When Creating the Difference and Logo Infusion announced their partnership, it came with a bonus - two staff contracts with Logo Infusion to be awarded to members of Creating the Difference Staff. At Creating the Difference, we believe in inclusion. We have staffers from ages 8 to 68 who average anywhere from 90 - 245. Our staffers have to fit three criteria:
- Be passionate about bowling
- Have a desire to learn and improve their game
- Have a desire to help grow the sport of bowling
The key to growth is inclusion and Logo Infusion shares this philosophy says Creating the Difference CEO Ronald Hickland Jr. “If we’re only speaking to the people who are shooting honors scores or have high averages, how does that spark interest in the beginning bowlers so they will stay in the sport? We want to grow bowling by engaging the beginning bowler and help them become better, faster.”
In awarding the Logo Infusion staff contracts, we wanted to solicit staff input. They became part of the selection committee for one of the contracts. The other contract was going to be selected by the management of Creating The Difference. We made the following post in our staff group on Facebook:
The response was incredible. We were given a lot of great ideas and experiences highlighting what our staffers are currently doing to help grow the sport and what they plan to start doing.
After reading all of the essays, the management team selected Lewis Simpson Jr aka Uncle Lewie from Toledo, OH (USBC average 193) to receive their pick for the Logo Infusion staff contract. CEO Ronald Hickland has personally coached Lewie in the past and has seen his commitment to not only becoming a better bowler but to help grow the sport.
“Lewie has an overwhelmingly positive attitude and spreads the word about bowling through non traditional outlets. As an accomplished musician he routinely talks about bowling and helps to expose people to the sport. His essay described what he has done to promote bowling to the youth and how a staff position is like family. He shows this by welcoming every new member of staff on our Facebook Page. This opportunity will help Lewie continue to grow the sport of bowling.”
When we called Lewie to let him know, he was speechless. “What a blessing!” was his first response. Once he gained his composure, he told us about his prior application to Logo Infusion staff. As a musician, Lewie had actually written a jingle for Logo Infusion:
He is excited for the opportunity to be on Logo Infusion staff. He thinks bowlers of his level are an asset to companies and can really help them grow not only their brand, but also the sport, “one bowler at a time and that’s what [he is] all about.”
After removing Lewie’s essay, we picked the top five remaining essays for the staff to vote on. We took away the names from each essay to remove any bias. After a week of voting and a landslide victory, the staff selected the essay of Michael Wigal out of Louisville, KY (USBC average 217), for the remaining contract. In his essay, he says, “The youth is where our sport is. We need to encourage bowlers to have fun when they are on the lanes.” You can read the entire essay here. Mike spends time every weekend helping to coach the youth league.
When we arrived at Southern Lanes in Bowling Green for the New Year's Day Doubles Tournament, we were immediately greeted by a smiling face in a Logo Infusion jersey. He quickly introduced himself as Mike Wigal. We were able to give him the good news about winning the contract face to face. Mike was excited about the opportunity saying, “It’s a luxury most people don’t have. Being able to wear a nice jersey or use the CtD products is a way to get people’s attention and start a conversation. That interaction is the first step in educating people in order to create growth.”
At Creating the Difference, we are appreciative that Logo Infusion granted us this type of opportunity to our Staff. Two companies working together is how we grow the sport. Creating the Difference provides a positive environment for bowlers of any skill level to openly ask questions and improve their game. We also provide education on a regular basis through our private Staff Facebook group. In addition, we have multiple USBC certified coaches on staff who help people with arsenal reviews, lane play and physical game questions. We also have professional athletes who take advantage of our products and services by being on our staff.
We are #CreatingTheDifference through inclusion. If you would like to join us, visit our Staff Inquiries Page.