The Bowling Industry will lose an elite leader when John Berglund retires By Dick Evans

On Dec. 31, John Berglund retires while on top of the bowling world with the International Bowling Campus now a reality. Read how the BPAA's Executive Director rode the waves from Minnesota to California to Texas to St. Martin's Island in the Caribbean.

Since John Berglund (pictured right) grew up in Minnesota you might think he would have the mentality of a snow skier rather than a ocean surfer.

You would be wrong, John Berglund likes to be daring, likes to ride the waves and loves winding up on a beach after a great ride to this point in his successful life.

That may help explain why he is retiring at the apex of his career as executive director of the Bowling Proprietors Association of America and is headed to retirement on a Caribbean Island where he and his wife are going to try to sell perfume to tourist on St. Martens Island.

Many outstanding bowling leaders have come and gone over the years and most have been replaced by good men or women. But I am willing to bet that no one will come close to duplicating what John Berglund has accomplished in the past eight years at the helm of the BPAA.

 

In my mind his greatest accomplishments have been:

1. To help build the Bowling Proprietors Association into a smooth running organization.

2. To help grow Bowl Expo into the most exciting and educational event in the world.

3. To reach out to other segments of the industry like IBPSIA and the Military and bring them under the Bowl Expo umbrella.

4. To help grow Strike Ten Entertainment division and make it into a giant success story.

5. To help broker peaceful talks and eventual harmony between the BPAA and the USBC and also the BPAA and the PBA.

6. To help lure Canadian proprietors to hold their convention during Bowl Expo.

7. To help finalize deals that would enable his dream of an International Bowling Campus in Arlington to become a reality and almost as large as Texas itself (OK, so I am stretching the imagination on that comparison but one day the campus's influence will stretch across the bowling galaxy.)

Please notice that in each of his accomplishments I used the work "HELPED."

If you read John Berglund's answers to my questions below you will notice that he gives credit where credit is due for all his accomplishments -- even about how his life evolved from Minnesota to San Diego back to Minnesota to Texas and to ocean front property in the Caribbean.

In my mind, John Berglund ranks right behind PBA founder Eddie Elias in what John has accomplished for the entire bowling industry. There may be a few more bowling giants on the horizon who one day may rank along with Elias and Berglund but that is a story for another day.

Below you will find the John Berglund story...it is interesting reading about a man who truly knows how to move mountains.

 

QUESTION: "Where and when and how did you get involved in the sport of bowling and at what age?"

ANSWER: "Other than bowling open play as a child (my father was a good bowler and had bowled league for many years prior to my birth), I joined a Saturday youth bowling league at age 13 and was in it for two years loving every minute of it."

 

QUESTION: "Where did you go to college and law school and when did you graduate and with what kind of degrees?"

ANSWER: "I graduated from Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Ind., in 1976 with a BS in History (could've been a BA but with me, BS probably makes more sense). I also took a phy ed bowling course for which I received an A and had second highest average. I graduated from the University of San Diego Law School with a J.D. degree in 1979.

"For a kid from Minnesota, you will understand why I was in the top five percent of my class in beach activities."

 

QUESTION: "What led up to your association with the bowling proprietors in Minnesota, when did you start and when did you leave and why?"

ANSWER: "I began representing bowling proprietors indirectly in 1982 when I became Executive Director of the Minnesota Licensed Beverage Association. Many bowling centers either were, or would become members.

"One of my two or three closest friends/advisors/members was Charlie Hall, owner of the Mermaid Bowling Center in suburban St. Paul. Charlie and I first met and worked together on a legislative issue in 1982.

"In 1998 the Minnestoa Bowling Centers Association contracted with the Beverage Association for management with me becoming executive directors of both. When I retire at the end of this year I am proud to say I worked for bowling proprietors, directly or indirectly, for 24 years."

 

QUESTION: "How and where did you meet your wife and list some details about your family?"

ANSWER: "I met my wife, then Cyndi Rossi, at a nice peanut type bar in suburban Minneapolis. I was home for the summer after my first year of law school. We had a long distance relationship for the next three years (2 years of law school and one year of my first legal job as a prosecutor in rural Minnesota) and then married.

"She was a physical education teacher and varsity coach of many sports. We bowled mixed leagues early in our marriage. She, like myself, is not a particularly good bowler but she was the female winner of our Church bowling event a few years ago.

"We have two children, Rachelle, 27, who works for a company that puts on running marathons in San Diego. Tyler (T.J.) is 24 and works for a restaurant in Milledgeville, Ga., but is in the process of moving to San Diego. T.J. was a junior bowler and still bowls some today."

 

QUESTION: "Can you tell me how a Minnesota boy became so enamored oceans and beaches and how and why did you decide to retire on a Caribbean island and do you not fear hurricanes?

ANSWER: "I chose San Diego for law school because of the beaches. Cyndi, who loved the same, met me and had dreams of living in San Diego.

"We took our first family trip to the Caribbean in 1996, hopping by plane to five islands, one of them being St. Martin. We went to other islands but kept coming back to St. Martin.

"St. Martin/St. Maarten is the smallest land mass in the world shared by two countries. St. Martin, where we will live and work, is French and St. Maarten is Dutch.

