Richard Sadles, a man who wore a variety of hats in the bowling business over a career that spanned decades, passed away early this month from vascular heart disease. He was 70.
Sadles was the longest-serving president of the National Association of Independent Resurfacers, an organization that consisted of lane caretakers in the age of wood lanes. He filled that role from 2000-2006 and served on NAIR’s board for many additional years.
His knowledge of lane care extended to manufacturing lane and approach finish. He was the owner and CFO of Resurfaced by US, which serviced centers across the country.
Sadles had a great understanding of how lane surfaces and bowling balls interact, as demonstrated by his work in designing and patenting numerous ball coverstocks. He had his business partner, the late Mo Pinel, were among those credited with changing the bowling ball industry as it was known, creating revolutionary designs for AMF. Among their best-known projects with AMF were the Sumo and 3D Offset balls.
Pinel and Sadles would go on to found their own bowling ball company, Morich Enterprises, which morphed their two first names. Among the better-known MoRich balls were Colossus, Labyrinth, the Awesome Series and the Leverage Series.
Sadles is survived by his wife, Karen, and son, Triston. They said they planned to continue his legacy in the resurfacing and chemical business.
Bowling Center Management Online 
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