Pro Power.(Pro Power Sports & Marine)(Company overview) - Powersports Business

CONTACT

Pro Power Sports & Marine

6781 Highway 10 NW

Anoka, Minn.

55303

763-576-1706

www.propoweronline.com

OWNER

Todd Amar and Mike Worthington

BUSINESS PROFILE

Pro Power Sports & Marine is a recent consolidation of two, competing dealerships that once were located across the street from each other. Owners Todd Amar and Mike Worthington are friends that come from the printing industry. In 2004, Amar retired from that industry--a move that did not last long. By September of 2005, he and Worthington had purchased the two Anoka dealerships. About nine months later, they combined them into one, remodeled 35,000-square foot facility. The store carries Suzuki and Kawasaki motorcycles, Polaris, Arctic Cat, BRP, Suzuki and Kawasaki ATVs, and Sea-Doo and Kawasaki PWC. The dealership also has boats and power equipment. The store has about 33 employees.

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GREATEST CONCERNS

'My greatest concern is general economy and consumer health,' Amar said, citing limited financing options as the biggest culprit. Amar does not have a local benchmark number to compare the number of consumers that are turned down for credit, but he knows it's high. 'That's a pretty discouraging indicator of the overall general consumer health,' he said. 'They want to purchase something we sell, but they don't have' the necessary credit background or rating.

Amar also is concerned how dealers respond to competitive pressures 'by simply reducing their pricing, hoping customers will do business with them because they are the low bidder. This is a recipe for disaster. We have way too much investment risk in our business to settle for a poor return on investment simply because of lack of an alternative sales tactics,' he said.

WHAT'S HOT?

'Personal watercraft is doing really well,' Amar said, citing Sea-Doo specifically. 'In the motorcycle and ATV segments, the sport bikes segment is doing pretty decent right now. The cruiser segment is off a little bit.'

CUSTOMER BUYING TRENDS

Aftermarket parts for cruisers and sports bikes 'are down dramatically,' Amar said. 'Our parts and accessories manager is very surprised how poorly chrome and aftermarket upgrades are (doing), particularly the cruiser market.'

PARTS AND SERVICE

Knowing parts and service are among the dealership's biggest margin makers, Amar said the dealership has strived to reconnect with consumers. 'We're really trying to reach out to our market,' Amar said, 'and say, 'Hey, we're here.' We intend to be a contributing member of the community and consequently, we want to be your dealership of choice. In the past, neither dealership really had a focus on the customers. They just took what was there and didn't really mine' for more consumers. Amar and Worthington plan to use open houses and other consumer-focused events to reach their market.

PROMOTIONAL HOME RUNS

Pro Power's grand opening featured local media celebrities, professional athletes and appearances by manufacturers' officials. The result--an attendance of 2,000 people. The goal of the event was to 'introduce ourselves to the customer base and hopefully foster long-term loyalty,' Amar said, and not just a spike in sales. The event, however, did produce elevated receipts that day and 'the following couple of weeks were fairly heavy,' Amar said.

WORDS OF ADVICE

'Pay attention to your customer base,' Amar said, noting, 'it can be a frustrating business with the margin pressures and some of the things going on.

'Never lose sight of your customer base. A lot of people tend to get too diverse and try to be all things to all people. But if you're focused on your customers' wants and needs, you'll be successful.'

Ex-Soccer Pro's Patience Pays Off at Sports Shop in Hackensack, N.J. - Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

By Martha McKay, The Record, Hackensack, N.J. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Feb. 11--In 1982, soccer in the United States was sputtering.

Despite superstar players such as Pele, the New York Cosmos professional team was on the verge of folding. And baseball and football fields still dominated most schools and parks of northern New Jersey.

So it seemed like folly to some when former Cosmos goalie Hubert Birkenmeier opened a soccer store on Main Street in Hackensack.

'They would say, 'You guys are crazy,' and they shook their heads,' said Andranik Eskandarian, a former Cosmos defender who bought the store from his friend in 1985. 'You couldn't even find a soccer field in Bergen County.'

