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Bowling
Champ Bowls A Strike With Retirement
Robert “Champ” Champion Retires As Brunswick's Oldest Employee at 89
WESTMINSTER, Colo. (Jan. 26, 2007) – Singing and dancing to his favorite swing and country tunes while mopping and vacuuming a bowling center is how friends and co-workers of Brunswick's oldest employee will remember Robert “Champ” Champion as he retires from Brunswick Bowling & Billiards – Retail Division after a dedicated 30-year career with the company.
Champion, 89, started his career at Brunswick Thunderbird Lanes in Boulder, Colo., in 1976 after retiring as a sports writer. In exchange for free bowling, Champion and five of his friends agreed to strip, clean and wax the floors of the bowling center. Two weeks later, he signed on as a janitor and has been serving in that capacity ever since. He was later named head janitor and moved to Brunswick Zone – Westminster in 1982.
“It's not so much what he did or how well he did it,” said Mike Marquez, general manager, Brunswick Zone – Westminster. “It's the way he went about his job – how he loved the sport of bowling and how he promoted the activity, all with outstanding customer service. He found a home at Brunswick.”
“Champ always felt he had a great job because he could finish his shift and see his accomplishments,” Marquez said.
Champion is a dedicated Denver Broncos fan and an accomplished horseshoe pitcher. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Colorado Horseshoe Pitchers Association (CHPA) and is the organization's newsletter editor. He was inducted into the CHPA Hall of Fame for meritorious service in 1986, and more recently, won the 2006 World Champion Horseshoe tournament for the elder men's division.
“It was the people who made my time with Brunswick so special,” Champion said. “Not only my co-workers, but I also enjoyed meeting the bowlers in the ladies leagues and senior leagues and taking care of them. That's the main thing after all; making sure everybody is having a good time.”
About Brunswick
Headquartered in Lake Forest, Ill., Brunswick Bowling & Billiards is one of the largest operators of full-service bowling and family recreation centers in North America, and is a full-line supplier of bowling equipment, supplies and consumer products. For more information on Brunswick Zone – Westminster, which is located at 9150 Harlan St., call 303-426-6352 or visit www.bowlbrunswick.com.
For more information, contact:
Mary Pettersen or Katie Hasse
Cushman/Amberg Communications
312-263-2500 or mpettersen@cushmanamberg.com
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