Unconfirmed reports from a reliable source indicate that the primary interest in the purchase of AMF Bowling Centers, which is emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is from Tom Shannon, one of bowling’s major proprietors. As reported in BJI’s Cyber Report, Shannon is the CEO of Strike Holdings, which operates Bowlmor and Strike locations in New [...]

Residents of Muskegon, Mich., have lots of fond memories of the Brunswick Bowling Products manufacturing plant, which was built in 1906. For decades, that plant employed as many as 2,700 people, providing a second “family” for many of the workers. Company bowling leagues promoted teamwork and camaraderie. Even those who didn’t work for the company [...]

Jimmy Sturm, one of only two individuals to serve as both Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America President and United States Bowling Congress President, has resigned from his bowling promotion position with Reno’s Tri-Properties hotel/casino group, Bowlers Journal International has confirmed. Since the beginning of the month, Sturm had been embroiled in a scandal over alleged [...]

Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America members who attend International Bowl Expo in Las Vegas this June will have an opportunity to win a “$100,000 makeover” for their center. “One of the biggest areas of opportunities we see for our centers is changing with the times and reinventing themselves — something that is difficult without significant [...]

John Davis had three priorities in life, according to a man who knew him well, Len Nicholson. “No. 1 was his family,” said the host of the “Phantom Radio” internet talk show, and former laneman for the Professional Bowlers Assn. “No. 2 were his employees. And No. 3 were his friends.” That life was cut [...]

Strike Ten Entertainment, the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America and the United States Bowling Congress have just unveiled a new league program designed exclusively for first-time adult bowlers. The “Adult 8 For 8” league program is similar to the “Youth 8 For 8” initiative that recently ended and has been successfully used in a number [...]

Hammer’s series of “Merchandising and Accounting for Your Pro Shop” events begins today in suburban Denver, Colo., and continues through Feb. 7. Most of the events will be hosted by Hammer Brand Manager Jeff Ussery, a former pro shop manager. Others will feature Hammer district sales managers. The starting time at each site is 10:30 [...]

New bowling-based businesses — one primarily a bar/restaurant, the other with a more family-friendly atmosphere, are coming to communities in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, as BJI’s eBowler reported today… • The cyclical nature of the bowling business continues to trend toward smaller centers, often as part of high-end restaurant and bar operations. The latest community [...]

Jesse Williams, who stars as Dr. Jackson Avery on the ABC series “Grey’s Anatomy,” will be the eighth and final owner of a Professional Bowlers Assn. League team in its inaugural 2013 season. PBA Commissioner Tom Clark announced that Williams, who also is a model and has appeared in a number of movies and television [...]

The LaSpina family has been getting a lot of grief from long-time customers over their plans to close venerable Maple Lanes in Brooklyn to make way for a condo complex and synagogue. But they demonstrated their commitment to the community on Dec. 14 at another family-owned center, Rockville Centre Lanes, by hosting a massive bowling [...]