Eric Pierson has been hired by Kegel as the company’s new Technical Support Manager, replacing John Thrift, who will shift his focus to product development and support.

As Technical Support Manager, Pierson will lead the team of Kegel techs which offers 24/7 support to bowling centers worldwide. In addition to his in-office duties, Pierson will join several other employees at tournaments and championship events to provide lane maintenance support on behalf of Kegel.

Pierson first became involved in the bowling industry at age 17, working as a junior instructor. From 1998-2007, he was hired as a contractor on the lane maintenance crew for various tournaments, including the USBC Open Championships and Junior Gold. He performed lane maintenance duties and also worked on pattern development for the events.

From 2007-2014, Pierson began working full-time for the United States Bowling Congress, and spent a majority of that time serving as the Director of Tournaments. His tournament work included the USBC Women’s Championships, USBC Masters, USBC Queens and USBC Senior Queens.

Gus Falgien, Kegel’s V.P. of Sales, said, “People like Eric Pierson aren’t easy to come by. He has years of industry experience and has been involved with tournaments for the USBC. His unique understanding of lane machines and the environment in which Kegel works makes him the perfect fit to join our team. We feel he will be a great asset.”

Pierson will begin his position with Kegel later this spring.