Main Event Opens in Delaware, Names New CEO
Main Event Entertainment made its “Diamond State” debut next to Christiana Mall in Wilmington, Del., on Tuesday.
The 50,000-sq.-ft. center features 22 state-of-the-art bowling lanes with unique technology and luxury seating, laser tag, a gravity ropes course and zip line, billiards, shuffleboard and a games gallery featuring nearly 120 of the latest interactive and virtual video games.
To kick off the grand-opening festivities, Main Event hosted an invitation-only VIP event that included facility tours, food, drinks and games on Sunday. During that event, Main Event presented a $2,500 check to the Brennen School, Delaware Autism Program.
On Tuesday, the celebration continued with a ceremonial “lane-christening” ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11:30 a.m.
“We are excited to expand into Delaware and to introduce our one-of-a-kind brand to everyone in the Wilmington area,” said Darin Harper, CFO of Main Event Entertainment. “There’s nothing like Main Event in Delaware, and we have found the perfect location in Wilmington for its debut. We’re extremely proud to be joining this great community.”
Meanwhile, Main Event’s parent company, Ardent Leisure, continued to lose money in 2017, but the losses were far less than the year before — dropping from A$49.4 million to A$15.6 million. The company sold its health clubs and marinas, and continues to divest its bowling and entertainment venues in Australia.
Moving forward, Ardent’s focus will be on its Main Event centers in the United States and its Australian theme parks. Main Event is the company’s top performer, and Chris Morris has been named Main Event’s new CEO.
For the period ending Dec. 31, 2017, Main Event reported US$1.8 million in earnings before interest and taxes, down from US$4.9 million the prior year. This was a reflection of the impact of Hurricane Harvey on its centers in Texas, the company said.
Ebonite Announces Sales, Pro Staff Changes
Ebonite International has announced that Mike Snellbaker is returning to the field as a District Sales Manager and Pro Staff Tour Rep.
The company said it is seeing high demand for its products and feels certain market regions are being underserved.
“We are very excited to have Snelly back in the field as a DSM,” said Mike Judy, North America Sales Manager. “Mike’s past experience as a DSM allows him to hit the ground running and maximize our sales.”
Added Rob Gotchall, Marketing Manager for Players and Performance: “Mike has past experience as a tour rep on the PBA Tour. Snelly will add tremendous knowledge to support the best bowlers in the world.”
Snellbaker will cover Ebonite’s Mid-South territory (Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Delaware).
To enhance and further support Ebonite’s commitment to its players on the tour, Snellbaker will join Gotchall and Shawn Ryan as an additional tour rep.
The company also announced that three-time PBA champion Josh Blanchard will join Gotchall and Ryan at PWBA Tour stops as an additional rep. Bryan O’Keefe — Junior Team USA head coach, USBC Gold coach and Director of Bowling at McKendree University — will join the Ebonite team at select PWBA events as a tour consultant.
“Bryan, Shawn and Josh bring a strong coaching background that will enhance our pro staff players mentally and physically, along with their vast knowledge of bowling balls and lane play,” said Gotchall.
At Ebonite’s headquarters in Hopkinsville, Ky., Rich Hanson, International Sales Manager, will again oversee bowling ball development, now with assistance from Gotchall and Matt Gasn.
Gasn’s title has been changed to Assistant Product Manager.
Spread the Word: $5,000 Scholarship Deadline Looms
The International Bowling Media Association is now accepting applications for the 2018 IBMA Chuck Pezzano Scholarship — and the IBMA is asking your help in spreading the word.
The scholarship is awarded to either a senior in high school or a college student who shows a commitment to writing about the sport of bowling. The ideal applicant would be someone who plans to continue covering the sport in either a part-time or full-time capacity after graduation.
The $5,000 scholarship, which is presented by the Billiard & Bowling Institute of America, was created more than a decade ago to help identify tomorrow’s bowling writers among today’s youth.
“In addition to providing a worthy student with the scholarship, the message that ‘a career in bowling journalism is available’ is critical to ensure the continuation of dedicated journalists writing about the sport,” said IBMA President Keith Hamilton.
The deadline to apply is April 30, and interested students may go to http://www.bowlingmedia.org/scholarships for more information and an application.
James Sullivan, the 2017 Chuck Pezzano Scholarship recipient and a journalism major at Fordham University, said, “The scholarship has been a tremendous help to my family and me as I go through my first year of college, and it is still an honor to have received it.”
