Article Contributed on: 3/18/2009 12:20:05 PM
As it turns out, one does not necessarily have to be a great bowler to be the facility manager at the local bowling alley.
"I'm a horrible bowler," said
Rocky Ferman, facility manager at AMF Broadway Lanes, 5485 S. Broadway, Littleton. "Honestly, I'm the worst bowler in the house."
While he may not have a spectacular bowling average, he certainly is the
Norm Duke (trust me -- he's in the hall of fame) of making sure everything runs smoothly at the bowling alley. Ferman, 29, has held the title of facility manager for about seven years, two with AMF.
His job includes being the head mechanic, which means he's responsible for the upkeep of the entire facility, including lighting, electrical, plumbing and roofing.
"The job is about self-motivation," he said. "The center relies on me making sure everything gets done without being asked. To be in this position, you have to be a Jack of all trades."
Ferman said there are three full-time mechanics employed at the bowling alley, himself included, with at least one on duty at all times. He works a typical 40-hour work week, but works a few night shifts to "get a fresh perspective."
A big part of his job is to clean, lubricate and perform preventative maintenance on the alley's 32 automatic pinsetters -- 1956 and 1958 Brunswick A2 models. Maintenance on the pinsetters is three-fold; Ferman and the other mechanics must clean, lubricate and make sure they are operational.
"Mostly it's dust" Ferman says he finds when cleaning the pinsetters. But every once in a while, he'll find the random bouncy ball, cell phone or shoe some "joker" or kid may have rolled up the lane.
"One time I found a pair of shoes (in a pinsetter)," he said. "Someone chucked their own, personal shoes."
Cleanliness is priority No. 1 for Ferman, which he says ultimately leads to the bowlers' satisfaction.
"A clean facility is a well-working facility," Ferman said. "It all boils down to customer service."
Ferman said he establishes friendly relationships with regular bowlers, asking them how their game was and if there were any problems on the lanes.
"Getting personal with bowlers is really important," he said. "Eventually, you're going to talk to a lot of your bowlers and get a fresh perspective. The best thing we can do is make sure people walk out of here with a smile on their face. There are a lot of bowlers here I genuinely love. I really enjoy that aspect."
Ferman lives in Sheridan with his wife of two years,
Anna. He has a degree in non-destructive inspection (inspection without harming the materials used), and once interned in a nuclear power plant. He worked at the front counter in a bowling alley in Kansas before later becoming a mechanic there.
"I started taking interest in the back end, and they promoted me as a mechanic," he said.
He worked as a ski lift mechanic at Loveland, and later "caught a lucky break" as a head mechanic with AMF.
"I thirst for knowledge," Ferman said. "I want to know how things work. It's been really rewarding working with my hands."