News

Ebonite International Gold Program a golden opportunity

2010-08-30T16:09:20-06:00

Ebonite International’s Pro Shop Gold Program was a golden opportunity that Larry Schwab couldn’t pass up.

Schwab, who owns Larry’s Pro Shop in Portland, Ore., re-signed with the program after its inaugural year last year, but has been a member of the company’s various programs for years, he said.

“With the Pro Shop Gold Program you get the equipment earlier than other shops,” Schwab said. “The cost is less and you also get information quicker.”

That combined with the valuable rebates makes joining the Pro Shop Gold Program a no-brainer, he said.

Schwab said he has suggested and encouraged other shops to join the Gold Program.

“I don’t understand how any pro shop cannot take advantage of this great offer,” he said.

Pro shops have until Aug. 31, to get their redemption information in to Leslie Cabiness for the first quarter rebates. The second quarter will end Oct. 31, 2010. Gold Pro Shop members receive a 4-8% rebate on each quarter’s Ebonite International purchases, redeemable in any Ebonite International product.

To learn more or to sign up for the Pro Shop Gold Program, contact your Ebonite International District Sales Manager.

About Ebonite International
Ebonite International is a privately-owned company that services bowling centers, distributors and retail outlets domestically and internationally. The company’s consumer product brands include Ebonite,Hammer,Robby’s,Columbia 300,Track and Powerhouse™; its commercial product brand is Ebonite Bowling Center Direct.

Ausbrooks joins Ebonite International Marketing Services Team

2010-08-23T17:32:48-06:00

HOPKINSVILLE, Ky. — Cory Ausbrooks, of Franklin, Ky., has joined the Ebonite International, Inc. Marketing Services Team.

Ausbrooks is a 2004 graduate of Western Kentucky University where he double majored in Marketing Management and Marketing, receiving a Bachelor’s of Science degree in each. He has extensive experience in sales management, marketing, account management, and customer services.

“I am one of those guys that have to go beyond what is expected,” he said. “I meet and exceed my goals and quotas.”

Before coming to Ebonite International, Inc., Ausbrooks worked for Cannon Industrial Products in Nashville, Tenn. He has also worked for Lyon Workspace Products as an Account Manager and a District Manager, WebMD Corp and Furniture Solutions.

“We are very excited to have someone with Cory’s experience on staff with us,” said Marketing Services Manager Brenda Green. “We feel he can contribute a lot to the work our staff is striving to do. His sales experience in particular will be a benefit to our team in the field.”

Ausbrooks is excited about the opportunity that lies ahead of him at Ebonite International.

“This position will allow me to take all my experience in different areas and combine it and at the same time learn new things,” he said.

Ausbrooks has two children and is active in their activities, including baseball and softball. He is also a proud supporter of his local chapter of the American Cancer Society.

EBONITE INTERNATIONAL HIRES NATIONAL SALES MANAGER

2010-08-17T17:09:48-06:00

HOPKINSVILLE, Ky. — Ebonite International, Inc. District Sales Manager Mike Judy has been promoted to the position of National Sales Manager.

Judy has been with Ebonite International, Inc. for more than three years. He was a district sales manager at Track two years before Ebonite International, Inc. acquired the assets of Columbia Industries, which also owned Track.

He acted as Ebonite International’s District Sales Manager covering Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, and parts of Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. His territory will be split among five other district sales managers.

Judy grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio and attended Wright State University, where he studied Electrical Engineering and bowled for the collegiate bowling team. Judy started his professional career as a Sales Engineer selling industrial metal-cutting equipment to job shops and Fortune 500 companies, he said.

“I have been bowling since I was 4 years old and my passion has always been bowling,” Judy said. “So about seven years ago, I decided to combine my sales background with my passion for the sport of bowling and haven’t looked back.”

Judy is a Silver Certified Bowling Coach. He helped start a high school bowling program at Middletown High School and is a past president of the Miami Valley USBC Association. He has been listed on the Bowlers Journal list of Top 100 Coaches multiple times.

“I’m very excited about taking on the National Sales Manager position,” Judy said. “I feel I can contribute to the growth of our industry and help our sales team improve our market share. I plan to hit the ground running.”

Judy has been married to his wife Michelle for 11 years and they have 2 children. They currently live in Franklin, Ohio. Judy will office in Hopkinsville.

“Mike Judy has shown solid leadership skills and we know he will do an excellent job as National Sales Manager,” said Vice President of Sales and Marketing Bob Reid. “We are fortunate to have an individual with both ‘outside’ sales management experience, and bowling industry experience, among us. I am very pleased that we were able to ‘promote from within’ for this position.”

