IAAPA ROOKIES AND NEWCOMERS: FEC TEACHING FACULTY

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1 IAAPA ROOKIES AND NEWCOMERS: FEC TEACHING FACULTY Christine Buhr Owner, Shaker s Family Fun Centre Financial Management Christine s entrepreneurial spirit emerged at a young age as she grew up in multiple family business ventures from Northland Ford, Auto dealership; The Body ShopTM, Health and Beauty to JCommerce, Inventory Management Computer Software company. These experiences led her to co -found a family business in 2006 in the Family Entertainment sector. Shakers Family Fun Centre contributed to Christine s desire to build an exciting business, add value to people s lives and have an impact on the community around her. Christine also sits as a Board Member for Entrepreneurial Organization a worldwide group that focuses on small to medium businesses. Sitting on this board has ignited her desire for continued learning, leadership and the importance of building a network of colleges to achieve business success.

2 Nick DiMatteo Director of Midway Operations, Dave and Buster s Games and Operations Nick DiMatteo stepped into the role of Midway Operations Director for Dave & Buster s in In this position, Nick supports amusement operations for about half of the company s locations. He primarily oversees the western half of the U.S., Alaska and Hawaii. Originally from Philadelphia, Nick and his family now live in the Phoenix, AZ area. After several years of multi-unit management in the food and beverage industry, Nick moved into the amusement industry as an assistant manager with Namco Cybertainment in In 2003, he joined Tricorp Amusements at a pivotal time in the company s growth. In 2011, Nick left his position as Northeast Director of Operations with Tricorp to begin a career at Dave & Buster s. He held the positions of Amusement Manager and Senior Amusement Manager before being promoted to his current position. Nick completed the Drexel University Corporate Education program where he studied Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management. Dutch Magrath President, Amusement Products, Inc. Attractions Mix Having grown up in the business his father started, Dutch has been directly involved with the design, construction, and operation of multiple Family Entertainment Center (FEC) facilities around the country. Today along with his manufacturing and construction company responsibilities, Dutch continues to oversee the operations of Sir Goony s Fun Zone since This Chattanooga FEC includes an electric go-kart track, Spin Zone Bumper Cars, Lazer Fury 360, bumper boats, batting cages, two miniature golf courses, and a game room. Dutch is an active volunteer for our industry. He served on the first IAAPA miniature golf committee, helped found the International Go-Kart Association (IRGA) serving as its President and Vice President, and helped found the IAHA (International Association of Haunted Attractions). While he served as the vice president and president of the IRGA, Dutch helped establish standardized regulations for the designs and operations of safe commercial go-kart tracks through the ASTM F24 subcommittee on amusement attractions. He is currently is serving on IAAPA s M&S committee.

3 Jerry Merola CFO, Amusement Entertainment Management, LLC Feasibility Plans Jerry Merola serves as Chief Financial Officer and Managing Partner of Amusement Entertainment Management, L.L.C. He has focused much of his efforts on analyzing and enhancing the performance of the firm's client portfolio, which includes owners of entertainment venues, new developers, industry manufacturers, and financial institutions. He has developed feasibility studies, marketing plans, operations manuals, business and asset valuations, and funding programs for some of the most notable names in the entertainment industry and performed business audits in almost all markets and sectors. Jerry and the firm have developed one of the most comprehensive attractions databases available, allowing its clients to obtain "real world" performance results and earnings capability for virtually any entertainment component. Terry Riddle V.P. Food and Beverage, Silver Dollar City Food Operations A 44-year veteran of the theme park industry, Terry is the V.P. of Food and Beverage at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri and also serves as the current chairman of the Food and Beverage Committee. Through his 26 year tenure as Director/V.P, Silver Dollar City has earned a reputation for unmatched innovation, exceptional food presentation, outstanding food quality and an intensely loyal fan base. A recognized presenter and trendsetter, his team s most recent accomplishment is adding over 200 new recipes/food items during Silver Dollar City s Year of Food and Craft celebration.