But Eskandarian, an Armenian-born soccer star, gambled times would change.

'In my heart, we know this game will get very big. We could see the light, it's gonna come,' Eskandarian said.

And come it did.

Soccer has grown from a few hundred thousand players to 18.1 million last year, according to the U.S. Soccer Federation.

Perhaps even more surprising, especially to those familiar with the commercial decline of downtown Hackensack, is the success enjoyed by Birkenmeier Sport Shop.

Since he bought the store, Eskandarian said he has seen a steady increase in business. Eskandarian won't discuss profits.'I don't want to jinx anything.' But the Montvale resident said the store has given him a comfortable living.

It hasn't all been easy.

After the Cosmos folded, Eskandarian and his wife, Anna, who also works full time for the business, found themselves in a pickle. Much of their sales came from Cosmos-related gear: sweatshirts, jerseys, and other apparel emblazoned with the Cosmos logo.

They knew North Jersey was home to various soccer-happy ethnic groups and so decided to carry international team uniforms.

But it was a decision to stick with high-end soccer gear, in particular footwear, that Eskandarian believes made his store a destination for loyal customers.

In the back of the neatly organized shop are three walls of sports shoes, most of which are made especially for soccer. Customers will find a range of prices.

Eskandarian pointed to a pair of $50 cleats, saying he sells maybe five or six pairs per year. 'These,' he said, hefting a slick pair of red Nikes that retail for $165, 'I'll sell maybe 30 or 40 pairs per year.'

At the height of the outdoor season in the spring, the shop stocks between 300 and 400 types of soccer shoes. In April, said Eskandarian, grinning in anticipation of the World Cup this summer, 'We're going to get World Cup shoes -- $200 -- I'm very excited for those.'

This is not gear for a child player, Eskandarian said. Although the store sells children's soccer shoes and sneakers, it is not something the store emphasizes.

Parents, he rationalizes, aren't likely to travel to his store to buy soccer shoes for the fast-growing feet of a child when they can pick up a reasonably priced shoe at a large retailer.

On the other hand, for an older child getting serious about the sport, the attention, advice, and expertise that both men provide to loyal customers keep them coming back.

These are not your ordinary shoe salesmen.

It's safe to say a customer wouldn't find any two people more steeped in soccer lore and history than Birkenmeier and Eskandarian, known to the soccer-playing world as 'Eski.'

Both were soccer-crazed from a young age, Birkenmeier in a tiny town in Germany where he and his pals would stand on wooden boxes and peek through tavern windows to watch the German national team on TV, and Eskandarian in Armenia.always scolded by his father for ruining yet another pair of shoes kicking a soccer ball around with playmates.

Birkenmeier had some retail experience in Germany before he signed with the Cosmos in 1979. He sank $50,000 into the new venture on Main Street. Although Birkenmeier sold the business to his friend when he left the East Coast to play for a pro team in Chicago, he returned several years ago to help out.

Of those early days, Birkenmeier recalled: 'You could already see the growth of soccer, and you couldn't find soccer equipment anywhere. There was one store in New York City.'

Competition has been on the rise as other soccer specialty stores have opened in the area. Eskandarian doesn't worry about competitors.

'We bring good quality and people come,' Eskandarian said.

The growth of soccer not only helped boost sales, but also changed who shops in his store.

In the first years, women made up about 1 percent of his business, he estimated. Today, they account for about 30 percent, he said.

Despite challenges with parking (customers often hunt for spaces on Main Street), Eskandarian has no plans to leave. 'We've had a lot of offers from shopping centers to move but we are very happy here; we're never going to leave,' he said.

To see more of The Record, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.NorthJersey.com.

(c) 2002, The Record, Hackensack, N.J. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

BETHEL IS A PRO WITH A GOAL.(Sports) - Albany Times Union (Albany, NY)

ALBANY -- For now, maybe forever, just call Kimdo Bethel by his nickname.

'I'm the X Factor now,' the heavyweight boxer said Thursday afternoon. 'I like that name.'

