55th Flowers Award Winner is Pat Ciniello

7/1/17

Pat Ciniello, Bonita Springs Florida is the winner of one of Bowling’s most prestigious honors, the Sam Levine Flowers for the Living Award, sponsored by International Bowling Industry Magazine. The award has been given to outstanding people in bowling since
1961.

Ciniello and his wife Lisa own and operate one of the most successful bowling center companies in the world, Bowland Centers of Southwest Florida, but Pat has taken his career in bowling to even greater heights by serving as Chairman of the Board of QubicaAMF, by leading the International Bowling Hall of Fame and Museum for many years during which he was instrumental in moving the facility from St. Louis to Texas to become a part of the International Bowling Campus, and by serving on numerous BPAA committees, and state and local boards and projects for decades.

“I cannot think of anyone in bowling with more integrity than Pat Ciniello,” said Flowers Award committee member Cathy DeSocio. “Pat may be the busiest man in bowling, but his calm demeanor makes it all look easy. He has a long history of doing things the right way and making friends across the globe. His honest and cheerful approach to business and life is what makes us proud to present him with this honor.”

Ciniello seems to have endless energy, and his love and enthusiasm for the bowling business and the sport of bowling is second to none. As IBMHF Chairman, he not only helped build the new museum, but he also established a committee to create the Hall of Fame Xtravaganza, a fund raising event that has sold out every year since its inception in
2012, raising significant money for the museum and hall of fame.

In 2014 and 2015, Ciniello got into the Family Entertainment Center side of the business by re-building a center in Cape Coral and building an all new state-of-the-art center in Fort Myers. The two FEC’s are named Headpinz. In Fort Myers, Ciniello incorpo- rate his love for bowling history by putting in four old time bowling alleys – called Pinboyz Bowling Alleys. This section of the center transports guests back in time to 1908 when bowling was a much simpler game, with wood lanes, no automatic pinsetters, above ground ball returns. Employees working the special parties in this area wear 1908 costumes and provide old fashioned hospitality to guests who bowl and get a history lesson at the same time.

For many years, Ciniello has provided hands on support for the QubicaAMF World Cup Tournament, for the International Family Tour- nament, and the new Hall of Fame Xtravaganza Event, giving his time, and often providing his own financial support to make them as successful as possible.

Ciniello bowled in college at Monmouth University, and in 2014, donated a four lane bowling center to his alma mater. Many send checks to support their former schools; but Ciniello took it a step beyond by providing a facility that will be enjoyed by Monmouth’s bowling teams and thousands of students for years to come.

Article was posted with permission from Stars & Strikes, America's Bowling Newsmagazine. www.starsandstrikesbowling.com