By Eric Peterson Jun 01, A lifelong bowler, Chrisman was making and distributing industrial cleaners and chemicals with C-C Distributing in the mids when he saw a pain point that came with new urethane bowling balls. He came up with a new product to clean them and started selling it to bowling alleys on the side in He bootstrapped the company to launch and learned how to make bowling balls by trial and error.
Storm's sales grew by 50 to percent a year in the late s. It now makes a wide range of bowling balls, bags, and accessories in Utah, and has two additional operations in California and Texas. A big innovation came in The reason? Pro shops at bowling alleys are small, congested places. What he didn't know was how much free publicity it would generate.
It went crazy. It helped Storm climb to the top of the sport bowling market. In the spring of , Mr. Chrisman hired Keith Orton, a pioneer in manufacturing high performance urethane bowling balls, to set up a facility to manufacture bowling balls for High Score Products. The first balls were produced in August and the process of an appropriate trade name for a HSP bowling ball was begun.
The name offered a number of possibilities for strong graphic presentation as well as the kind of strong power image traditionally associated with bowling balls and other sports equipment. The name was also thought to have a universal quality, which would cut across cultural lines and be effective in both domestic and foreign markets, particularly in Pacific Rim countries.
The pattern on each Storm bowling ball is unique and random because of how the mix fills the mold. Storm holds a patent for scented bowling balls and that feature can be added as part of the coverstock mix. The company is capable of making over 11, different fragrances, ranging from bacon or pepperoni to baked goods and fruits.
When the chemicals mix, it makes the ball feel warm to the touch. It only takes about two minutes for the coverstock to harden. The mold can be cracked off like an egg, after which the bowling balls are sent to a drying rack to cool overnight. Employees plug a hole in the ball with different colors so they know which core and weight block is inside. The coverstock is cut down with the help of a machine.
After, the bowling balls are sanded or polished depending on the desired finish. Bowling balls perform differently based on whether they have a matte or shine finish. A fully automated machine engraves the bowling balls. It rotates the ball, which has up to five engraving points for details like the company's name and logo. Storm has a bowling ball testing facility right inside the same building where the bowling balls are made in Brigham City.
It is equipped with a system that can measure various information, like where and when a bowling ball hooks. The company tests its own balls, in addition to studying competitor products. Professional bowlers and coaches also stop by to use the facility. Storm has a team of professional athletes who promote the brand. Storm's bowling balls ship all over the world. In March, the company had bowling balls ready to ship out to shops in places as varied as Japan, Taiwan, China and Ohio.
Storm also has apparel and accessory lines, which include lightweight travel bags for bowlers. Storm started with Bill Chrisman, who lived in the Brigham City area when he launched High Score Products in to sell his special cleaner for urethane bowling balls.
In , he teamed up with Keith Orton, the owner of the bowling lanes in Morgan, to start manufacturing their own bowling balls under the name Storm. They started small — making about 10 one-off bowling balls each day — but quickly gained national attention.
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