Rinks Near Las Vegas, NV

[JohnHockey1798]

Here in Las Vegas we only have one Roller hockey rink. We need a 2nd rink around here but that proable won't happen. I was thinking about going out of state to either california or arizona to go play a little pickup. I am 23 years old. I found a rink in Bullhead city,AZ and Victorville, ca. does anyone know anything about them.

John

[LetsRoll]

I thought there were several rinks in Las Vegas. Is the Crystal Palace the only one left now?

[JohnHockey1798]

Yes it is and the side for public skating is getting turned into a full sized ice hockey rink. we need someone else around here to build another roller hockey facility with 2 rinks.

John

[LetsRoll]

That really stinks (not the public skating part, though the inline rink will probably double for both now, huh?). What happened to our great sport? There were tons of places to play in Las Vegas a few years ago!

[JohnHockey1798]

Yep your right. We had a nice rink in the middle of the town but the guy who ran it had no idea waht he was doing. The person who took it over made it into a ice hockey facilty. We had another rink called the las vegas sports park but that is now used for indoor soccer. Like you said what happened to our great sport. I hope someone comes and fixes the problem soon or there may be nothing left to save.

John

[Benny_Gulakiw]

Help may be on the way. Here in Buffalo, we have started a company called Inline Hockey America Sports Centers to build and manage premium roller hockey facilities. The first one will be in the Buffalo area. We have identified the Las Vegas area as the number one market to build a second facility. We have identified other markets, as well, in the Northeast, the Southeast and the Midwest. The timetable to have the Buffalo IHA Sports Center completed is Spring 2003. The timetable for the next IHA Sports Center is based on how well the Buffalo Center does (which we think is very well). The people who are behind IHA Sports Center (myself and others) are people who have been part of roller hockey in one way or another since 1994.

Benny Gulakiw
Vice President of Operations
Buffalo Wings Roller Hockey

[JohnHockey1798]

Thanks for the info. Another facility would be welcome around here.

John

[columbus_RHstar]

where in the midwest had you been thinking of building rink(s)?

[Benny_Gulakiw]

Right now, we are focusing on Indianapolis, IN (or anywhere in Indiana), extended Chicago area (big cities like that never seem to have enough rinks), Ohio (Dayton, Toledo, maybe Columbus), Kentucky (Louisville, Lexington). Basically, we want to try to fill in the holes where there are large urban areas with little or no facilities, particularly where there are large concentrations of colleges.

Benny Gulakiw
Vice President of Operations
Buffalo Wings Roller Hockey

[slapshot09]

Any chance a rink might make its way to the Carolina's?

[NLane]

Or Hampton Roads VA?

[Benny_Gulakiw]

Good point. There obviously continues to be a tremendous shortage in quality inline hockey facilities. No one company can fill in the gaps by themselves. Just ask the Wayne Gretzky Centers. We need more people willing to take a chance. Most people on this message board know how much roller hockey continues to grow. But bankers and developers think building a roller hockey rink is risky business. They still think it's just a fad. Our goal is to get one building up and run it the way it should be run. There are enough examples of quality facilities that currently exists that are making money.

As I said, the first IHA Sports Center will be in Buffalo, but we have identified Las Vegas and Charleston, SC as the two most viable markets to build a second and third facility. After that come the other markets that I mentioned in a previous post. We're talking 3 to 5 years for expansion and that's if things go well with our first one.

Benny Gulakiw
Vice President of Operations
Buffalo Wings Roller Hockey

[RichardGraham]

Benny,

Are you concerned at all about the potential drawbacks of being so open about your plans? Knowing you as you do, I trust in your integrity and plans, but others might use that openness to get a jump-start on you.

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[Benny_Gulakiw]

Actually Rich, I'm not, for 2 reasons. First, my number one priority is to build and operate a first class facility in Buffalo. Once that building is up and running successfully, then I'll turn my attention to other markets. Second, I do not think that there is any real competition out there that will gobble up these markets. Even if there was, many of these areas are capable of supporting more than one new rink. Also, a market will support the best facility. Even if someone builds a rink in one of these metropolitan centers, they better run it well, or else someone will come in and build a better mousetrap and take their business. That's what I hope to do. Not necessarily steal other people's business, but enter a region and help stimulate growth so that everyone is making money and everyone has a decent place to play the sport we all love without having to drive a couple of hours to get to the rink.

Besides, I have my hand in so many areas of the roller hockey business that if I'm not building a rink in a geographic area then I'm doing something else to help the sport grow in that area.

Benny Gulakiw
Vice President of Operations
Buffalo Wings Roller Hockey

[RichardGraham]

Hi Benny,

Glad to hear it. I think you're right when you say:

"Even if someone builds a rink in one of these metropolitan centers, they better run it well, or else someone will come in and build a better mousetrap and take their business."

I think we've seen that again and again. Unfortunately, many people get into the sport with dollar signs in their eyes and don't have the long-term focus of organizations like the Buffalo Wings. My hat's off to you and the Wings. Keep up the good work!

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central