EBONITE INTERNATIONAL BRINGS WMC TO THE WORLD

2010-08-10T14:39:18-06:00

HOPKINSVILLE, Ky. — Ebonite International, Inc. will be bringing to the world — live — the World Men’s Championship from Germany beginning Aug. 12.

The third annual event will take place at the Dream-Bowl Palace in Unterföhring, near Munich.

The Dream-Bowl Palace, which opened last year, is a 52-lane state-of-the-art facility and is the largest bowling facility in Europe. This year’s championship will feature 400 players from 69 countries.

Ebonite International, Inc., along with Kegel, will sponsor the live streaming digital video at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bowlingdigital-tv, with commentaries in English. The video will be offered tape-delayed in other languages as well.

“We are extremely excited to be a part of this,” said Mike Quitter, Ebonite International, Inc. Vice President of Sales. “The World Men’s Championship is a huge event and this way we are able to let the entire world experience it as it is happening.”

The tentative schedules of the Live Streaming broadcast times are:

Saturday, August 14, 2010
• 18.30 - 19.00 Singles - Semifinals
• 19.00 - 19.30 Singles - Championship
Monday, August 16, 2010
• 20.00 - 18.45 Doubles - Semifinals
• 18.45 - 19.30 Doubles - Championship
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
• 20.00 - 21.00 Trios - Semifinals
• 21.00 - 22.00 Trios - Championship
Friday, August 20, 2010
• 20.00 - 21.00 Team - Semifinals
• 21.00 - 22.30 Team - Championship
Saturday, August 21, 2010
• 08.00 - 10.00 Masters Round of 16
• 10.00 - 12.00 Masters Quarterfinals
• 13.00 - 15.00 Masters Semifinals
• 15.00 - 17.00 Masters Final
(All times Central European Time)

NEW TRACK STAFF MEMBER SEES IMMEDIATE BENEFIT

2010-08-05T17:44:47-06:00

When you match a talented bowler with the right equipment, amazing things can happen.

BJ Hines, Louisville Kent., recently signed on to become a member of Track bowling’s amateur staff and has been bowling the lights out since the moment the ink dried.

Hines signed with the company in April of 2010 and has rolled an impressive 6 perfect games since joining the Track Legion.

“Track has been a huge help to my game,” Hines said. “They have provided me with what I feel is the best line of balls on the market. The Track bowling staff has also taught me about layouts for certain conditions as well as surface changes and how they affect the reaction of the ball. The education I have received from the wonderful people at Track has been as, or possibly more, valuable than any equipment they have given me. “

Hines has seen the majority of his recent success with the new 607A SE and 505T but also says he has had good results with the 505A and 715C.

“I would like to thank Brand Manager Paul Figliomeni and District Sales Manager Mike Judy for giving me this opportunity,” explained Hines. “They took a chance on me and I am grateful. I would also like to thank PBA Tour star Mike Wolfe for all the help on the lanes and drilling my equipment. It is a great advantage to have someone with his knowledge of the entire game of bowling in my corner. “

— Track Bowling Balls & Bowling Equipment - Track is a brand of Ebonite International, Inc. Based in Hopkinsville, Ky., Ebonite International is a privately-owned company that services bowling centers, distributors and retail outlets domestically and internationally. In addition to Track, the company’s consumer product brands include Hammer, Robby’s, Columbia 300, Ebonite and Powerhouse™; its commercial product brand is Ebonite Bowling Center Direct.

TRACK 505A SETS RECORDS IN Philippines

2010-08-02T16:32:09-06:00

There is such a thing as ‘breaking out of a slump’ and then there is what Biboy Rivera recently accomplished with his Track bowling ball.

Competing in the MCTBA (Mandaluyong City Tenpin Bowling Association) Championship, Rivera lit up the scoreboard with games of 260, 300, 268, 264, 300, 264, 269, 267, 225, 300, 210, and 229 on the way to setting multiple records and capturing this year’s Masters Title.

“It’s a good feeling considering I have been struggling the last few months,” said Rivera who used a Track 505A to achieve his record breaking performance.

Along with the title, Rivera also left holding the MCTBA record for both his 12-game series (3156) as well as for his 6-game series (1656), not to mention becoming the first person to roll three perfect games in the tournament’s history.

Rivera looks to continue his hot streak as he gets ready to compete in the Asian Championships held this October in Abu Dhabi.

“We are honored to have played a role in Mr. Rivera’s recent accomplishments and we wish him the best of luck in his upcoming events,” said Paul Figliomeni, Track Brand Manager. “We are certainly looking forward to hearing more Track success stories from Biboy very soon.”

TRACK STAFFER HANSON BRINGS HOME GOLD

2010-07-29T17:18:09-06:00

Track Staff Player Craig Hanson, along with Doubles partner Andrew Koff, earned the Gold medal Wednesday at the 2010 World Tenpin Bowling Association’s World Youth Championships in Helsinki, Finland.