At 6-foot-3 with a 220-pound chiseled frame, who's going to argue with him?

Bethel, who has been known as one of the best amateur boxers in his weight class for years, will try to shake that moniker very soon. He is making his highly anticipated first professional fight next month when he takes on Shafi Abdulmumim (3-1, no knockouts) of Queens in a four-round bout at Bruno Stadium on Aug. 7.

Tickets are $30-50 and available by calling 330-9533 or 813-3416.

'There is no more laughing, there is no more try agains, there are no more maybes and no more ifs, ands or buts,' Bethel said after working out at the City of Albany Department of Recreation's Boxing Club on Quail Street. 'All of that is out the window. I used to dream about this but I don't anymore. Now, I am on a mission.'

Bethel spent nearly 10 years on the amateur trail and owns a Silver Gloves national championship and under-19 national championship. He was named as an alternate to last year's Olympic boxing team but never got to make the trip to China.

People he meets in stores and the gym and on the street all have had the same question for him: When are you going to go pro? He doesn't have to answer that question anymore.

He had an 82-6 record as an amateur. He hasn't fought in almost a year because there wasn't anything left for him to do as an amateur. Bethel and trainer Vladimir Koshnitsky have bided their time, waiting for the moment when the fighter was ready.

He's ready now.

'Kimdo's head is on straight and he can do this,' Koshnitsky said. 'His confidence is very high and I have no complaints because he works very hard. He is very serious about this.'

Bethel, who moonlighted as a security guard during Albany Patroons games at Washington Avenue Armory over the winter, works out four hours per day. He is also employed at the Quail Street club.

Bethel, 24, hopes to fight seven times in the next year. He hopes to move up the heavyweight ladder and get noticed. He hopes to win a title one day, dreams every young fighter has.

'I've accepted the challenges,' Bethel said. 'I am going to do whatever I have to do to get the goal. The only way I am going to be satisfied is if I do go all the way.'

Tim Wilkin can be reached at 454-5415 or by e-mail at twilkin@timesunion.com.

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Cindy Schultz/Times Union

NEW LAFAYETTE GOLF PRO TESORI SAYS THANKS.(Sports)(Column) - The Post-Standard (Syracuse, NY)

Byline: JOE TESORI GOLF COLUMNIST

Editor's note: Joe Tesori, the longtime director of golf at Drumlins who was let go in a financial restructuring last month, has accepted a new job as head professional at LaFayette Hills Golf & Country Club.

The world just seemed simpler some 50 years ago. People listened to the radio at night, television had two colors (yes, black and white), families went for a ride in the car on Sunday afternoons, stores were only open on Thursday nights, and parents/children actually sat down to eat together in the evening.

Choices were also simpler and people had values, traditions, and heritage. The elderly were revered for their time spent on Earth and the knowledge that they had acquired. People said 'Yes, sir. ... No, Ma'am. ...' They took their hat off when they walked into a restaurant, house or business, and they went to college to secure a career after graduation.

Not bad stuff, huh? And you know what, people always said 'Thank you' when appropriate. Well, my friends, as we embark on a new season, let me be the first to tell the Syracuse community 'Thank you' for all the support you have given this'ol pro the past 30-plus years.

I have been so blessed to have worked as a golf professional in this closely knit community since my first job at Onondaga Golf and Country Club in 1973 and now will be continuing my career at Lafayette Hills as their head golf professional. You all have been such loyal readers of my column for years here in The Post-Standard, and so many have taken instruction that I feel so blessed to have reached so many.

The golf professional for years has followed a very simple creed: 'Honesty, integrity and fair dealing.' The game itself demands a lot from we who participate, but it gives back so much more. As a club professional, we have the opportunity to touch many people's lives, young and old alike. We really help make a difference in the size of their smile each and every day.

You know, my dad Charlie told me as his days here on our planet were nearing an end to judge my life as to how many people I helped have a better day. Good advice from a wise man. Furthermore, he said that life, like golf, was not made to be fair. How we dealt with adversity, or a bad bounce, would be our legacy.

