The Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America Board of Directors has voted to suspend national domestic dues for the 2021 season as its members continue to deal with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The
suspension of dues will apply to BPAA domestic member centers in good standing
as of Aug. 1, 2020, and applies only to national dues, as the BPAA national
board does not have authority over decisions related to dues for state and
local proprietor associations.

The
BPAA will draw on its reserves to cover the cost of national dues for the 2021
season.

“Bowling
centers have faced incredible hardships by the shutdowns and the resulting
limitations during the reopening of businesses,” said BPAA President Jim
Decker, the owner of Double Decker Lanes in Rohnert Park, Calif. “All of us
face the challenge of keeping the lights on with limited revenue coming in, and
we must continue to find ways to control our costs. Suspending dues is one way
for BPAA to assist our 3,400 members through this difficult time.”

In a
media release, the BPAA said it would continue to provide resources to assist
centers through the ever-changing landscape. During the early stages of
shutdowns, BPAA provided centers with guidance on the Paycheck Protection
Program (PPP) and developed digital marketing assets to assist centers.

“Family
entertainment is a business segment that has been hit especially hard during
the pandemic,” BPAA Executive Director Frank DeSocio said. “We are continuing
to provide resources to help centers navigate through this unprecedented time,
including how they can reach their customers and how to work through the
reopening of their centers in a way that will make their employees and
customers feel as safe as possible. The BPAA board has provided tremendous
support during this time and I know their decision to suspend dues in 2021 will
be greatly appreciated by our members.”

As
part of Bowling University, the BPAA’s
bowling center education and training program, BPAA has put together the BPAA Reopening Resource Center to provide center owners and
managers with tools and best practices to get bowlers back on
the lanes. The resource center has sections to address all operations,
including marketing, staffing, bowling, food and beverage, and more.

The Bowling
University OnDemand program, for example, has an onboarding course for new
and returning employees to help management with the reopening of their center.
While each state has its own regulations for businesses, the BPAA
Reopening Resource Center was developed to serve as a guide to help member
centers during reopening and as they continue to deal with any limitations.

Supplies
needed by centers to reopen, including cleaning and sanitation supplies, also
are being addressed by BPAA through its Smart Buy partnerships, which provide
tremendous discounts to member centers.

Smart
Buy has more than 100 partners, and while partners such as SYSCO, Grainger, Cintas and others provide great pricing on
supplies, BPAA has partnered with additional companies to assist with items that
are in high demand, such as hand
sanitizer, Plexiglass shields and cleaning products.

Visit
bpaa.com to learn more about BPAA and for COVID-19 updates for BPAA members.