Excellence in Family Entertainment Center Awards Announced

April 5, 2012 No Comments

Tourist Attractions & Parks Magazine, along with Foundations Entertainment University, in mid-March announced the winners of the first annual Excellence in Family Entertainment Center Awards. Ten FECs, and a children’s museum for its website, were recognized for setting new standards for excellence in the industry. Award winners were announced during the 2012 Amusement Expo in Las Vegas, Nev. After tallying over 8,000 votes in 11 categories, the 2012 Excellence in Family Entertainment Center Awards were presented to:

Best Bowling Anchored Center: Shenaniganz, Rockwall, Texas
Best Indoor Family Entertainment Center: The Funplex, East Hanover, N.J.
Best Outdoor/Indoor Family Entertainment Center: Fun Spot, Orlando, Fla.
Best Roller Skating Center: Scottie’s Fun Spot, Quincy, Ill.
Best Birthday Parties: Heros, Toledo, Ohio
Best Facility Website: The Children’s Museum of Denver, Colo.
Best Facility Maintenance Program: Paradise Park, Lee’s Summit, Mo.
Best Facility Food Operation: America’s Incredible Pizza Company, San Antonio, Texas
Best Laser Tag Center: Laser Tag & Games, Metairie, La.
Best Games Zone (Arcade): Boomers!, Dania Beach, Fla.
Best Redemption Prize Center: Enchanted Castle, Lombard, Ill.

Larry White of Tourist Attractions & Parks Magazine and Jerry Merola, presenter for Foundations Entertainment University, CFO for Alpha-Omega Amusements and Sales and partner of Amusement Entertainment Management L.L.C., were on hand to present the awards.

Jerry Merola of Foundations Entertainment University presented the Excellence in Family Entertainment Center Award for Best Redemption Prize Center to Lisa Chapman of the Enchanted Castle in Lombard, Ill.

Randy (middle), and Alex Lahn, pictured with Jerry Merola, accepted the award for Best Indoor Family Entertainment Center.

American Changer

Bill and coin dispensers and counters, ticket machines and more.

Hoffman Mint

Tokens, medals, coins and key tags.

Wapello Fabrications

Inflatables and portable amusements.

Jane Farrell Turf and Carpets, Inc.

Commercial carpet, printed and decorative patterns, loop and cut-pile construction. Wall coverings in fluorescents, Class A fire rated. Colored turf, both traditional and neon colors.

Brunswick Bowling

Entertainment bowling center developer and manufacturer of bowling equipment and entertainment products.

Sippers By Design

Design and manufacture of specialty custom-shaped drink containers.

Action Lighting Co.

Lighting supplies.

Omega Carpets

Printed carpeting for all your facility needs.

Subway

Fresh food and sandwich options.

Midway Concepts (Circus Tops)

Premier designers of stainless steel food service equipment.

Ride Development Corp.

Electric floor, gas and battery-powered bumper cars.

Adventure Glass

Unique paddleboats.

Nieco Corp

Nieco automatic broilers.

SnowMasters

Evaporative snow systems.

Muncie Novelty Co., Inc.

Admissions, financial equipment, printing and tickets.

West Coast Netting, Inc.

Experienced netting manufacturer on the leading edge of innovation.

Belson Manufacturing Co.

Park and recreation outdoor furniture and equipment.

Tube Pro

Waterpark tubes.

Look Solutions

Fog machines.

Davis & Davis, Inc.

Planning consultants for wet/dry attractions, mini-golf, go-kart tracks and laser arenas.

Weldon, Williams & Lick

Admission systems and wristband ticketing.

Challenger Industries

Sports surfaces, carpets and mini-golf surfaces.

Safari Ltd.

Leading manufacturer of innovative educational toys.

Fast Corp Vending

Frozen food vending machines

Deltronic Labs Inc.

Ticket dispensers.

Cost of Wisconson

Creators of simulated environments, duplicate structures, sculpted figures, exhibits, water features, mini-golf and more.

Perfect Fry

Innovative and simple-to-operate countertop deep fryer Perfect Fryers.

Coast to Coast

Coin-operated entertainment, crane machines.

Extreme Engineering

Industry leader in zip lines, climbing walls, jumper systems and adventure products.

Playsmart

Patented soft play design, soft playgrounds.

Gould Manufacturing, Ltd.

Concession trailers and Antique, Jeep and Grand Prix auto rides.

Penny Press

Penny souvenir machine, great for parks, FECs, bowling and skating centers, museums and tourist attractions.

Funovation

Laser maze challenge

Thomco Insurance (Fun Pro)

Fun Pro is an insurance program especially designed for party planners and party rental businesses.

Gerber Manufacturing, Ltd.

Outdoor furniture, benches, picnic tables and grills.

California Portable Dance Floor Company

Precision Dynamics (PDC)

Wristbands with no hidden costs, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Wristband System.

Lazer Runner

Laser Tag Systems

Quik N' Crispy (QNC)

Quik n’ Crispy greaseless fryer.

Rides-4-U, INC.

New and used rides, kiddie, family, major and thrill.

Shaller Engineering

Go-Karts

Sureshot Redemption

One-stop source for prize redemption counters at entertainment centers.

Soft Play

Leader in designing, manufacturing and installing soft contained playground equipment.

Beckman Insurance Agency

Amusement attractions insurance.

Tokens Direct

A wide variety of tokens.

