Those words were the inspiration for a small
group of bowling center owners who, seventy years ago, created the Bowling
Proprietors’ Association of America (BPAA) to revive their businesses and to
unite a splintered, fragmented group of proprietors.
At the time there wasn’t a lot of money but there was vision and
dedication. These men realized that
for their businesses to survive, they had to work together, united toward a
common goal. They adopted the motto
“United We Prosper” and built the foundation of their association on
leadership and service.
Today their fledgling association has become a prosperous
and progressive association of more than 3,200 member centers.
BPAA has weathered difficult times throughout the years, but the
foundation of this association has not faltered.
BPAA is driven forward, not by a chosen few, but by an entire membership,
a group of dynamic and knowledgeable men and women who believe that unity,
leadership and service are still the keys to success.
Through the best and worst of times, the focus of BPAA has always been on
leadership, service, and the future.
BPAA members give much to this association – their time,
their money, their expertise. By
cultivating these resources, BPAA has developed a list of membership services
and privileges designed with one thing in mind – to improve our members’
business.
As the BPAA logo illustrates, a proprietor’s business is
bowling. BPAA’s business is to
offer our members the tools they need to make their business a success.
Tournaments, group purchasing programs, International Bowl Expo, business
and educational seminars, legislative representation, public recognition of the
association and the industry are among the many benefits of BPAA membership.
This list is long and will continue to expand to meet the ever-changing
needs of the BPAA membership and to strengthen our position as a leader in the
bowling and business communities.
BPAA membership gives the proprietor the strength to gain
a fair share of their community’s recreational and entertainment dollars in a
very competitive market and gives them the means to operate a successful and
reputable business.
Membership in the BPAA is available to any person or
corporation that owns or operates a bowling center.
Technically, the bowling center is the “member” and the proprietor is
the “representative.” Members
also benefit from belonging to the affiliated state and local proprietors’
associations.
BPAA is lead by a Board of Directors patterned after the
Carver Governance Model. In 1997
members voted at the Annual Meeting to downsize the organization’s Board of
Directors from approximately 121 members to the current 25-member Board
structure. BPAA’s members
participate in formulating policies and establishing programs, as well as
electing officers and board members. The
Executive Director manages the staff and national headquarters in
BPAA’s vision, its mission and priority issues follow:
“It is the Vision of BPAA to be an essential resource to
bowling
centers and to lead a united, growing, more prosperous
and
highly regarded bowling industry”
“It is the
BPAA’s
Priority Issues
are
to:
The Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America, Inc. is
a non-profit organization – the only one in the world that serves the
specific, yet diverse, interests of bowling center owners.