For the past several weeks, I have had much time to reflect and redirect. There is no benefit in self-pity, nor should we ever dwell on past occurrences.

I liken it to the sage golfer who was having a great round, with only a little over two holes left to play. Everything had worked out during the round pretty much according to his game plan, and as he was about to hit his approach shot to the 16th green, there was no reason not to believe that another successful result was in the script. But alas, a finely struck shot took a totally unplanned, unforeseen and horrific bounce into the depths of the hazard surrounding the green.

The golfer wondered 'Why me? What did I do? Where did I go wrong? What will the spectators think?' His caddy told him to take a deep breath, figure out where to drop his ball so as to provide him with the best chance to finish out the hole and then move on to the final holes left to play.

It was tough, much tougher than he thought any bad break could ever be, but his dad's words and all his fans in the crowd helped him to realize that he was a good player, and that while it was a bad bounce, it should not and would not disrupt his mission to finish strong and with dignity.

A well-thought-out next shot turned out successful, and he left the hole with a bogey, not in the large scheme of things anything negative enough to dwell on. And, interestingly enough, while I forget how the golfer finished the round, it occurred to me that it was not important, but rather what I realized was that he dealt with the bad bounce with the dignity that he lived his life with.

To my friends, thank you for your support of my efforts these past 30-plus years to help you understand why I love this great game. For in the end, it is the people who make up the game, not the bad bounces. And, like life, golf can be simple and very rewarding if we adhere to the honor, dignity and fair dealing that stand firmly as the principles with which we should treat one another. Let us move forward together this next season on our journey toward that next shot, that next hole, and that next smile.

YOU TROLLEY BAD SPORTS; Anger at store's World Cup mix-up.(News) - The Mirror (London, England)

Byline: SUE CASTLE

TESCO was branded two-faced yesterday for knocking England's bid to win the World Cup - at its stores in Wales and Scotland.

The supermarket giant has put up posters in hundreds of English stores reading, 'pounds 50 cashback if England win the World Cup'.

But in their Welsh and Scottish supermarkets the posters have been changed to say, 'pounds 50 cashback if England fluke the World Cup'.

Tesco were under fire yesterday from soccer fans across the borders who are backing David Beckham, Michael Owen and their team for glory.

The chain were accused of being hypocrites by being both pro-England and anti-England at the same time across Britain.

Tesco chiefs admitted the two-sided campaign - but said they were trying to score with all their shoppers all of the time.

Fay Hogg, head of communications at Tesco said: 'It was an internal idea and it was actually an Englishman who came up with it.

'We don't want to cause offence and we expect that everyone will take it in the sporting way it was intended.' Stores are given the option of choosing the pro-England or anti-England advertising material promoting Tesco motor insurance.

Ms Hogg said: 'It's up to individual stores. Some Welsh stores, particularly those near the border have requested the main ad, which is understandable.

'It's all a bit of fun and we want to get as many as we can backing England.'

But England fan Peter Griffin, 27, who lives in Cardiff, claimed Tesco were being two-faced.

He said: 'Either they are behind David Beckham and his team or they aren't.

'It's wrong for Tesco to knock England's campaign in Wales because a lot of people here will be supporting them.'

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American Consumers Root for the Underdogs: Gymnastics, Figure Skating, Men's Golf, High School Sports and Pro Boxing Rank High in Fan Interest. - Marketing Weekly News

American consumers have typically shown unwavering support for the National Football League, Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League, College Football and Basketball, NASCAR and the Olympics. In fact, the latest study from Scarborough Sports Marketing shows over half (53 percent) of American adults are 'Avid Fans' of one of these sports. When we eliminate these time-honored sports from the conversation, we are left with an intriguing list of fan favorites which include sports like Figure Skating, Gymnastics, Men's Golf, High School Sports and Pro Boxing.* Scarborough Sports Marketing defines 'Avid Fans' as consumers who are 'very interested' and 'Fans' as respondents who are 'very, somewhat or a little interested' in a given sport.

