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Letters and news:

February 6, 2007

EBONITE INTERNATIONAL, INC. ACQUIRES COLUMBIA INDUSTRIES


Company Continues to Build Collection of Bowling’s Best Brands

HOPKINSVILLE, Kent. – Ebonite International, Inc. has entered into an agreement for an asset purchase of Columbia Industries, including the Columbia, Track and Dyno-Thane® brands of bowling equipment, announced William T. Scheid, president of Ebonite. Terms were not disclosed.

“Our goal is to build a portfolio of the best brands in the bowling business to provide distributors, pro shops and ultimately consumers with the products that fit their needs,” said Scheid. “These brands, particularly Columbia and Track, have tremendous equity over a long period of time. We are very pleased to bring them into the Ebonite International family.”

Effective immediately, all sales of Columbia, Track and Dyno-Thane bowling balls, bags and accessories will be the responsibility of Ebonite International. Manufacturing of bowling balls for these brands, currently being done at the company’s manufacturing facility in San Antonio, Texas, will be moved to Ebonite International’s Hopkinsville, Kent. facility at some point in the near future.

“As our business has become increasingly competitive with a shrinking market of league bowlers, consolidation became inevitable. We considered a variety of options and felt like the acquisition by Ebonite International provided the best opportunity to maintain the viability of our brands,” said David Herrmann, vice chairman of Columbia Industries.

Columbia, Track and Dyno-Thane join Ebonite’s International’s existing consumer brands: Ebonite, Hammer and Robby’s. In addition, Ebonite International is the parent company of Ebonite VanTech Capital Equipment and Vantage Bowling, which serve the commercial side of the bowling business.

“We still have many details to work out but are confident that we will successfully integrate the Columbia Industries products into our company. We did this with the acquisition of the Hammer brand in 2002 and look forward to doing so again,” added Scheid.

Based in Hopkinsville, Kent., Ebonite International is a privately-owned company that currently services bowling centers, distributors and retail outlets both domestically and internationally. For more information, visit www.ebonite.com.

Dec. 20-th, 2004 - Paul Kreins' Bowling Management.com

May  15-th, 2004 - A message from Mark

THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE FACING THE BOWLING INDUSTRY TODAY

It’s not advertising, it’s not branding, it’s not the pro tours, it’s not industry consolidation, it’s not modernizing our centers, it’s not high scores, it’s not lane conditions, it’s not bowling balls, it’s not even database management.. It’s getting down to the heart of the matter, the ground level, and the FOUNDATION of any successful enterprise. It’s developing entry-level customers and taking care of them once we have them. All those other issues will begin to fall into place once this core problem is successfully addressed.

GRASS-ROOTS MARKETING

Why do you suppose Apple Computer’s Steve Jobs tried to put Macintosh computers into every schoolroom in America? Why do you suppose Pepsi and Coca-Cola fight for vending space in public schools? Forgive the capitalistic connotation, but these companies understand the importance of “hooking” a consumer at a young age. They understand that brand loyalty happens over a long period of time, not in a 30-second television commercial. TV commercials simply don’t drive people through the doors of our bowling centers.

The bowling industry does not have the resources (advertising dollars) necessary to make a powerful enough impact with generic mass-media advertising. But, it’s not even about a sufficient marketing budget. It’s about a strategic priority. No amount of money spent on TV commercials will be effective until we build a solid base of interested and informed consumers. In the end, generic advertising just doesn’t work for a commodity like bowling.

BOWLING IS A COMMODITY?

Yes, bowling is a commodity. It is the same no matter where you play it. A lane is 60-feet long. There are 10 pins set up in a triangle at the end. You throw the ball, it comes back to you. There are 10 frames. The maximum score is 300. It is the same everywhere.

The only thing that distinguishes one bowling center from another is the experience the customer has while doing it. It is the bowling center itself – and to a great degree, the player’s skill level -- that is the unique component of bowling. It is the customer’s experience and, ultimately, the relationship they develop with the center’s management and staff that determines whether or not they’ll be back.