A freshman at Fordham, Sullivan serves as associate sports editor for the Fordham Press. “The bowling industry is lucky to have him as one of its current and future promoters,” Hamilton said.
“Help us spread the word,” Hamilton added. “Your customers will appreciate it.”
To assist with generating awareness of the coming deadline to apply for the 2018 Chuck Pezzano Scholarship, here is a link to promotional materials: http://www.bowlingmedia.org/Shared-Graphics.
CDE Releases 2018 Edition of TBRAC Software
CDE Software has announced the release of its TBRAC-2018 software. The new release is part of CDE’s main trilogy of products, and is focused on bracket and sidepot management, along with Pro-Am and singles tournament management.
CDE Software President Lance Rasmussen said, “This has been a long-anticipated release. We have spent a lot of time focused on integrating customer-requested features, along with bringing user interface and operating system support of our TBRAC product in line with our popular BLS league software.”
The new software supports Windows 10’s latest Fall Creators upgrade, along with Windows 8 and Windows 7 operating systems. For further information, visit cdesoftware.com.
CDE Software is a software company based in Seattle, Wash. Founded in 1985, the company produces bowling industry software for league and tournament needs. As of 2016, CDE Software became a subsidiary of QubicaAMF Worldwide. Rasmussen contributes regularly to Bowling Center Management magazine’s “Digital Digest” column.
Bowlero Corp. Conducting Shoe Design Contest
Bowlero Corporation (formerly Bowlmor AMF) has announced the launch of its “BeBowled: Shoe Design Challenge,” offering America’s aspiring designers and bowling’s biggest fans an opportunity to redesign the iconic bowling shoe.
Here’s how it works: Contestants can officially enter their design submissions online at www.bowlerocorp.com/designourshoes<;https://designbowlingshoes.com/>. The submission window will close on April 16.
In late April, five finalists will be announced, and in late June they will be flown to New York City to see their designs live during an epic fashion show set on the lanes at Bowlmor’s flagship Times Square location.
What’s at stake? A cash prize of $2,500… and legacy. The winning designer will see her/his shoe professionally designed, produced and distributed to more than 75 Bowlero and Bowlmor locations nationwide, rolling out in 2019.
“Bowling is the ultimate American pastime and the shoes that go along with it are iconic, but outdated,” said Colie Edison, Chief Customer Officer for Bowlero Corp. ”This contest will inspire designers to reinvent the bowling shoe just like Bowlero has reinvented the bowling business. We can’t wait to see all of the bold new shoe designs.”
Unlock Your Inner Rock Star at Bowl Expo
Mark Kamp, author of the book “Opportunity Rocks,” will seek to unlock everyone’s inner rock star as the “Thought Leader” presenter at the 2018 edition of International Bowl Expo.
The industry’s premier annual convention and trade show will take place June 17-21 at the Paris Hotel and the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas.
Kamp’s motivational presentation will take place on Monday, June 18, starting at 9 a.m.
Kamp, also known as “Marvelless Mark,” will bring an unforgettable presentation and proven strategies that come from more than 25 years of entrepreneurial success. Using his background as an entertainer, radio personality and Las Vegas headliner, he will show attendees how they can take the same principles used by some of the best-known performers in rock history to transform their own business.
He will explain how rock legends such as the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Madonna, Aerosmith and others become household names, and how attendees can think like a rock star and break the rules that need to be broken.
Those who attend Kamp’s energetic and engaging presentation will learn how to create a grand vision, channel uniqueness into growth, use three keys of awesome teamwork, build an action-oriented culture, and drive and lead change.
Visit bowlexpo.com for more information and to register for the convention.
Proprietor/CWBA Hall of Famer ‘Tink’ Wasina Dies
Virginia “Tink” Wasina, a member of the California Women’s Bowling Association Hall of Fame, passed away on Feb. 14 after suffering from Alzheimer’s disease for several years. She was 87.
Mary Lynly knew her well, and files this report:
“Tink was loved for the many talents she had and the person she was. She was instrumental in the Sacramento Women’s Bowling Association, and was a bowling clinician for the California Women’s Bowling Association. She gave numerous clinics throughout the state, teaching others to teach, and even wrote an instructional manual for her students.
“Agnes Duffy, CWBA President and the engineer of good ideas, asked Tink, an accomplished instructor, to develop a bowling instructors course and manual. The idea, of course, was to educate bowlers to help people bowl better. The courses and workshops, backed by CWBA, were free of charge and sought after by the local associations.
