TM 2020,2020, IssueIssue IIIIII CONTENTS #MIDWAYMAG FEATURES 08 55 YEARS FIRESTONE FINANCIAL STILL BELIEVES 21 IN THE BARN USE THE TIME TO IMPROVE PROCESSES AND DOCUMENTATION DAVID WIERZBINSKI 25 LOOKING HOMEWARD 33 WISDOM RIDES OF AMERICA THIS IS SOMETHING NEW WHERE WILL OUR HISTORY GO? 41 48 ON A FINAL NOTE ON THE COVER: The Mulligan Wheel of Kastl Amusements at the FOX NFL Fan Experience on the beach in Miami, Florida for Super Bowl LIV February 2020. Photo courtesy of Kastl Amusements. Publisher Writers Photographers Photographers Design Consultant © 2020 by Midway Magazine. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including Midway Marketing Drew Tewksbury Buddy Barlow Scooter Korek Kistin Jordan photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior Kyler Smith Stefan Hinz written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in Editor Historian Layout & Design critical reviews and certain reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted Sydney Blue Timothy S. Allen by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed, Attention: Sharon Barlow Doc Rivera Daniel Olwert MIDWAY MAGAZINE Rich Gockelman Photography Permissions Coordinator, at the address below. Business Manager Sydney Blue Social Media FOR SUBSCRIPTIONS, Midway Magazine Printing 2020 ISSUE IV Buddy Barlow Dickie Brooks Director ADDRESS CHANGES, P.O. Box 1165 Progress Printing Mark Hunter Kannapolis, NC 28082 Alex Barlow & CUSTOMER SERVICE 704-925-1325 Web Design Thomas Hagerty midwaymagazineusa.com Midway Marketing mailto:[email protected] MIDWAY MOMENT The cover of MIDWAY Magazine this issue is the Mulligan Wheel owned by Kastl Amusements. Themed The Masked Singer to promote FOX’s hit reality series, it was a standout addition to the NFL Fan Experience for Super Bowl LIV in Miami Florida. With all that has happened, it’s truly difficult to remember this was only a little over six months ago. Six months, and our whole world has changed. David Wierzbinski, the young man who took this wheel so many miles and oversaw its setup and operation, is no longer with us, but the gaping whole he left in the hearts of so many who knew and loved him is. Indeed, the pain and anxiety brought on by the trials of 2020 could almost be considered overwhelming to some. In a conversation I had with Rich Gockelman, he talked about the incredible guts and determination of the people in this industry, the guts and determination they showed after the Great Recession of 2008, the guts and determination that have always brought them through the seasons of horrible storms or intense heat. It was that same guts and determination that David Wierzbinski showed when he left the safe and steady job of truck driving to return to a life he loved on the midway; the guts and determination of Jared Davis of Wisdom Rides of America to launch a new line of rides during a season of such uncertainty, and the guts and determination of Firestone Financial to continue to invest time and resources into an industry in which they believe so strongly. For me, that guts and determination is what fuels my faith that this industry will emerge from 2020 with the strength and flair that has trademarked it for decades. Certainly, it has been difficult to hold onto any kind of faith in 2020, and yet, I’m reminded of the many times my Dad would ask me if I knew the definition of faith. The definition he was looking for was “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” As the doors of 2020 continue to slam closed and we look forward to 2021, I beg you to hold onto those things you hope for but cannot yet see. While it is the guts and determination that fuels the faith, it is the faith itself that will truly bring us through. Welcome to MIDWAY Magazine! 2020, ISSUE IV | MIDWAY MAGAZINE | 7 YEARS FIRESTONE FINANCIAL STILL BELIEVES By: Sharon Barlow 8 | MIDWAY MAGAZINE | 2020, ISSUE IV 2020, ISSUE IV | MIDWAY MAGAZINE | 9 Photo by Dickie Brooks On March 13, 2020, the Kingdom Story Company for relief from payments they had no means of making. followed up their 2018 hit, I Can Only Imagine, with the By 2020, however, Firestone Financial is celebrating 55 story of Christian singer Jeremy Camp titled after his years of experience in helping industries through the hit single, I Still Believe. The movie chronicles the life difficulties, and the mobile amusement industry is one in of Jeremy and his young wife, Melissa, as she battles which they very much still believe. ovarian cancer. Despite their seemingly endless faith, Melissa succumbs to her Since its inception in 1965 as initially disease. Encouraged by a note left by an independent finance company, Melissa urging him to continue writing, Firestone Financial has been lending to Jeremy Camp writes his hit