American sports fans have been opening their minds and wallets to a host of diverse sports. Avid Fans of these sports are often characterized by distinct audience demographics. For instance, 73% of Avid Gymnastics Fans are female and 81% of Avid Figure Skating Fans are female. This is a unique demographic makeup since Avid Fans of sports like the Olympics, Women's Tennis and the WNBA - classically 'female friendly' sports - are only about 50% female. This notable demographic base helps explain findings such as: Gymnastics Fans are 53% more likely than all American adults to schedule a spa day, 30% more likely to visit a jewelry store and 33% more likely to visit a bridal store. Similarly, Figure Skating Fans are 28% more likely to visit a florist and 27% more likely to visit a dry cleaner.

Another demographically interesting sport is Pro Boxing. Though European Soccer, Major League Soccer and Mexican Soccer are all leagues with large Hispanic fan bases, Pro Boxing is the non-soccer sports league with the highest percentage of Hispanics among its Avid Fans - 35%. Avid Pro Boxing Fans are also 58% more likely than all American adults to use their smartphones to: listen to or download music, 67% more likely to check sports scores and updates, and a staggering 110% more likely to watch free TV programs.

When we look at the ever-growing domain of competitive Motor Sports, we see another differentiating demographic. Formula One Racing attracts the highest percentage of Avid Fans with $100K in annual household income, more than any of the eight Motor Sports measured. Overall, Formula One Racing Fans are 7% more likely than other motor sports Fans to own homes with $500K+ market values, yet Formula One Racing Fans are also 25% more likely to hold blue collar jobs.

'Looking beyond the obvious can represent new possibilities for advertisers, marketers and other sponsors to reach targeted or key demographic groups,' said Bill Nielsen, vice president, Scarborough Sports Marketing. 'The major sports, of course, allow marketers to reach the masses, but if you only focus there you are missing an important opportunity to market to the 37% of Americans who are very interested in sports that fall outside of the usual suspects.'

A local market look shows West Palm Beach, FL represents the top local market* * for Figure Skating, with 43% of adults characterized as Fans of the sport. Salt Lake City was overwhelmingly supportive of Gymnastics with 45% Fans and Harlingen, TX is the top market for Pro Boxing with 37% of the market considered Fans.

Scarborough Sports Marketing measures avidity levels for 41 different sports, and the table below summarizes the percentage of American adults who are 'Fans' of each. Highlighted in blue are the sports that are consistently high ranking.

* Interviews were conducted between March and August 2011 and therefore may be influenced by seasonality.

* * Top local market among the 77 measured markets for adults 18+. For a full listing of measured markets please visit http://scarborough.com/schedule.php.

Scarborough Sports Marketing Fan Rankings for American Adults, Age 18+

Total % (Very, Somewhat or A Little

Keywords: Advertising, Entertainment, Sporting Activities - Skating.

PAYING THE PRICE IS KEYES FOOTBALL: FORMER UCLA, BIRMINGHAM HIGH STANDOUT HOPES BRUTAL WORKOUT REGIMEN GETS HIM A SHOT WITH PRO TEAM.(Sports) - Daily News (Los Angeles, CA)

Byline: Ramona Shelburne

Staff Writer

It was hard to watch.

The weights workout had been brutal. An hour of hard, hard lifting. Set after set, each time to fatigue, which, by definition, means that you lift until your arms are so tired you want to quit, and then you squeeze out another couple reps.

But it was nothing compared to the abdominal workout Kertic Carruth had in store for them on this day: Six minutes of non-stop abs. And these were no ordinary sit-ups.

Each guy had to hold a 45-pound weight in his arms while he did sit-ups and Russian twists -- which feel about even more sadistic as they sound -- for six minutes, non-stop.

About three minutes in, Dennis Keyes looks like he wants to barf. He sits up for a couple seconds, looks around the room at his teammate from UCLA, Chris Markey, and then his former Birmingham High of Lake Balboa teammate, Ramal Porter. They don't look much better. At the moment, Porter is actually sprawled out on his back, trying to summon the energy to continue.

