Byline: Victor Reklaitis
May 22--JAMES CITY -- During its seven years in business, the Williamsburg Indoor Sports Complex has learned to change its game plan.
'Our business plan is much different now than what we originally anticipated it would be,' said Chris Scrofani, a co-owner and vice president of the facility. 'We just have a lot more to offer now.'
The complex opened in 2000 with a 50,000-square-foot building that featured two indoor fields geared toward soccer and inline hockey. By early 2006, the facility was finishing a 26,000-square-foot addition that's helped it offer much more to customers, such as gymnastics and a preschool.
'We realized that in a town like Williamsburg, you have to be a little more diverse,' Scrofani said. He said an indoor sports complex in a larger city such as Richmond could rely on just soccer and inline hockey, but the facility here had to try catering to a bigger mix of people.
Besides the preschool that started in 2003 and now has more than 90 children, the Williamsburg Indoor Sports Complex provides a before- and after-school program and sports birthday parties for children. With the expansion last year, the complex also has a new fitness area and a new restaurant, Ryan's Deli.
The staff has grown along with the programs. Scrofani said the complex started with basically three full-time staff: himself, general manager Chris Haywood and another vice president, Amy West. Today, it employs about 26 full-time workers, plus many part-time workers.
But changing the game plan hasn't always been easy. Scrofani said over the years the complex has tried out dodge ball and laser tag programs, and then decided against continuing them.
'You just have to pick and choose,' he said, adding that he, Haywood and West receive lots of suggestions for new programs and meet often to discuss new opportunities for the complex.
He said they've learned a key is to 'really put a lot of attention toward things that produce the most income for us as a facility -and have the biggest demand.'
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