Over 8,000 Votes Tallied!
Tourist Attractions & Parks Magazine and Foundations Entertainment University Proudly Announce the Winners of the First Annual “Excellence in Family Entertainment Center Awards”

Las Vegas, NV - Tourist Attractions & Parks Magazine along with Foundations Entertainment University teamed up to acknowledge the hard work and dedication that is necessary to succeed as an entertainment center.  Today we proudly presented awards to eleven Family Entertainment Centers recognizing new standards for excellence in the industry! Award winners were announced during the 2012 Amusement Expo being held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, March 14 -16, 2012.

After tallying over 8,000 votes in eleven categories, this year’s Excellence in Family Entertainment Center Awards were presented to:

Best Bowling Anchored Center                      
Shenaniganz, Rockwall, TX

Best Indoor Family Entertainment Center
The Funplex, East Hanover, NJ

Best Outdoor/Indoor Family Entertainment Center
Fun Spot, Orlando, FL

Best Roller Skating Center
Scottie’s Fun Spot, Quincy, IL

Best Birthday Parties
Heros, Toledo, OH

Best Facility Website
The Children’s Museum of Denver, Denver, CO

Best Facility Maintenance Program
Paradise Park, Lee’s Summit, MO

Best Facility Food Operation
America’s Incredible Pizza Company, San Antonio, TX

Best Laser Tag Center
Laser Tag & Games, Metairie, LA

Best Games Zone (Arcade)
Boomers!, Dania Beach, FL

Best Redemption Prize Center
Enchanted Castle, Lombard, IL

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.

Parker Coddington, partner of Shenaniganz, shared his comments on winning the award for Best Bowling Anchored Center. “First, we’d like to thank Foundations and Tourist Attractions & Parks magazine for even considering us to be nominated in this category, let alone actually nominating us.  We are graduates of Foundations University, and we subscribe to TAP magazine. Second, we need to thank all those who voted for us. Without our Shenani – Fans, we obviously wouldn’t have won.”

“You should know we are a family owned & operated business.  There are 6 siblings total, and 3 of us actively run and manage Shenaniganz.  When we opened in December 2008, we had exactly 0 years combined experience in the entertainment or FEC business.  Thus, we must also thank 2 partners who were and continue to be so instrumental to any successes we’ve had to date:  Mike Auger and the folks at Trifecta Management Group, and Beth Standlee and her team at TrainerTainment. We’d be remiss not to mention the guys at Brunswick, Neil Farren at Strike’s in Frisco, TX, and Brian Smith and Jay Trietly at Alley Cats in Arlington, TX.”

“Most importantly, we need to thank our parents, Dr. Tom & Hazel Ripp.  One of us brothers, Justin, had the idea to build an FEC in Rockwall, TX.  But it was our parents who put down the 7 figure down payment via cold, hard cash, and who signed the personal guarantees for the 7 figure loans, so that their kids could work together and have a way to make a great future for ourselves and our families.  We love you, Mom & Dad.”

Scottie’s Fun Spot, upon finding out they had been nominated for Best Roller Skating Center, shared the following, “We would like to say thank you to Amusement Entertainment Management (AEM) for their consulting along the way to make our transformation a success. Also, a big thanks to all our fellow operators and customers who voted for us, and Tourist and attraction magazine for this award.  We can’t begin to tell you what this honor means to us. That being said, we are so gratified for even being nominated in this category and then to win is so very much appreciated.”

“Scottie, who started this facility in 1936 with a small portable rink, would be extremely proud of everything that has been accomplished over the past 75 years.”

“Thanks again, so very much from Bob, Jan, Jeff and everyone at Scotties Fun Spot!”

Congratulations to all the nominees and award winners. Their hard work and dedication to providing family entertainment in an outstanding and fun-filled environment has been recognized throughout the industry.