This is the point when you find out how much you really want it.

The NFL is everyone's dream of course, but not everyone has the will, or the intestinal fortitude, to make that dream a reality. Keyes -- who didn't hear his name called Saturday in the first two rounds of the NFL draft -- has been projected as high as a third-round pick to as low as a free agent signee.

So Carruth yells out, 'Keep going! You wanna get paid? Do you? This is how you get paid!'

Keyes pauses for a second, his face turns serious again, and he presses on. He doesn't just want to get paid, he needs to.

He's a father now. In January, his longtime girlfriend Krystan Dutton gave birth to a girl, Nalia Elise Keyes. As soon as his future is a bit more settled, Keyes said he they're planning to get married.

'Having a kid changes everything, it turns your whole life upside down. Everything I do is for her now. I've got to step up and be a man now. So this -- this, is strictly business,' he said. 'I'm not the carefree kid I was when I left Birmingham. I still goof off, I'm still a goober, because that's just me. But I'm a lot more serious now because I know I gotta step up and take it to the next level.'

At this moment, the next level means three more minutes of hellacious Russian twists with a 45-pound weight. And it ain't easy.

By the end of it, all three guys look like they're about to drop. It takes a few minutes for each to even stand up afterwards. But if you sit too long, it's worse. The lactic acid will make you cramp up, so Keyes wobbles out of the weight room for some fresh air.

'Every workout is like that,' he said. 'If you get to the end of one of coach Carruth's workouts and you don't feel like you're going to barf, you haven't done it right.'

Carruth knows what he's doing though. He's been training NFL prospects for the draft for almost a decade and has become something of a guru for guys looking to get stronger, faster or tougher before they head to the next level.

He's known Keyes for years. Was his running back coach at Birmingham when Keyes led the Patriots to the City Section title in 2002. Then trained him in the off-seasons, during his years at UCLA, where Keyes played safety.

As good as Keyes was at UCLA -- he was the team's defensive MVP as a senior -- Carruth knew he had to push him hard if Keyes wanted to stick with an NFL team.

'I had to make him realize that people don't care what he did in college,' Carruth said. 'So I pushed him hard. I made his workouts at like 6 a.m. on a Saturday morning, so he couldn't go out on Friday nights, I put him against other guys who were just as physically gifted as he was.

'The first three weeks were hard for him. But adjusted quickly, and he really stepped up. I could see how much more mature he was. When I talk to him, it's all business now.'

The changes are visible, too. The normally lithe, 198-pound safety is now a thick, mean 207-pounder. And after the Senior Bowl, Keyes shaved off his trademark dreadlocks.

That may not sound like a big deal. But this was no ordinary haircut.

'I've had my hair long for seven years. You get attached to it. And it made my mom real (upset) because she always liked all her boys to have long hair,' he said. 'But I wanted to be free of it. I wanted to feel free of it.'

At first it felt weird. He actually caught a cold three days later. But symbolically, it was exactly what he needed.

'This is the first time I've really been out on my own,' Keyes said.

He remains a Valley boy. During college, he'd always come home on the weekends, or show up at a Birmingham game Friday nights. Even now, he's made a point of going to as many of his brother Julius' track meets as he can.

'I'm never going to forget where I came from,' he said.

But now it's time to get paid.

Keyes wants it, he needs it.

'I know I'm not the most hyped guy. I feel like I should've got more hype. But that's OK,' he said. 'It just gives me extra incentive. Every workout, everything we do, we want to work harder than everybody else so that when we get into camp, we're ready to go, we're ready to make it.'

ramona.shelburne@dailynews.com

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Former UCLA standout Dennis Keyes has been projected as high as a third-round pick.

Minnesotan adjusts to life in the minors; Mike Restovich has displayed plenty of potential during first full year of pro ball.(SPORTS) - Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)

When Mike Restovich was growing up in Rochester, Minn., he would play one-on-one baseball against his older brother in the back yard. His brother, George, insisted on pretending he was a Twin. Mike had to be a Tiger.