A major part of that relationship is the center’s ability to TEACH the game effectively, because a more-skilled participant becomes a more committed participant, and it is upon this base that Madison Avenue can build its ad campaigns.

GOT BOWLING?

Bowlers are developed, cultivated and nurtured. They do not simply exist. People are not born as bowlers. We cannot expect a non-bowler to suddenly get up off the couch and go bowling after watching a television commercial. Got milk? Got bowling? Got a clue? It’s not going to happen.

Will TV commercials and “marketing” create bowlers? No. We are all here today because the World War II generation embraced bowling. It met their needs. That generation built the bowling industry, Madison Avenue didn’t create those bowlers.

The best hope for the bowling industry today is that the tidal wave of Y-Gens will embrace bowling, and if that is to happen, our attention must be on the most fundamental level – the schools.

IT’S EDUCATION, EDUCATION, EDUCATION

Imagine a world where children are taught about bowling -- in a structured, methodical manner as part of their educational curriculum -- beginning in the first grade and continuing all the way through high school. Would anyone who was taught how to bowl, every year for 12 years, be more inclined to bowl than someone who has seen bowling in commercials?

How can any of this become a reality? Making it happen will not be difficult, but it will require a comprehensive, executable plan, a sufficient budget and a lot of hard work. And there lies the biggest obstacle to ever making this concept an actuality.

NO MAGIC POTIONS

For years our industry has preached magic solutions and quick-fixes to our perceived problems. It has always been easier to deal with the SYMPTOMS rather than the underlying CAUSES. It has always been easier to throw money and grand ideas at the problems -- to use a Band-aid approach -- rather than take the necessary steps to fix the problems at the source -- the ground level; the center level; the local association level; the customer level.

None of the decision-makers or purse-string holders in Greendale or Arlington has ever been accountable for results at the grassroots level. These are not bad people; they are intelligent; their hearts are in the right place; they simply have no idea how to actually implement programs at the center level, and they are not held accountable to do so. Who remembers the ill-fated Bowler’s Club?

With regard to the issue of bowling instruction, we must interface with the schools, then [simultaneously] train the personnel at the bowling centers.

EXECUTION AT THE CENTER LEVEL

Our fundamental problem is that we do not have a grassroots support system. Most proprietors simply WILL NOT implement a teaching or coaching program on their own -- regardless of how great the materials might be.

Even with newly revised USBC materials, the current state of coaching development – although better than it has been in many years -- is still inadequate, and will remain so until there is a system to provide coaches (and P.E. teachers) constant mentoring and skill development and proprietors with the field support system necessary to actually implement those programs.

And, until Greendale and Arlington stop trying to re-invent the wheel, stop putting out watered-down, but politically-correct training materials and certification programs and stop ignoring existing programs that have been effective for more than 25 years, we will continue to fight a losing battle in the quest of bowler development.

WHITHER THE PRO SHOP OPERATOR?

We have the same problem with ball drillers. A guy reads a magazine article and attends a two-hour seminar and thinks he’s the next Billy Hall, Tom Laskow or Jerry Francomano. Then he goes out and mis-drills every ball he touches, consequently driving bowlers away from the game. The issue of training certified pro shop operators goes hand-in-hand with properly training bowling instructors.
DEVELOPING LIFETIME CUSTOMERS
With my urging, the BPAA hired Bob Rea to lead and develop their In-school bowling program. But, as good a Bob’s programs are, he always recognized they had a fundamental weakness – there was never a component to help the proprietor convert “In-School” bowlers into REGULAR, frequent customers.

Bob always knew that marketing and training materials needed to be developed to support the coaching initiative to help PROPRIETORS retain entry-level players and convert them into lifetime customers. For instance, a Have-a-Ball league should never be run without 2-4 weeks of instruction on the front end. Have-a-Ball leagues attract entry level bowlers with those cool bowling balls, but if we don’t want Sponge Bob to end up sitting on a shelf gathering dust as a conversation-piece, we better teach these people how to bowl from the outset. Birthday party guests should NEVER leave the bowling center without a “Youth Bowler’s Guide” in their hot little hands and an invitation to return to a future Learn-to-Bowl class. (For more information on these ideas visit: www.BowlingMarketing.com).