“Tink held a successful tournament for many years in California and Nevada called ‘Tink’s Tournament.’ She also was part of a trio (with Debbie Haggerty and me) that hosted the California State Team USA Qualifying for several years, and even the national qualifying at which several Californians like Lynda Barnes, Rhino Page and others went on to national prominence. She was inducted into the Sacramento WBA Hall of Fame and the California WBA Hall of Fame in 1998.
“Tink and her husband, Mike, became part of a group that bought Fireside Lanes in Citrus Heights (now owned by Steve Cook). They later bought El Rancho Bowl in West Sacramento. Under her leadership, the bowl was under tight management. She was good with the numbers and kept an eye on everything, including offering her employees the opportunity to be owners, which made them loyalists who treated the bowl like their own.
“Tink would often clean the women’s bathrooms because she said the male janitors just didn’t have the same vantage point. She was 100 percent into managing her centers, knew every bowler by name, helped anyone who needed help, and built leagues that loved coming in to bowl and lasted.”
Business Briefs…
* Acadiana Lanes in Lafayette, La., part of the Malco chain, is in the midst of being transformed from a traditional bowling center to a family entertainment center. A laser tag arena already has opened, and additional arcade games and bumper cars are on the way. Read more about the project here: https://www.theadvertiser.com/story/news/local/2018/03/01/bowling-decline-acadiana-lanes-adds-laser-tag-bumper-cars/384983002/.
* Space formerly occupied by a Hastings store in Auburn, Ala. — which sold books, movies, videos and music prior to its parent company entering bankruptcy — will soon be filled by a bowling-based center called Good Times Entertainment. Owner Scott Good says the facility will include 16 lanes, an arcade, escape rooms and a full-service kitchen. Good managed a pro shop for more than 26 years and has managed bowling centers for the past six years. He described the opportunity to operate his own center at the Glenn-Dean Shopping Center “too good… to turn down.” For more, go to: https://www.auburnvillager.com/news/bowling-alley-arcade-coming-to-old-hastings-location/article_8599c36a-1720-11e8-8c02-8b7c5f17717a.html.
* After opening to much acclaim in December 2007, the iPic movie theater and its award-winning Pinstrikes bowling venue have closed at the Bayshore Town Center in Glendale, Wis. The decision to close the complex was announced by iPic Entertainment Inc., and comes on the heels of other business closures at the mall, including Sears, Sports Authority, J. Crew and Vera Bradley. A spokesperson for the company managing the mall said it’s hoped that a new tenant to operate the theater/bowling complex could be signed. Read more here: https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/retail/2018/03/06/ipic-movie-theater-bowling-lanes-close-bayshore-town-center/400755002/. Pinstrikes received the “Best New Interior” award in the 2008 BJI Bowling Center Architecture and Design Awards. Few photos of the visually stunning space here: http://www.bowlersjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Arch-Awards-2008.pdf.
* There’s a great story on PBA Hall of Famer-turned successful bowling proprietor George Pappas on the website of the Gaston Gazette. Among the nuggets of wisdom Pappas shared with writer Bill Poteat: “I realized that no matter how successful I was, there would come a day when I was no longer competitive. I decided then to take my life in a different direction from what I saw so many of my peers doing. No bars at night. Always get a good night’s sleep. Don’t waste money. Save and invest.” You can read the full story here: http://www.gastongazette.com/news/20180307/george-pappas-shares-stories-of-bowling-life.
* A grassroots effort is underway to save Pali Lanes, one of only four public bowling centers remaining on the island of Oahu. A petition to save the center has garnered more than 5,000 signatures, which owner Art Marchado hopes will persuade the Kailua Neighborhood Board to step in and help him work with the owner of the land on which the center sits. Marchado had asked the owner for a lease extension of five to 10 years so upgrades could be made, but was turned down. At one time, Oahu was home to 32 bowling centers. Now, there are only four public and five military base facilities, but the base centers can be difficult to access due to security concerns. Read more here: http://khon2.com/2018/03/01/community-rallies-to-save-longtime-bowling-alley-from-demolition/.
