on Jan. 19. He was 77.
Wittman was a bowling “lifer.” In his role as ABC’s Western field rep, he attended countless local and state association meetings, and visited countless bowling centers, over the course of more than two decades as a field rep. His job was to help associations operate better, urge associations and proprietors to work together, mediate disputes and represent the ABC at special events. One of his favorite “networking” opportunities each year was the annual All-Star Awards Banquet conducted by the Southern California Bowling Writers.
Wittman also was a familiar face at the ABC Tournament, and conducted the qualifying tournament for Team USA for a number of years.
He had been living in Tucson, Ariz., at the time of his passing. The Green Valley Elks Lodge in Green Valley, Ariz., will host a celebration of life on Feb. 2. Wittman was born in St. Paul, Minn., and will be laid to rest at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis.
Candidates Slated for 3 USBC Board Positions
Three candidates have been slated for the three open positions on the United States Bowling Congress Board of Directors, and eight legislative proposals will be determined by delegates to the 2018 USBC Convention and Annual Meeting, which will take place April 23-26 at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nev.
Current USBC board members Jay Daryman of York, Pa., and Karen Jost of Tumwater, Wash., were slated by the USBC Nominating Committee, along with Dennis Hacker of Perryville, Mo., for the three open spots. The Nominating Committee can slate up to two candidates for each open board position.
Daryman seeks his second term to the board. He was elected by delegates in 2015 and has served on the USBC Nominating, Legal and Legislative, and National Policy committees. He is a maintenance support specialist for Exelon Nuclear, where he has worked since 1980.
Jost, first elected by delegates in 2012, seeks her third term on the board. She has served on the Nominating, Strategic Planning, Executive Director and Board Evaluation, Association Outreach, and Awards and Recognition committees, and currently serves on the Bowlers to Veterans Link board. She is a health services analysis program manager for the Department of Labor and Industries.
Hacker, who seeks his first term on the board, currently serves on the Missouri State USBC and Cape Girardeau USBC boards. He is the director of research for Pinnacle Research Group, an independent full-service market research firm.
The eight proposed amendments to be voted on by delegates are two proposed changes to league rules, three proposals for tournament rule changes and three bylaws proposals.
Among the notable proposals is a change to national bylaws that would make USBC president and vice president terms two years in length, with a limit of one term. Currently, the president and vice president are elected by board members for one-year terms and are limited to three terms in those positions.
Also, a new tournament rule has been proposed that would require all tournament managers to be members of USBC.
Business Briefs…
* In order to meet the needs of your changing customer base, BPAA is launching its first-ever bowler development program in Spanish. The adult learn-to bowl-program, Bowling 2.0, as well as the youth learn-to-bowl program, USA Bowling Learn the Sport, are now available to BPAA members fully translated in Spanish. Each program costs $49 for BPAA members, and can be delivered digitally. To order, click here: http://www.bpaamax.com/4DCGI/store/StoreFront.html?Action=Store&.
* Bill Snoberger, long-time sales representative for Murrey International and now for US Bowling Corporation, is a rabid Los Angeles Dodgers fan and long-time season-ticket holder — up in the cheap seats. Now, the Dodgers are raising prices on those seats substantially, causing fans like Snoberger to think hard about renewing. Snoberger and his fiancée, Mary Jones, were featured in a Los Angeles Times column on the topic on Jan. 20. Here’s a link to that column: http://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/la-sp-dodgers-tickets-plaschke-20180120-story.html.
* A failed shopping mall in Orlando, Fla., has been bought by the owners of Xtreme Action Park in Fort Lauderdale, who have announced plans to convert it to a second Xtreme location. Specific attractions were not announced, but bowling is among the entertainment options at the Fort Lauderdale location.
* The new Splitsville Luxury Lanes is scheduled to open Monday at the Downtown Disney District at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif. The facility features 20 bowling lanes, two cocktail bars and seating for 600. The Splitsville location at Disney Springs in Orlando recently enclosed its balcony space that overlooks the West Side neighborhood of the entertainment complex because of central Florida’s often-uncooperative weather. That space now can be utilized year-round. The outdoor space was a carryover from the Virgin Megastore that originally occupied the building. Virgin’s Coco Moka Café was situated on that balcony, which hung out over the entrance to the store. Splitsville has two other venues in Florida — Miami and Tampa — as well as venues in Foxborough, Mass., and Fredericksburg, Va.
* Plans for the Montgomery Promenade were first unveiled more than 10 years ago, but the last decade has not been kind to traditional malls, and the project stalled. Now, developers are submitting revised plans to the Montgomery, N.J., Planning Board for a mixed-use development that would be anchored by a 60,000-sq.-ft. Frank Theatre complex. A dozen bowling lanes would be included among the entertainment offerings. Read more here: http://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/local/development/2018/01/24/combo-cinema-bowling-alley-anchor-montgomery-shopping-center/1062348001/.
