USIndoor's Official Magazine is a quarterly publication, dedicated to owners, managers, program administrators and other professionals, startups and providers involved with indoor recreational sports facilities.
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Facility Profile: Gwinnett Sports Center On November 9, 2002, as rain fell around Atlanta, Gwinnett Sports Center opened its doors to the public. by Sylvie Green G winnettports Center S began as within three rings. I pay somebody to Mark a business plan. Kaminski man the front desk instead of having the knew he would run his own calls roll over to voicemail. business someday, but didn t want an customers ourselves." the ice cream store or a coffee shop. We try to help As soon as the city inspector said we bleachers, and turf. He didn t have Realizing spoke to Mark, GSC was passed, it seemed like the floodgates just When I out individual products or companies , Suwanee, Georgia an Atlanta suburb, between its Winter One and Winter Two opened. The phones started ringing and ASE did all the work for him because to lacked indoor sports facilities necessary The floors had just been waxed, season. people started coming in. Since it rained "I ve never operated an indoor spo meet its athletic population, he so he had to reroute people from that front began the day and soccer teams were going to before, so I m learning some facility planning Gwinnett Sports Center. entrance around the facility to the fields in they were looking for a tournaments, everyday." "I knew it was going to be a bit of to avoid scuffing. order work," Mark says. "I ve been proven closed off. was The office area practice. place to GSC strives for improveme We were able on aput up basis, whether it s traini to daily As he tells me about the a few soccer teams in here." referees through the USIndoor Referee wrong; it s a whole lot of work!" importance of customer service, people made the transition from finance Program or reworking the Mark Training GSC is a multi-sport facility. come has and he asks me to hold on. I hear It in two manager atUnited Parcel Service leagues to fields, one with artificial turf him politely give the customers directions for indoor facility operator at GSC. soccer, flag football, and lacrosse. The to the other entrance. His apologies and says. ready," he "I had gone the furthest I from answering phones, to taking out other field is covered in SportCourt for manner are better received than a helpful could without relocating. volleyball and inline hockey. schedules. "Mentally I was a lot that needs to be do "There s My kids had to helping customers in the trash, posted map or a sign with an arrow. gotten older and we re happy here. I building. My hat changes every minut Surprisingly few facilities exist around a sparkling quality to didn tA want to continue doing what I was out talking with customers a GSC has it. could be Atlanta only four in a 55-mile radius. yellow reception area provides a bright doing until I retired, so I ventured next on the out minute I m in the concession Mark conducted his research by visiting entrance. The shiny new Sport cheery my own." stands serving hotdogs and Pepsi. Th them and saw a need in two particular field matches the blue Pepsi He sought help from others in order to a spill out in the bleachers Court cocktail could be areas: customer service and cleanliness. the snack bar. tables in Colorful accomplish a lot at once. Before Ithe be up there mopping that up." d Sports At GSC, the front desk is located checkerboard floors give character and existed, Mark worked full time, Center I also spoke with Carrie, Mark s w directly in line with the front door. add contrast to the clean white walls. time with his wife Carrie and their spent and the Director of Operations at GSC Employees greet customers as soon as They received their Certificate of children, and attended business came in later on in the afternoon six She they walk into the facility. Someone is on 5 November and held school. As he finished his MBA, work at the arena for a few hours bef Occupancy their always present during business hours to grand opening on the ninth. "It classmates helped with his business plan. the kids and reporting to was crazy picking up answer the phone so that potential around here," Mark remembers. "The "They had a lot of really good ideas. We at her other full-time job: being a m customers contact a human being rather construction folks were still around, make some assumptions because had to "We ve had a crazy day," she says. than a recording. adding finishing touches. We had a few finish it in a short period of time." a little while before t I had to Mark had left "We try to greet customers within a few at the front desk coming in for customers As he conducted research he made in some of his responsibilities as a feet of the door and answer the phone registration and additional information. to the plan, realizing it could changes team parent. With only one of them a indeed be applied toward a sports facility. facility, directing people around the Pinnacle Indoor Sports one of , industrial-sized fans that dried the USIndoor s consulting services, also floors and answering the phones waxed helped Mark plan the facility. "They someplace other than their usual from reviewed the business plan and were very office were complicated tasks. helpful with marketing. They also "Our a had life has totally changed," sh history of expenses that gave me Before the facility opened, she worke a reasonable idea for projections." part-time at a restaurant but was mos Another company that helped him was a stay-at-home mom. She has now All Sports Enterprises was nice reduced her hours at the restaurant a . "It just to deal with one person who was able to much of her time at GSC. spends Before 24 • March 2 003 • Goal Indoor handle it all." Through ASE, Mark "Mark did most of the footwork bought his nets, boards, glass, goals, fields, beforehand and I just help with the l