Hanson and Koff competed against their own Team USA teammates Devin Bidwell and Jake Peters, 428-426, to win the championship. Hanson shot 227 in that game; throwing six strikes in a row and setting Koff up to strike out in the tenth frame for the win.

Bidwell and Peters walked away with the Silver medal. Both pairs made history, as the United States is the only country to ever win both Gold and Silver medals in the same year. Forty-six countries are participating in the Championships this year.

“Craig did a great job winning the Gold,” said Paul Figliomeni, Track Brand Manager. “He’s got great equipment in his hands, and we’re proud that we could be a part of such a great honor. We wish him luck in the rest of the tournament.”

Hanson continues at the World Youth Championships with the Team event later in the week. USBC will be streaming the semifinals and finals matches live online at bowl.com, beginning Saturday.

TRACK EQUIPMENT MEANS PERFECTION TIMES FOUR FOR CUMMINGS

2010-07-20T16:57:52-06:00

Shaun Cummings, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, is taking the “new ball carry” philosophy to heart.

Cummings has had an amazing run with his Track bowling balls lately, as he has bowled four 300 games in the last 12 months. That alone would be spectacular, but it gets better:

Cummings’ 300 games were bowled with four different Track bowling balls: 930T, 715A, 505A, and 920T, and all were rolled within a week of each ball being drilled.

The success Cummings has seen is not limited to just his honor score run; he also recently qualified for the Australian F.I.Q Team to bowl at the upcoming Asian F.I.Q tournament.

“I’m still on a high from that as it is my first National Team,” Cummings said.

“We at Track would like to congratulate Shaun on his recent success and wish him the best of luck in his upcoming events,” said Paul Figliomeni, Track Brand Manager. “For a player to do so well with our equipment is an honor, especially when it shows how well our equipment plays all around the world. We are thrilled to play a role in such an amazing accomplishment.”

TRACK STAFF MEMBER WINS EAGLE

2010-07-12T21:38:06-06:00

With the USBC Open Championship wrapping up in Reno, Nev., Track bowling staff member Dan Paul and ‘The Bowlers Edge Pro Shop’ team were fortunate enough to hold on and claim victory in the team event portion.

Paul used his Track 930T bowling ball early and the 715C late to help lead his 5-man team their winning score.

“It was a long 95-day wait, but in the end my dream of being a USBC champion came true,” Paul said. “What an experience to share the title with my teammates!”

Paul, along with team members Brad Kuhr, Tim Rice, Jason Wendt, and Kenny Kempf,combined for games of 1,050, 1,115 and 1,243 for a winning total of 3408.

“With over 14,000 teams making the trip to Reno in an attempt to capture the prestigious USBC Championship Eagle, we are very happy and proud to have a member of our staff fortunate enough to leave the event as a champion,” said Paul Figliomeni, Track Brand Manager.

NEW TRACK BALL REACH PERFECTION

2010-07-12T21:15:06-06:00

Matt McFayden decided to drill up his new Track 607A SE and 505T before competing in the Rocks Dugout Summer Invitational League Thursday night at Northrock Lanes in Wichita, Kans.

This turned out to be a great decision on his part.

It did not take McFayden long to find success with his new equipment, as he rolled a perfect 300 game right out of the box with the 607A SE.

“Everyone was drawn to the ball all night as I constantly had people asking what I was throwing,” McFayden said. “The red, green, and yellow swirl kind of makes it stand out a bit. Not to mention that it looked awesome rolling through the pins.”

In the Rocks Dugout League, members bowl two games and then move one pair of lanes to complete their 4 game set. McFayden nearly achieved perfection again on the next pair.

“I decided to change to the new 505T to try it out on the second pair,” said McFayden. “The pairs were a bit different, but when I got in deep enough I was able to see the power of this ball. Game 4 of the night I started with the front 9 before leaving a solid 8-pin and then striking out for 279.”

All in all, McFayden bowled 4 games on 2 pair of lanes using 2 different balls and managed a cool 1017 for his night of league bowling.

“The 607A SE and 505T are true complements to each other, and along with the 300C allow for a perfect 3 ball set for any competitive bowler!” McFayden exclaimed.

Paul Figliomeni, Track Brand Manager, tends to agree.

“We’ve worked really hard to build a true arsenal,” explained Figliomeni. “The naming system makes it easy for a bowler to tell what the ball is supposed to do, so it’s that much easier for a bowler to put together a bag full of balls that will meet their needs on any condition. Matt is living proof that these balls are great, and that the work well together to get the job done. Kudos to him for his success.”