November 2011
Jersey JackiPlay America: A Vision for the Future
In business, we are really tending a garden. Sometimes the seeds that you plant don’t take root, and sometimes they take longer to come up than you anticipated. Keep watering them as needed and let in the sunshine. In my case, it’s just about springtime!
Bob McDaid has been a longtime customer of PinballSales.com. He became a friend several years ago, and for the past three years or so we have been in the process of designing one of the most unique and magnificent indoor theme parks anywhere.
iPlay America is in Freehold, N.J., home of Bruce Springsteen and smack in the middle of one of the most affluent areas of the United States. Bob is a successful real estate developer and entrepreneur who wanted to share his vision for what an indoor theme park could really be.
Weighing in at just over 90,000 sq. ft. and packed with so many rides, attractions, food and fun in a beautiful detailed cityscape theme, iPlay America is truly a theme park under glass. It is connected to Encore, which is another new Bob McDaid production at 30,000 sq. ft. Encore can host intimate gatherings for every occasion from casual dining to VIP and white glove formal seating of 800 guests for dinner. Encore already has bookings for weddings, tradeshows and corporate events.
Bob and his wife Dorene are very active in several charitable events, and the iPlay/ Encore synergy creates a perfect venue to host those as well as many other worthwhile causes. I’m even planning to start the Jersey Shore Pinball and Game Room Show at Encore, perhaps in June of 2012.
I asked Bob why he is doing this. He paused and said that he wanted to bring an upscale experience to the area, that there was no place anywhere like iPlay when he grew up and that he wanted people to have a fun place to go with their families, young and old, where they could spend the day, get value for their money and come back again and again.
Bob is very successful in several different industries and seemingly has nothing to prove. He is a happy hardworking guy who has a close and loving family. His daughter Christina works on property, and she is having a blast at this high-energy park. Bob is driven, intense at times, and he painstakingly labored over every single detail at this amazing project for the past three years. It’s not uncommon for me to get a call from Bob at 6 a.m. to start the day and another at 1 a.m. to end the day. He and I are on the same frequency, and I wish the entire industry could see iPlay/Encore!
Last month, while finishing touches were being put everywhere in readiness for the Nov. 11 grand opening, Bob, always the detail guy, could be seen seemingly everywhere, including atop a 15’ ladder adjusting LED flood lamps in Broadway Sweets, an amazing candy shop at iPlay. For the past few years in Bob’s “recon missions” he has become an expert in many aspects of the amusement and entertainment industry, as well as every one of the other industries that were needed to create the iPlay/Encore experience.
Our industry is still a viable industry. Here is an entrepreneur from outside of our industry who sees an opportunity. Others in our industry should take note. Because of his vision, Bob has employed hundreds of trades people in these past years to create this wonderful venue, and he will employ hundreds more as they work to make sure that everyone who comes to iPlay America/Encore has a fun experience.
He is not participating in any recession either! Bob did his homework and spent millions of dollars to create something unique in the middle of what many people are calling The Great Recession. Yet hope, faith, confidence and the entrepreneurial spirit along with the right trades, support staff and attitude (and don’t forget money) have brought Bob’s vision to fruition for everyone to enjoy.
I’ll do a more in-depth story for my article next month on iPlay with lots of pictures. In the meantime, I will see you all at IAAPA.
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