4 Richard Sanfilippo Owner, Sam s Fun City, Pensacola, Florida Operations Richard Sanfilippo is a 19-year veteran owner/operator who still considers himself an industry rookie. Coming from a 25-year career as an executive in the environmental engineering and construction industry Richard had a unique skill set upon which to draw when in 1996 he planned and built from the ground up Sam s Fun City, a 20 acre award winning hybrid FEC in Pensacola, Florida. From his very first IAAPA trade Expo he became dedicated to an active participation in the FEC industry. For six years Richard was a member of the IALEI board of directors and as chairman was instrumental in giving its members the option to merge with IAAPA which they chose to do in He is a former member of the FEC committee and concentrates his efforts on membership issues. He currently serves as the Chair of the IAAPA North American Advisory Committee, and the Board of Directors for IAAPA. Beth Standlee Core Values and Human Resources CEO and Owner, TrainterTainment Beth Standlee is the CEO and founder of TrainerTainment. Beth and her company help grow people and as result grow businesses. Their niche is providing dynamic training and coaching solutions for those willing to become extraordinary! With energy and enthusiasm, Beth and her team deliver sales, customer service, leadership, and business coaching for family entertainment centers. Whether you re reading an article, attending a seminar, or participating in a private coaching session, you ll be sure to walk away with real world methods that are easy to implement and the motivation to do it now! Since 2005 Beth has spoken at more than 250 education events like Bowl Expo, Fun Expo, IAAPA, FEC Summit, Laser Tag 360, the National RSA event, IAAPA Europe, NEAAPA, and multiple times for the international DEAL show. To learn more about Beth or TrainerTainment contact: beth@trainertainment.net,

5 Drew Tewksbury Risk Management Sr. VP McGowan Amusement Group Drew Tewksbury is the Senior Vice President of McGowan Amusement Group, from Cleveland, Ohio. Drew brings over 17 years of risk management and insurance industry experience to this webinar program. He holds a National Association of Amusement Ride Safety Officials (NAARSO) Level 1 Amusement Ride Inspection License and is a licensed amusement ride inspector in multiple states. Drew is a nationally recognized speaker on safety and risk management for the amusement industry. He was ranked one of the top five speakers at the IAAPA Attractions Expo last November in Orlando, and has presented Risk Management sessions FEC Las Vegas, FEC Dallas and our Rookies & Newcomers session in Orlando the past two years. He has presented at the Fun Academy at Fun Expo, The American Inflatable Roadshow, and is a regular instructor at the semi annual Commonwealth of Pennsylvania State Ride Inspection Safety Training Program and NAARSO Schools. Drew is an active member of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), Safe Inflatable Operators Training Organization (SIOTO), Responsible Operators of Amusement Rides (ROAR) and is a participating member of the American Society for Testing and Materials F24 (ASTM) committee for Amusement Rides and Devices, Outdoor Amusement Business Association (OABA) and The Showman s League of America (SLA). He is a contributor to The Inflatable Bootcamp, a how to manual on the successful creation, operation and management of an inflatable amusement company. Drew has been interviewed and cited regularly in both amusement industry, insurance industry trade journals and nationally published news magazines.

6 Doug Wilkerson Principal, Dynamic Designs & Associates, Studio 41b Facility Design and Trends Doug Wilkerson has spent over 20 years of his life in the Entertainment industry designing entertainment venues and immersive environments all over the world. Wilkerson started his career designing restaurant interiors before eventually following his passion into the entertainment world. With over a 100 FEC, Theme Park, and various entertainment center designs under his belt, Wilkerson is nationally recognized as one of the preeminent planners of multi-faceted entertainment venues and is often called on to share his design expertise at various industry conferences and trade shows as a featured speaker. He is a partner in DYNAMIC DESIGNS & ASSOCIATES, (a full service architectural firm specializing in entertainment design) as well as STUDIO41b (a scenic design and attraction fabrication company near Orlando, FL). His portfolio includes a variety of projects with some of the most prominent companies in World including the likes of Wilderness Resorts, Legoland Florida, Cabelas, Namco (PACMAN), Rainforest Cafe, Vialand Theme Park, Emagine Theaters, Main Event Entertainment, Cinema World, Landry s, and Orange Counter Choppers to name a few.

7 Brandon Willey CEO, FetchRev Marketing Brandon has more than 12 years of executive leadership experience in sales, marketing and business operations. Prior to taking the helm as CEO at FetchRev, a foot traffic generation software for local businesses and franchises, he established and grew scalable sales, marketing, customer success and fulfillment teams at Reputation.com, Recruiting.com, FrontSpin and Hopscratch. Now, headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, Brandon and the FetchRev team builds software that helps businesses to engage customers, book more parties, grow their revenue, and drive return foot traffic and referrals. Brandon has broad knowledge of the local digital advertising ecosystem with extensive experience in inbound and outbound revenue growth, and search marketing, social media, retargeting, geotargeting, segmentation, automation, machine learning and more. Brandon is an Arizona State University alum, sits on the board of directors for the Tempe Community Council, and is cofounder of StartupScalers, a sales consulting and training organization, along with several other innovative technology and media startups. You can connect with him at LinkedIn.com/in/bwilley.