Years later, the Tigers drafted George, and the Twins drafted Mike.

'Strange, how that happened,' Mike Restovich said.

These days George, having decided a promising baseball career was not as secure a future as an attorney's, is attending law school in St. Louis. Mike, the Twins' second-round draft pick last year, is studying in baseball's school of hard knocks - the Appalachian League.

'I played with my brother last summer for a couple of weeks, until I broke my wrist,' Restovich said. 'That was one of my biggest thrills in baseball, to play with him.'

Restovich admits he hasn't had many career highlights. He looks more like a power forward than a power hitter, and he concentrated on basketball at Rochester Mayo. 'High school baseball in Minnesota really isn't that big a deal,' he said. 'Baseball really only lasts a couple of months in Minnesota, and half the games are canceled. I really haven't played that much baseball in my life.'

Which is why Restovich is both a raw and undeniable talent. After playing third base in high school, he's being converted to right field at rookie-league Elizabethton. He's considered a 'five-tool' player, meaning he should be able to hit for average and power, run, field and throw.

After a batting-practice session in which he pounded balls far over the fence at Joe O'Brien Field, Twins minor league fields coordinator Larry Corrigan said: 'That was un-be-lievable. Hitting them out to left field isn't that big a deal here, but anyone who can backspin the ball over the 414 sign in center is doing something.'

Restovich is batting .357 with five homers and 31 RBI since Elizabethton's season started in mid-June. He has a strong arm, although he has yet to master an outfielder's footwork. At this level, scouts look for raw ability and 'coachability' - and Restovich has both.

'You ask who my favorite players have been here, well, he's already up there,' Elizabethton general manager Ray Smith said. 'He's got all the ability and he's got outstanding work habits and a quality head on his shoulders. He's very mature for a 19-year-old. He'll give the people in the Twin Cities a lot of enjoyment one day.'

Elizabethton manager Jon Mathews put it this way: 'He's going to be a PR person's dream.'

Said former Elizabethton general manager Carmon Dugger: 'I think he's going to make it.'

High school players can take four or five years to reach the majors. Restovich knew that when he signed with the Twins instead of accepting a scholarship to Notre Dame.

'I basically went all summer thinking I'd go to Notre Dame,' Restovich said. 'That had always been my goal. Before I realized I might get drafted, Notre Dame was a lock. But once I was drafted, that made things difficult. The more the summer went on, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that what I wanted to do with my life was play baseball. And signing would give me the best chance to succeed.

'I know some people think they need to go to college as a part of the maturing process, but I've always been around older people. I thought I could handle it.'

On a recent weekday, Restovich sat at an aluminum picnic table in Elizabethton's clubhouse, eating lunch out of a Styrofoam container of grocery-store food. As he talked, an old movie played on the television stacked on top of the lockers and he handed out morsels to teammates, who were dressing quietly.

'This is a strange life,' Restovich said. 'You usually don't know if it's Tuesday or Saturday, because the routine's the same. Education is very important to my family, and my parents worry that I'm not reading enough. My dad got me the Kirby Puckett book, and I'm starting to read it now.

'Sometimes I talk to them on the phone, and start talking the way I talk in here, and I must sound like I've never spoken the language before.'

Restovich worried about spending his first four years out of high school in the lower minors, not high education. So far, he has been happy with Elizabethton, the Twins' organization, and teammates.

Arkansas-Based Pizza Pro to Open Combination Food Store in Beaumont, Texas. - Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

By Dan Wallach, The Beaumont Enterprise, Texas Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Feb. 19--BEAUMONT, Texas--Jeffrey Gardner and James Locke had a dream and now are making it a reality.

By the middle of March, the partners plan to open their combination Pizza Pro-Subway sandwich-Blue Bell ice cream store at 1175 Washington Blvd.

The partners hope their venture will accomplish at least three major goals.

First, they want to show investment in the African-American community is not only possible, but could help people to start building wealth in an area outside of the West End.

Second, they want the new business to become the first of many in Southeast Texas built on their Pizza Pro franchise, which is based in Arkansas.

