Up Front
EVERYTHING BOWLING, ALL THE TIME Since taking over the AMF bowling
center chain, and closing a number of under-performing centers, Shannon has been characterized in social media as a bowling executive who does not like bowling leagues, preferring to focus on more profitable business segments such as corporate parties and enhanced food-and-beverage service. In an interview with Bowlers Journal, Shannon denied that assertion. “We’re hyper-focused on building our
Brunswick During The Boom Years: Bowling has enjoyed a handful of “booms” and an equal number of “busts” through the years. During the boom years of the 1950s, Brunswick was one of several companies that produced bowling pins — one aspect of its massive capital equipment operation. In this short video from that era, we get a glimpse of the complicated and fascinating pin-making process, during which “the choicest hard- white maple is carefully selected, shaped and smoothed to exact specifications for the precision playing that bowlers have learned to count on.”
Brunswick Bowling Products President Brent Perrier said he expects any buyer of that division to keep the Brunswick name and take advantage of its brand equity. “A buyer could choose not to use the Brunswick name, but that would seem foolish to me,” Perrier told Bowlers Journal. “Any buyer will recognize that there is tremendous value to the Brunswick brand in the bowling industry. It is our intent to license the Brunswick name to the new owner.”
The stunning series of events was put
into motion not by Brunswick, but by Shannon and the investors in the new Bowlmor AMF. Shannon made an offer to purchase the Brunswick centers, and Brunswick Corporation CEO Dustan Mc- Coy initially declined, noting that the centers were profitable for the company. After thinking it over, however, he con- sidered the investment needed to keep those centers up to date, and concluded that the timing was right.
league count,” he said. “We’re doing a number of things, from direct outreach, to subsidizing prize funds, to making sure that we’re price competitive. It’s not that we are anti-leagues in any way. It’s just that a lot of activity around league play wasn’t profitable activity.” Brunswick’s tentacles reach far and wide in the industry, and its success directly im- pacts the success of other businesses, such as distributors, pro shops and tournament promoters. Brunswick also has been a fi- nancial backer of bowling’s Olympic Games quest, the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame, and other initiatives. While Perrier insists that it’s “business
as usual” for the products business until a buyer is found, many in the industry are concerned because even if the Brunswick name lives on, the long-time support of Brunswick Corporation now is destined to disappear. As PBA Hall of Famer Johnny Petraglia, who has been affiliated with Brunswick for 43 years, succinctly put it: “It is sort of shocking.”
FULL COVERAGE IN THE MAGAZINE
The September issue of Bowlers Journal International has the Bowlmor AMF/Brunswick story covered from every angle imaginable. In addition to Gianmarc Manzione’s comprehensive Cover Story, the issue includes:
LEADING OFF Another way of viewing the sale of Brunswick’s bowling centers. By Keith Hamilton
HALL MARKS What I’d do if I were in the shoes of Bowlmor AMF’s Tom Shannon. By Wally Hall
EVOLUTION From humble beginnings, Brunswick became an industry leader. By Bob Johnson
PERSPECTIVE BJI’s business columnists offer insight on the deal. By Wally Hall and Sandy Hansell
STRIKES ME It’s not bowling’s first blockbuster, and probably won’t be its last. By Bob Johnson
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