Bob knew that BowlingMarketing.com specializes in designing turnkey promotional materials that promote bowler development and retention. That’s why he asked us to design a marketing “package” that could be included with every In-School bowling kit. We gladly obliged. Now, when a bowling proprietor gets hundreds of “In-school Bowling” kids visiting his/her center, he’ll be armed with marketing materials designed to capture customer information, promote repeat visits and develop lifetime customers. Without this component, the program will break down, as it always has, at the bowling center level.

NO NEED TO RE-INVENT THE WHEEL

Our materials are tried-and-proven in the field. They work. And, being programs specifically designed to integrate with Bob Rea’s In-School Bowling curriculum, they are the perfect tool for proprietors to maximize their investment in this program. Yet, the BPAA is still considering re-inventing the wheel or farming out this task to connected insiders. I’ll ask again: Does anyone remember the Bowler’s Club fiasco? When will this industry learn?

A CALL FOR UNITY. NO, REALLY.

I know we’ve talked about industry unity for 30 years – to the point it has become its own punch line – but for the sake of the sport’s future, we must come together on this one important issue and do it right. Egos, personal agendas, personality clashes, greed and turf wars must be put aside for the greater good of the game.

This project will be an enormous undertaking with massive ramifications. It will not be easy. It will not be quick. It will not be inexpensive. But, absolutely everyone – from the proprietors to the manufacturers to the membership groups -- stand to benefit enormously. There is no other initiative as important as this in our sport.

SHIFTING A PARADIGM AND ESTABLISHING PRIORITIES

The entire industry should place INTEGRATING BOWLING WITHIN THE EDUCATION SYSTEMS of this country at the top of their “To-Do” list. This would demand a huge shift in thinking that would require creating an organization that functions from the bottom up -- an organization that holds itself accountable for quantitative results.

This is not a glamorous concept. It is has no Madison Avenue glitter or sex appeal. It is down-and-dirty, in-the-trenches, guerrilla marketing and long-term thinking. As such, it is exactly why the CBA, USBC and PBA may not be interested.

But, it is exactly why they SHOULD BE interested.

In the end, we should not expect that these programs would be self-funded. They should be heavily subsidized by the bowling industry and made affordable for proprietors, educators and volunteers. The objective should be to provide basic [high quality] training to thousands of “Assistant Coaches,” advanced level training for ambitious “Coaches,” continuing education for “Instructors,” Train-the-Trainer sessions for “Area Trainers,” and an advanced certification program for “Teaching Professionals.”

So, if there is an important lesson to be learned from the PGA of America, it is the level of importance they place on instruction and of developing “teaching pros.”

Are you a golfer? Would you like to become a PGA certified teaching pro? Are you ready to devote eight years to the task? That’s right, the typical length of time required to become a PGA Teaching Pro is eight years of intensive study and training.

FROM THE PGA WEBSITE:

The following is from the PGA website. I have substituted “PBA” for PGA and “bowling” for golf…

“PBA Professionals are universally recognized as the experts and teachers of bowling. There is no quick and easy way to achieve PBA certification. PBA Members earn their status only by undergoing a multi-year series of work, study and training in every aspect of bowling ranging from teaching to tournament management to pro shop operations, and must maintain their expertise through a variety of continuing education programs. They also must pass a Playing Aptitude Test, furthering ensuring that they are uniquely qualified to teach the game of bowling.

The program emphasizes the practical application of state-of-the-art skills and knowledge along with sophisticated work activities, and is designed to give apprentices the skills to add value to their bowling facilities. When you graduate from the program, you will be ready to provide exceptional service to customers, employers, fellow professionals and the game of bowling.”

HOW ABOUT A PBA CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL TRAINING PROGRAM?