proclaiming his the amusement industry adding carnivals commitment regardless of the struggles to their extensive clientele almost 25 years he has experienced. Mere days after the ago. “We didn’t come into this space as a release of I Still Believe, movie theaters, bank looking to do business in it,” shares gyms, amusement parks, fairgrounds, and Michael Smith, Executive Vice President other large events and venues succumbed and Chief Operating Officer. “We came to another disease, COVID-19, an insidious as an independent finance company virus previously never experienced in the United States who really saw this as a place where we could provide that began sending thousands to hospitals. Industries assistance and help and grow. And now as we mark our like the mobile amusement industry were halted in their 55th anniversary, I think we have done that.” tracks, and show owners, laboring under an ever-growing mountain of debt, looked to their finance companies Today, Firestone Financial is an affiliate of Berkshire 10 | MIDWAY MAGAZINE | 2020, ISSUE IV Bank with $268,000,000 in loans outstanding, and more than half of that figure is represented by repeat business. Rich Gockelman, Commercial Account Executive, attributes Firestone's success in winning repeat business to their willingness to partner with their clients through all the industry ups “WE CAME AS AN and downs. “If you look back on 55 years of operation, we’ve been with our INDEPENDENT FINANCE carnival customers through the good times and the bad. And now, it really brings it home to where things are with COVID-19.” COMPANY WHO REALLY SAW THIS AS A PLACE WHERE WE “It’s these intangibles that customers want to consider when shopping COULD PROVIDE ASSISTANCE for a lender,” he adds. “They need to look past all the teaser rates. Before COVID-19, the economy was doing very well. More banks were getting into AND HELP AND GROW. AND carnival lending, looking for new ways to align themselves with Main Street. NOW AS WE MARK OUR 55TH They want to connect with the average working person, and one of the best ANNIVERSARY, I THINK WE ways to do that is through the carnival. Nobody touches the working man and woman more than the carnival industry does. So, what’s going to happen HAVE DONE THAT.” now? Anyone new to carnival lending is just not prepared for the kind of ups and downs the industry experiences. But Firestone is. We’ve seen it, from the economic downturn in the post-9/11 world, the global recession of 2008, the horrible stretches of bad weather over the years, weather disasters, and fuel price increases. All these things impact the operating cost structure of the carnival. Firestone has always been there to be able to work with people and help them get through whatever challenges they are facing. So, as a customer, you should really want to know your lender’s depth of experience in working with someone like yourself. I think 55 years speaks for itself.” Photo by Dickie Brooks 2020, ISSUE IV | MIDWAY MAGAZINE | 11 According to Michael, Firestone’s depth of experience has been gleaned from their 55-year commitment to thoroughly understanding their business partners. “We take a unique approach in how we do things,” he explains. “With a typical lender or bank, customers come with a specific project, and the lender evaluates whether they want to write the loan. Firestone takes a different approach. We target specific industries and marketplaces, and then take a deep dive into them. “Our goal,” he adds “is to understand what our customers are going through and the needs of their businesses. We take a 360 degree look at their businesses and industry trends and forecasts to partner with our customers in ways a traditional lender can’t. We are supporters of our specialty markets in every way – from specialized lending solutions to supporting charitable organizations to acting as connectors for our customers to other business services they need. We act as their advisors. We want to have these conversations and know what’s going on with our customers. You won’t find this level of service from other lenders.” “We are truly ingrained in every aspect of our customers’ businesses,” Michael continues. “I think that’s what makes our 55th anniversary so meaningful. We’re able to celebrate their successes while also supporting our customers through their current challenges.” For Rich, those conversations with their customers need to be initiated at the crossroads. “Nothing is in a straight line, not the stock market, the economy, or this COVID-19,” he explains. “So many things are happening, and you have to be willing to meet the customer where and when they need it - understanding their current business needs, not just our customer’s positon when they initially applied for the loan.