"Cyndi and I, in addition to retaining our U.S. citizenships, are now French residents (with free health care). We have planned on this new career and move since 1996, with the actual trigger to be pulled when we had everything in order, including our finances.

"The business, the Tijon Parfumerie & Boutique, opened officially in December of 2008. Traffic was a bit lighter than projected (tourism was down on the island as a result of the economy) but average ticket purchase was higher than anticipated.

"I have studied chemistry both in college and subsequent, have consulted with chemists and perfumers and believe I have acquired through training and repetition a good nose. Our home is next to our business, and both are across the street from the beach in the village of Grand Case, St. Martin.

"Grand Case is typically called the "Gourmet Capital of the Caribbean" because of the many fine restaurants. Yes, we fear hurricanes and are not planning to stay on the island during the peak of that season."

 

QUESTION: "When did you take over as executive director of the BPAA in Arlington and what were the biggest challenges you faced?

ANSWER: "I began with BPAA at Bowl Expo 2002 in New Orleans. There was no particular large challenge. The only thing different, other than working for a national organization (I had worked for states associated with national programs so I understand the relationship) was that I had not managed as large a staff as BPAA had."

 

QUESTION: "What are the biggest challenges that face the BPAA as you prepare to retire December 31st?"

ANSWER: "I hope I do not leave BPAA with any significant challenges that I could have prevented. Nevertheless, the challenges will likely be two-fold: continuing integration with USBC and growing the International Bowling Campus; and helping members to overcome the economy."

 

QUESTION: "When did you envision bringing all facets of the bowling industry and in what order did other bowling groups accept your invitation?"

ANSWER: "It was a gradual process in that BPAA had been provided the management opportunity of Strike Ten, IBPSIA and BBIA. When Roger Dalkin retired and Kevin Dornberger replaced him on a theme of change, I scheduled an appointment to show Kevin the adjacent (to BPAA) building for sale in August 2007.

"Kevin, as all who toured the building, was impressed. At the Bowling Summit in January 2008 in Myrtle Beach, the USBC committed to the move if a few things would occur.

"A presentation was made at that time to the Museum & Hall of Fame Board and a few months later it agreed to begin final talks to relocate to Arlington."

 

QUESTION: "How important was it to have a former BPAA president (Jeff Boje) as president of the USBC when the membership organization decided last year to move to Arlington?"

ANSWER: "When I told Jeff I was going to show Kevin the building, Jeff believed it was not timely, believing his USBC board and membership would not be supportive as they were just adapting to him as a proprietor being President (he was elected in prior May).

"Then Jeff and Mike Carroll toured the building (I think they did it with Kevin in August 2007 but it could have been a month later). Mike absolutely loved the building and the possibility of a bowling campus and convinced Jeff the board and members would support it if it made financial sense.

"Jeff then took over in promoting the Campus. There would not be an International Bowling Campus without his leadership, dedication, persuasive skills and hard work. There were many people involved but Jeff was the leader on this issue. Anyone involved who had their cell phone on around 11pm would concur."

 

QUESTION: "What kind of mountains did you personally as a lawyer with good contacts in the Dallas area and Texas have to move to help purchase the building that everybody concluded was the perfect property to be purchased as the focal point for the new International Bowling Stadium in Arlington?

ANSWER: "The issues involved in purchasing the building were three-fold: Obtaining our industry partners to relocate there (see above); buying the building at the right price and getting city and state incentives.

"As to the purchase price, I left for the Christmas holidays in St. Martin the day after meeting with the building owners. Coincidentally, John LaSpina was in our offices and assisted at the meeting.

However, we were two million apart (sellers reduced price to $10 million and we increased to $7.8 million) and neither side was budging. I believed the deal was likely over as the owner had the financial means to leave the building vacant.

"While I was in St. Martin, our realtors called and said the sellers would sell at $7.8 million if we paid the real estate commission, which brought it just a hair over $8 million.

"BPAA agreed to proceed with the contingency that USBC would sign-on. As to the city and state incentives, after USBC showed an interest in August 2007, I took my friend and neighbor Wes Juray to dinner telling him the vision and asking for his leadership and assistance.

"Juray was/is the staff president of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce and was the person primarily responsible for the Campus receiving the state grant and introducing us to the right people at the city. Coincidentally at dinner that evening, the Arlington Mayor and his wife were two tables away and Juray introduced us."

 

Question: "Do you really envision that the International Bowling Campus become the focal point of world bowling and when do you think that will happen and how?"

ANSWER: "No. I think the Campus already has become the focal point of world bowling in concept. I say in concept, because most have not seen it and the Campus is not finished.

"The grand opening will be a big to-do in January 2010 in conjunction with a USBC Board Meeting and the BPAA Bowling Summit. From that date on the Campus will be the focal point of world bowling in practice as well as concept."

 

QUESTION: "If you had it all to do over again, what things would you change during your tenure as executive director of BPAA?

ANSWER: "Nothing of any significance. I only wished I knew when I started with BPAA what I know now in terms of managing a larger office staff. I hope I learned and became a better manager. I know I leave BPAA with an incredibly talented, dedicated and hard working staff. At this year's Bowl Expo I will begin my eighth and final (half) year with BPAA.

"It has been A Great Ride."