We need this program in bowling. An important part of this proposal would be to develop PBA-certified teaching pros. Such a program would give aspiring young bowlers something to strive for should they not “make it” on the PBA Tour and would give veteran PBA players an opportunity to make a living and share their expertise after their bowling careers have ended.

TRAINING THOSE WHO IMPACT BOWLING’S FUTURE

But, not everyone will aspire to the “Teaching Pro” level, so our primary objective should be to train thousands of qualified bowling coaches and P.E. teachers who are truly capable of teaching the sport in a UNIVERSALLY CONSISTENT and structured manner in our centers and in our schools.

To that end, we will need to integrate the USABC and the International Bowling Pro Shop and Instructors Association (IBPSIA) into one umbrella organization similar to the National Association for Golf Coaches and Educators (NAGCE). The what?

FROM THE NAGCE WEBSITE:

Again, I have substituted the word “bowling” for golf…

“Welcome to the National Association for Bowling Coaches and Educators. NABCE was created to serve as a valuable resource that will make a coach's, PE teacher's and youth counselor's jobs easier and more productive. The real winners in this program are the thousands of boys and girls positively affected via their first exposure to the game of bowling through a NABCE Certified Coach. Our motto, "training those who impact bowling’s future," specifically pertains to developing a child's character, integrity, honesty, and respect for others by promoting the intrinsic values found in this great game.”

THE $64 BILLION QUESTION – DOING THE MATH

• Should the bowling industry be interested in what the PGA is doing regarding instruction?
• Should the bowling industry be interested in implementing a grass-roots level teaching program?
• Should the bowling industry be interested in generating billions of dollars in additional revenue?
• Should the bowling industry be interested in its own survival?

The connection between bowling instruction, bowler development and customer retention is undeniable. Here are few facts and figures to chew on:

• About 70 million people go bowling at least one time each year.
• At least 20% of them (14 million) never return.
• Most casual bowlers are never introduced to proper bowling techniques.
• Even Cosmic bowlers get tired of throwing the ball in the gutter every time.
• If we could retain just 5% of the casual bowlers we lose every year, we would have 3.5 million more customers next year alone. At $20 per visit, that represents $70 million in additional revenue. Each subsequent year that figure would grow exponentially.
• A significant reason given by people who quit bowling is that it was no longer fun.
• People who improve their skills have more fun.
• We lose FIRST-TIME league bowlers at the rate of about 70% each year.
• We have 7 million fewer sanctioned league bowlers than 25 years ago.
• A league bowler’s value is estimated at a minimum of $400 per year.
• Those 7 million lost league bowlers represent a $2.8 billion negative impact on the industry – EVERY YEAR!

IN CONCLUSION

All of the foregoing commentary addresses the concept of teaching bowling to the masses, from beginning to end and providing a support mechanism for integration, follow up and perpetuation. These suggestions assume that such a program would:

1. Introduce children to the sport -- in our school systems -- and teach the game in an organized, structured manner from the first grade through high school.
2. Provide bowling centers with a means of teaching entry-level adults through organized classes and/or in one-on-one sessions.
3. Create a meaningful certification and continuing educational program for in-house instructors and teaching pros.
4. Provide a network of full-time, qualified master instructors and field representatives dedicated to training coaches and bowling center personnel and helping proprietors implement follow-up marketing programs designed to put money in their cash registers.
5. Provide proprietors with turnkey marketing materials designed to convert entry-level bowlers to regular, lifetime customers.

It’s time for the bowling organizations and manufacturer to do what is right for bowling and combine resources to truly expand the efforts to teach bowling at the grass roots level.

Doing so will require a substantial commitment of funds and resources but, in the end, it would be the most revolutionary and productive initiative our sport has ever undertaken.

I hope I’ve sparked something in you and that you agree this issue deserves our utmost attention. If so, let your association leaders know how you feel. The time is now.

Have a great week!
Paul & Patti Kreins

####

May 15-th, 2004 A MESSAGE FROM MARK The Politics of Bowling

In a letter sent to this website last week, a young gentleman stated that he thought that high scores and high-scoring houses were great, and bowling should advertize and in fact, promote these high scores to bring in more bowlers.