Master Pitching Machine

Batting cages and pitching machines.

Lil Orbits Inc.

Food equipment, donut machines and vendor carts.

Mahoning Valley Mfg.

A complete line of Imperial strollers, wagons and safari utility vehicles.

Xtreme Inflatables

Repair and service for all inflatable products.

Chestnut Identity Apparel

Uniform supply, embroidered apparel and flag manufacturing.

Center Edge Software

Facility Management Software Solutions

Gold Medal Products Co.

Concession equipment, foods and beverages, popcorn, pretzels and snack foods.

Betson Industries

Coin-op.

Knight Equipment

Drive cables for ferris wheels, Tilt-A-Whirls, Rock-O-Planes and many others.

Broaster Co., The

Food programs and food service equipment.

U.S. Bowling

Award-winning independent company brings bowling to your venue.

Embed

Provides innovative IT products and services with a primary focus on card-based solutions and database applications for the leisure and retail industries.

A'maze Ventures, Inc.

Mazes for every location, new and used.

Comstock - Castle Stove

Commercial cooking equipment.

Zebec Water Sports

Large variety of waterpark needs

Klopp International, Inc. (Playmeter)

Quality coin counters and sorters.

Spectrum Sports

Climbing walls, ropes courses, go-karts and more.

Castle Golf, Inc.

Planning, design and construction of miniature golf courses and family fun parks.

Wisdom Industries, Ltd.

Amusement ride manufacturer, new and used rides.

National Rock & Sculpture

Dedicated to the conceptual design and development of themed environments.

CFX Composite & Effects

Special effects make-up and prosthetics

Adventure Golf

Miniature golf courses, consultants, architecture and design.

Namco

Namco America is a premier manufacturer of coin-op arcade attractions, ranging from the hottest titles like Crazy Typhoon and Jumpin’ Jackpot to classic game-room experiences such as the Pac-Man 25th Anniversary upright that features Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man and Galaga. Specialized pieces such as Wonka Sweetland and Flamin Finger are favorites too! For arcade gaming fun, Namco America is your answer.

Barron Games

Redemption air hockey games.

Sterling & Sterling Inc.

Insurance.

See Coast Manufacturing Co., Inc.

Coin-operated binoculars and telescopes.

Rio Syrup

Over 250 flavors, syrups and concentrates for shaved ice, sno cones, shushes, food colors. Now featuring Hawaiian Flower Cups.

R&R Creative Amusement Design

Designers of unique themed parks, attractions and environments for the entertainment business.

Poly Products

Tables, benches and related products. Green products for a green world.

Splashtacular

Manufacturer of waterslides

Northeast Insurance (NIC)

Insurance programs.

Water Wars (T&D Enterprises of Brainerd)

Water Wars water balloon game, portable or startionary.

Money Tree - ATM

ATM machines.

Flagship Carpet

Custom carpets and rugs.

GloCones

Flashing cotton candy cones.

Tarobots

Boxerjocks robotic boxing amusement ride game attraction.

Friedman Group Ins.

Insurance for amusement devices.

Qubica

Sells capital equipment to bowling centers.

Kay Park Recreations Corp.

Picnic tables, grills, park benches, planters, trash containers and more.

Price Chopper, Inc. Wristbands

Admission, financial equipment and wristbands.

Bulbtronics

A premier source for lamps, LEDs, batteries and lighting-related and electrical products.

Formula K Raceways

Go-karts, kiddie cars and bumper boats, go-kart parts and tires.

Berk Paper & Supply

Concession supplies.

Harris Miniature Golf Course

Design and construction of miniature golf courses and water rides.

Amusement Entertainment Management (AEM)

Premier entertainment consultants.

Martin Professionals

A lighting supplier of choice for the entertainment industry.

Laser Star

Laser shooting galleries, laser tag, dark ride target systems, overhead target ranges.

Family Fun Corp.

Waterpark walls for rivers, bumper boat and splash down pools.

European Body Arts

Airbrushed temporary tattoo products and systems.

Wind Visuals (Wood N' Kites)

Facility Flags

Sacoa

Designed and manufactures PlayCard, the rechargeable debit card system.

Aquaventronics

Research and development of interactive water games for use in the commercial amusement industry.

International Special Events (ISERA)

Risk purchasing group, a better way to purchase liability insurance, specializing in inflatables and much more.

Max Flight

Manufactures interactive virtual reality motion-platform game systems including networkable flight and roller coaster simulators.

Empex Water Toys

Aquatons Water Toys

Tear Repair

Tear-Aid industrial strength patches to repair holes and tears.

Enchanted Castle Studios

Fiberglass statuary and figures for restaurants, mini-golf, theme parks and other attractions.

Hamilton Manufacturing Corp.

Manufacturer of unattended entry systems and change machines.

S&S Worldwide

Large Park amusement rides.

Birthday University

Concept development, training and birthday party touring seminars.

Wells Fargo

Commercial insurance for inflatables and event planners.

Cossio Insurance Agency

Insurance.

Store on Wheels

Importer and distributor of quality toys, lighting and novelties. Cater to the amusement, retail and entertainment industries.

Richie's Italian Ice

Italian Ice Kiosks and Carts

Art Attack

Theming, miniature golf, parade floats, 3D props, air-brushed murals, signage and art panels.

Lakeshore Merchandise (Smart Vending)

Premier vending supply for all of your vending equipment and supply needs.

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