* Sometimes it just takes having the right person at the helm to make a bowling center successful. The Hopewell Bowling Center in Hopewell, Va., was built by a group of investors, including Michael Zevgolis, in 1955. Zevgolis operated the center until his death in 2012, when his wife, Dorothy, and son, Robert, took over. However, Robert had a full-time job with Allstate, and the center’s operating hours decreased to barely 40 per week. So when Steve Nugent decided to sell his local sports bar, a deal was struck for Nugent to run the center. Now, The Hopewell Bowling Center has an enhanced snack bar menu, a growing league business, a popular Cosmic Bowling promotion and a renewed focus on youth bowling. Read more about this success story here: http://www.progress-index.com/news/20180122/bowling-alley-renaissance. The center also has an active social media presence on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Hopewell-Bowling-Center-198465570188763/.
* Boyd Gaming plays host to a number of high-profile bowling events at its various bowling centers around Las Vegas. Now, a casino that houses one of those centers, The Orleans, has been selected by Incredible Technologies to host the 2018 Golden Tee World Championships. The Orleans Showroom will be the venue June 8-10 as 64 players from Feb. 1-April 23 qualifying compete for a $20,000 first prize. You can read about how the tournament works here: https://livewire.itsgames.com/news/13367-the-2018-world-championship.
Other News You Can Use…
* After the 2017 season’s top players kick off the new year in the DHC PBA Japan Invitational in Tokyo this week (live streamed on PBA’s Xtra Frame online bowling channel), the season kicks into full gear with a slate of headline tournaments in February: the return of the PBA Tournament of Champions to historic AMF Riviera Lanes in Fairlawn, Ohio, Feb. 5-11; the Go Bowling! 60th Anniversary PBA Classic at historic Woodland Bowl in Indianapolis, Feb. 13-18; and the Barbasol PBA Players Championship plus the Mark Roth-Marshall Holman PBA Doubles Championship Presented by BowlerX.com at Wayne Webb’s Columbus Bowl in Columbus, Ohio, Feb. 19-25. More: http://www.bowlersjournal.com/belmonte-eyeing-further-records-as-toc-players-championship-events-near/.
* As we close in on the State Farm CP3 PBA Celebrity Invitational Presented by GoBowling.com telecast on ESPN on Super Bowl Sunday (Feb. 4) at 2 p.m. Eastern, the PBA’s YouTube channel is posting a series of red carpet interviews with PBA Tour stars and celebrity participants. Upcoming interviews include Terrell Owens, Jan. 29; Pete Weber, Jan. 30; Oscar Nunez, Jan. 31; Mookie Betts, Feb. 2; and Bill O’Neill, Feb. 3. Several other videos are currently available to view at https://www.youtube.com/user/PBAProBowlersAssn.
* Host centers for the Intercollegiate Team Championships and Intercollegiate Singles Championships are set through 2022, and the four sectional sites for the events now are in place through 2021. United States Bowling Congress Collegiate oversees the events and awarded the sites based on proposals submitted by bowling centers working in conjunction with their local convention bureaus or sports commissions. Poelking Lanes South in Dayton, Ohio, will host the ITC and ISC national events in 2019, and Spectrum Lanes in Grand Rapids, Mich., will be the host venue in 2020. The next two years, the ITC and ISC will take place at venues that also will serve as hosts of the USBC Women’s Championships. Stardust Bowl in Addison, Ill., will be the host 2021, and the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev., will be the host venue in 2022. More: http://www.bowlersjournal.com/intercollegiate-championships-sites-determined-through-2022/.
* BigBang’s G-Dragon will extend his entrepreneurial skills beyond the K-pop world by opening a new cafe and a bowling center. He already manages his own fashion brand. The 29-year-old’s new business ventures are slated to open on South Korea’s Jeju island in February and March, respectively. The idea for the bowling facility reportedly stemmed from his desire to build more family-friendly facilities on the island. G-Dragon is a South Korean rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, entrepreneur and fashion icon. He is known for penning chart-topping singles and a stage presence that has garnered him the title, “King of K-pop.” Jeju Island is the largest island off the coast of the Korean Peninsula, and the main island of the Jeju Province of South Korea.
* The bowling programs at four high schools recently were awarded $2,500 grants through the High School Grant Program, part of the Youth Education Services (YES) Fund. The program accepts applications from schools that can show a financial need for their bowling program because of budget cuts or other changes, or schools can request funding to start a new program. International Bowling Campus Youth Development reviews applications and annually selects up to four high schools to receive a grant. This year’s recipients are Alcorn Central High School, Glen, Miss.; Borah High School, Boise, Idaho; Buckhorn High School, New Market, Ala.; and Middle College High School, Memphis, Tenn. More: http://www.bowlersjournal.com/yes-fund-awards-2500-grants-to-four-high-school-bowling-programs/.
* The guest this week on Phantom Radio is BJI Senior Editor and BCM Editor Bob Johnson. As usual, Johnson turns the tables on the show’s host and takes over the questioning. You can find a link to the conversation on BCM’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=Bowling%20Center%20Management%20Magazine.
* 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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