JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas –
Instead of giving out trophies, the Skylark Bowling Center now has one for its trophy case.
The Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland center was recently chosen as the best bowling program in the Air Force for 2011.
Lt. Col. Chad Schrecengost, 802nd Force Support Squadron commander, credited Don Freund, 802nd FSS community services flight chief, and Steve Thompson, the bowling center's manager, with turning the program around.
"Both of these gentlemen are bringing the 'cool' back to the bowling alley," Schrecengost said.
"Don brings a unique skill set. He comes from outside of civil service, has experience running bowling centers in the private industry and brings with him an excitement for customer services." he said.
"Steve forged a strong bond among all the bowling center employees, who now have an active voice in matching programs and services with ongoing renovations," he said. "The renovations are sure to make our bowling center truly state-of-the-art in the very near future."
The awards package cited the program's financial performance, innovation and customer service were "off the charts." The center had the greatest financial turnaround in Air Force bowling center history by doubling fiscal year 2010's performance for 2011.
Thompson said the biggest reason for receiving the award was from doing things that hadn't been done before - not necessarily different from other bowling centers in the Air Force, but different from the "old Lackland."
To emphasize these differences, the Skylark Bowling Center recently added a pizza oven to increase the customer experience.
"I'm proud of the improvements we've made at the bowling alley, in customer service and what's going on inside the facility," said Schrecengost.
There are multiple improvements on the horizon for the center. The snack bar area will soon be expanded. There are also plans in the works to make the first eight lanes more like a boutique, complete with new seating and the possibility of privacy. Management is also planning to move the lounge area closer to the snack bar.
Customers can also expect new activities such as a youth bowling league this summer as well as a JBSA league tournament.
"To be recognized at the Air Force level is really a testament that you're doing something right," said Schrecengost. "You can see some cracks here and there on the outside of the building, but what's important is on the inside and the people who operate it.
"The culture of cost consciousness makes it where we're not able to gold plate everything on the outside, but we make the best of our resources for our customers."