Third, they want to set an example as mentors for young people of any race that building a business is possible.

'We have so many athletes that young people look up to,' Gardner said. 'But we want to show what you can accomplish if you work hard. Anybody can reasonably do it. It's not a difficult feat.'

The three major U.S. sports leagues employ about 3,200 highly paid athletes. The chance for a career in the pros is more than remote.

But the chance to become something like a 'Pizza Pro' is much more realistic, Gardner and Locke said.

Gardner, 32, and Locke, who says he is a 'younger 32,' have planned the business for the past nine months, but their association dates to childhood, they said.

'We're all a product of our environment,' Locke said.

'We've always tried to surround ourselves with people like us the same vision, the same goals, the same aspirations. We're going to have to make a living one day.'

Gardner said something similar and sinister revolves around the drug culture.

Referring to an example of how people get caught up in activities that can destroy their futures, he said: 'If someone I know is selling drugs, I might buy them, or I might sell them.'

Locke said a business could help people unlock their creativity in a positive manner.

'If people used their creativity more, the crime rate would go down. You've got to make up your mind, find a concept and go forward,' he said.

'I don't know any drug dealer who sells drugs for 25 years and retires peacefully. It just doesn't happen.'

Gardner and Locke decided early on to take the long view, which they said requires discipline, particularly when it came to financing their venture.

'We saved every nickel,' Locke said.

'We had to make sacrifices,' said Gardner, whose father, George, has developed the Subway sandwich store franchises in Southeast Texas.

'My dad didn't give us anything in this deal,' Gardner said.

And then they had to assemble their business plan and approach lending institutions to arrange for financing.

In all, their business will have cost perhaps $350,000 to build and launch.

Community Bank & Trust backed them, but they were turned down by a couple of other local lenders.

'They (other banks) still don't want to deal with minorities,' Gardner said. 'We just want to be treated equally. We needed a couple of hundred thousand to do the project. Some wouldn't even call back. Very unprofessional. They wouldn't even look at our financials.'

Locke said they were very prepared before they applied for a loan.

'If we didn't get it, we wanted to know why so we could fix it,' he said.

Locke also brought to the table his general contracting company, Premier Custom Homes and Development.

'I've always enjoyed designing,' he said. 'Six years ago, I wanted to build a house. So I designed it and hired subcontractors.'

Locke's company is acting as general contractor for the Pizza Pro-Subway construction, which will be the first freestanding store in the region.

There also are Pizza Pro shops in Port Arthur and Beaumont as part of other stores.

Their building is up and the interior work is well under way.

The project restored a productive land use to a previously vacant lot that beforehand had been a small apartment complex that had burned, they said.

The new construction also serves as proof that investment in the south end of Beaumont is a good thing, they said.

'When you spend money in the West End, it stays in the West End. It doesn't help this community,' Gardner said. 'What we want to do is create a business, provide employment, and circulate these dollars back in this community. That's the only way to build wealth.'

Dowlen Road has been the scene of Beaumont's largest commercial and residential construction in the past few years.

The partners said they understood profits earned by national chains in the West End leave the community, but also point to local stores that have built new branches along Dowlen Road.

Meanwhile, investments in the south part of the city are few and far between.

Locke and Gardner expect to employ about 25 people in the new store, which will be open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

They expect the people they employ to use their creativity on the job, also.

'I started out putting lettuce and pickles on a sandwich,' Gardner said. 'But I wanted something bigger. Just because you're browning a pizza doesn't mean that that's the ceiling.'

Neither Locke nor Gardner sympathize with the excuse that people have to leave Beaumont to find work.

'You can't say there are no jobs here, so I'll be a miserable failure,' Gardner said. 'So, you create one. That is the entrepreneurial spirit. Mentally, you've got to have the mindset to overcome barriers and obstacles. We've had obstacles, but it hasn't deterred us.'

Locke said both he and Gardner are parents and they want their children to see their own possibilities in the examples their fathers set.

'They'll be products of their environment,' he said.

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