* River City Roll, an upscale facility in the trendy Scott’s Addition area of Richmond, Va., is eying a mid-April opening. A former investment banker, Rob Long, is leading a development team that includes former Jefferson Hotel restaurant director, Ben Eubanks. “We ship products around the world every year,” Jay Buhl, Senior VP and GM of QubicaAMF Worldwide, told BJI/BCM last spring. “We are thrilled to be able to showcase our latest products in a local venue, and work with a local investor to help them bring their project to life.” QubicaAMF has been based in nearby Richmond, Va., since 1988. Read more about the project here: http://www.richmond.com/business/local/upscale-river-city-roll-bowling-alley-near-the-boulevard-is/article_41fed3b4-2181-55d8-a493-f89384055d99.html.
* A March 24 opening has been announced for a new Punch Bowl Social in Atlanta. The two-story, 25,000-sq.-ft. facility will include eight bowling lanes among its many entertainment options. This will be Punch Bowl Social No. 13, with several others “coming soon.” Full story: http://www.atlantamagazine.com/dining-news/punch-bowl-social-opens-march-24-battery-bowling-karaoke-hugh-acheson-menu/.
* Bayou Pins, located in the heart of Louisiana’s Teche Area, has closed. Proprietors Gregory and Ginger Melancon, who purchased the center six years ago because they didn’t want to see the community lose a long-time source of recreation, cited ongoing and costly electrical and mechanical repairs as the reason. A full report on the closing is here: http://www.iberianet.com/opinion/editorials/farewell-to-the-bowling-center/article_7145165c-1f64-11e8-a539-534520e6e617.html.
Other News You Can Use…
* A press conference was held Tuesday in Syracuse, N.Y., to unveil the venue for the 2018 USBC Open Championships at the Oncenter. “This is impressive,” said Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh of the 48-lane facility. “We’re excited and proud as a city to show what we have to offer.” Read M.F. Piraino’s full report here: http://www.syracuse.com/bowling/index.ssf/2018/03/oncenters_48-lane_bowling_venue_unveiled_with_usbc_tournament_set_to_start_photo.html.
* Packers players, coaches and alumni will take over the lanes at the Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley in Green Bay, Wis., on Wednesday, June 6, for the Packers Give Back Celebrity Bowling Event, presented by Nestlé. Proceeds from the event will benefit the College Comeback Program at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC), a scholarship program that provides a second chance to returning adult students, many of whom are supporting a family and working multiple jobs while finishing their education. To learn more, click here: http://www.packers.com/news-and-events/article-press-release/article-1/Packers-Give-Back-Celebrity-Bowling-Event-set-for-June-6/ae8fca73-ce99-4952-8e5e-407cb9f0aad6.
* Mike Bonzek of Suwanee, Ga., has been selected as the USBC Youth Volunteer of the Year, and Chris Floyd of Slidell, La., was named David Dahms Coach of the Year. Bonzek’s involvement in youth bowling started in San Juan, Puerto Rico, when he wanted to get his daughters, who were 8 and 10 at the time, involved in some athletic activity. When he relocated to Georgia more than a decade ago, he looked for a Junior Gold program and eventually teamed with two other fathers to start the Georgia Youth Bowlers Tour. Floyd, too, became involved in youth bowling because of his family. A bowler since age 11, he wanted to share his passion for the sport with his daughters. An active-duty member of the U.S. Coast Guard, Floyd began his volunteer coaching with the youth program in Severna Park, Md. He moved to Slidell in 2014, where he now is the youth director at Bowling USA. He was elected to the Northshore USBC board and as chair of the Youth Committee, has revitalized the youth city tournament. He also serves as President of the Southeast Louisiana Travel League, coordinating 100 youth bowlers who compete in eight different centers. More: https://www.bowl.com/News/NewsDetails.aspx?id=23622330762.
* Yes, a bowling ball can be a weapon. No, you should not use one as such. A 26-year-old woman has been charged with felonious assault after striking another woman in the face with a bowling ball at Hartfield Lanes in Berkley, Mich. Read more here: https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/detroit-woman-accused-of-hitting-woman-in-face-with-bowling-ball-in-berkley.
* The Kings bowling facility in the upscale New City complex on Chicago’s North Side was the scene of a fight during which a shot was fired and a woman was hit over the head with a bottle. No one was hit by the gunfire, and the woman struck with a bottle was reported to be in good condition. More: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-met-shot-fired-kings-bowl-20180218-story.html.
* The guest this week on Phantom Radio is Jackie Wyckoff of the International Bowling Media Association, who recently was named to the International Bowling Pro Shop and Instructors Association Board of Directors. To listen to the interview, click here: http://www.kegel.net/phantomblog/2018/3/7/jackie-wyckoff-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.
Bowling Center Management Online 
Leave a Reply