That, in fact, is what many proprietors have been doing for the last 25 years----and look what has happened to our industry. League membership--not just ABC-- peaked at nearly 11 million around 1980---ABC/WIBC (and Juniors). Urethane balls were introduced in 1981 by AMF with the Black Angle. Scores started rising appreciably with the passing of lacquer lane finishes because the insurance companies refused to insure the centers any more because of the extreme fire hazards that were prevalent up until 1977. The soakers, first made popular by our own Don McCune on tour in 1973-74 had little, if any, effect on league bowling scores---just everybody started drilling Yellow Dots which hooked a little more than rubber balls.

During the 1980's, instead of being the gatekeeper of our sport, ABC/WIBC allowed the proprietors and manufacturers to begin the dramatic erosion of our sport's integrity by blaming the bowler for shooting high scores instead of penalizing the center for walling up the lanes. Many of us had honor scores turned down by inexperienced ABC reps. (I had one turned down because the left side had too little oil outside and not enough inside---but I'm right-handed). Rightly, the bowlers protested this inequity--why should they be penalized for the ''cheating'' by a proprietor? -- plus politics became heavily involved with local lanes reps often in antagonistic relationships vs. certain proprietors. Then, they tried 'short oil'. Scores continued to rise as proprietors were allowed to do virtually anything as long as the minimum standards on length were met. Now, since 1992, we have nearly no limits on what lanesmen can do. Guys are averaging over 240--Jeff Carter averaged 261 for a season. In one league here locally, they had 56 300's in one league season and 8 guys averaged over 240.

Sorry, that isn't the SPORT of bowling---that is bumper bowling for adults--and bowlers who bowl on these conditions shouldn't be entitled to award score recognition --at least not the same recognition that bowlers who EARNED their scores should recieve. Maybe, if ABC didn't have to spend over a million dollars a year on $30 rings (times 40,000 300'S/year) and awards. maybe they wouldn't be in the ridiculous financial quagmire of increasing costs, duplicated services, objections to spiraling dues, and an intransigent, selfish, self-serving delegation of reps who are only concerned with maintaining their status quo and their free trip to nationals each year.

Let's discuss the true facts!!! There were nearly 11 million league bowlers in 1980, urethane balls were introduced in 1980 and scores have excalated while league membership has dropped by over 75%. These facts are indisputable by anyone who hasn't been brainwashed!!! Are high scores the only reason for membership erosion? Of course not!!! Nobody ever made that claim, but it is a very significant factor among bowlers of my generation (50 yrs. old).

The challenge of competing is no longer as great, and it is not fun watching novice bowlers who don't even know what a mark is, compete at the same level on league conditions, but refuse to bowl on a 'normal' condition, and bitch incessantly about lane conditions that they don't understand, if they don't shoot 700+ every week. I used to work at my game so I could continue to compete at the highest levels of our sport. Now, I haven't practiced in years because I can average 215-220 bowling my 6 games a week. Is that healthy for our sport?? Large numbers of my contemporaries have quit bowling, and many more only bowl 3 or 6 games per week--few tournaments and no practice. Practice is almost non-existant in many houses, league bowling continues to drop precipitously, yet many houses--and bowlers-- continue to applaud the advent of high scoring conditions. When will they wake up? High-scoring conditions don't keep bowlers, and they certainly don't recruit new bowlers, they just steal other bowlers from houses that try to maintain some semblence of integrity. Older houses are closing, not because they are lower scoring, but because of the high property values, the inability of their aging owners to sell the older, smaller centers, and the reluctance of the banking industry to loan money to purchase ''at risk'' older centers. Most new bowlers want to bowl in larger, more elegant centers, and those are all reasonable reasons why the older lower scoring houses are disappearing---NOT LOWER SCORES!!

Mark Gelfand--Pres.
All Pro Bowling & Dart Supply
& allprobowling.com
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
& Vice President--International Bowling Pro Shop
& Instructors Association