Funway Entertainment Center in Batavia has someone new, yet not really new, at the helm now. Bob Hansen has sold the business to his son, Dominic (BHS Class of 2012) and his daughter, Jackie (BHS Class of 2010). As of May 2024, Dominic and Jackie are the new owners of Funway and Dominic is president of the business. Bulldog Nation was able to chat with Bob, Dominic, and Jackie and discuss the history and future plans for the entertainment center. Here’s what they had to say:

Please share some of the history of Funway.

Bob:   Where do we start? It's a long story.   It started in 1959. It was a small go Kart track owned by Dick Buri.  Funway was originally located on Water Street.  In 1967 it moved to S. Route 25. Before Bob bought it in 1990, the original owners of Funway bought the current property it sits on and added an arcade, a roller rink and restaurant. Smaller attractions such as mini golf and batting cages were added around 1978.   So, when I bought the business in 1990, we had go karts, bumper boats, a small outdoor mini golf course, indoor roller skating, an arcade, restaurant, and bumper cars.  Through the following years there were lots of changes that were made to Funway. Batting cages arrived in 1993 or so, and mini golf went outdoors.  There was also an outdoor hockey rink at one time.  The construction of the bowling center, which was a 10 month build project, began in 2003.  Funway continued to grow with the purchase of 4-5 acres next door to the west and to the south. A brand-new mini golf course was built outdoors, there was an expansion of the go kart track, a fast track was added, a new shop was built, and a patio area and mini golf patio area were also constructed.  There are always various changes each year.  

Bob, how did you come to be the owner of Funway?

Well, it starts back in 1980, a couple years out of high school. My buddy and I were thinking what are we going to do, what are we going to do? I was an auto mechanic, which I went to school for. And then the idea came up to open a go kart track. But we're kids, right? We found some property on 83 in Oakbrook Terrace, and we opened a track on May 1st of 1981 called Jus Fun Amusements.  We started shopping for used go karts and we happened to run across Dick Buri who, as I mentioned, built the BMX track and then closed his go Kart track. I bought his used Go Kart tracks in 1980.  And so we opened!  We did some business with Dick with exchanging, or putting video games in and out, things like that over the years.  In 1989 Dick called me up and said how would you like to buy Funway? I said I'll be out tomorrow!  I was 29 years old.  And it was like buying Disney World, you know! So, I left my partner, moved to Batavia, bought a business and had another baby! It was a crazy time. I finally closed the deal on December 1st in 1990. So that's how it started.

How did your dad (Bob) influence your decision to purchase this business?

 Dom & Jackie:  Our dad was just always showing us how fun it could be to work here.   Just growing up here and being here all the time exposed us to everything.  We were not spoiled, though.  We were not allowed to play the games and enjoy the attractions any time we wanted (but we did get to skate a lot!).  We got to go to the arcade maybe once a month, every two months, you know, and usually had to empty lockers first.  Our memories here are not playing the games, arcade games or the attractions. It's just being here, like cleaning up or following the maintenance guys around, my mom around or, you know, just doing the behind-the-scenes stuff. It was working here and seeing what our dad did behind the scenes that was really cool to see growing up and also to see what you could be as a business owner.  Our dad never really tried to influence us to work here. That's probably a big part of why we ended up wanting to be here.  He never forced it upon any of us to be here.  He never pushed us – he wanted us to find our own path. And it always brought us back.  And this is where we both ended up. And so, the time is perfect with the experience we have now and it’s the right time in our lives. 

What are your short-term and long-term goals for the business?

Dom & Jackie:  Our short - term goals would be to continue to refine the experience for all our guests that come through. We want to continue to upkeep the business and keep it clean, safe, and fun.  Those have been the three principles that have been drilled into our experience - clean, safe, and fun.  Because those are our primary pillars.  We focus on those and then look to the future.  We want to continue to change, keep it fresh, and be a little before the times. That way people keep wanting to come back.  We want to keep the experiences new, but still have some of the old experiences so previous generations can bring their kids back to see what their parents used to do.

How do you plan to honor some of these Funway traditions established by your dad, but still bring in the new ideas that you have?

Dom & Jackie:  We have an adult skate that we do on Sunday nights.  The adult skate has had a group of skaters that have been coming here for years. Some people say they bring their kids here because they used to come here.  We have some 3^rd generation skaters! We will continue with birthday parties, church outings, bowling leagues, and fundraisers.  All of that is part of the ongoing package for the local community.  We have spread out more into a regional draw now with the size facility we have.  We can draw from 20-30 miles away for, you know, a few hours’ visit. That's amazing!

How have you been preparing for this transition over the years?

Bob:  Number one thing is patience, patience, patience.  I've had a lot of buddies I know who took over their father's business and the number one thing was, frustration.  I tried to avoid that in this process. I think we did a pretty good job! How do you avoid that frustration?  Communication.  Not only communication, but also how to handle the process of the transition.  The challenge is not to rush it. Do it right.  Do it right for what fits you and follow through.

Dom & Jackie:   It didn't get frustrating for us either because we were both so involved in decision - making even prior to the actual turning over of the guard.  Our dad kept us involved in all the major decision- making, so we always felt like we had a say.  

How do you think the long-term employees are going to handle this change in leadership?

 Dom & Jackie: With our part time staff which is mostly the high school age to college range, we don't know if this will change their perspective. Employees in that age group or any age group who have a direct manager or assistant manager in their department are the ones they really work for.  So, if they’re going to like the job, they are probably going to like the managers they work with.  So, if the manager has been here for several years and is just changing the title from manager to owner, it will probably be business as usual.  (Dominic has been general manager since probably 2017, and Jackie has been in charge of the back office for 10 years.)

What advice did your dad give you about running the business?

Dom & Jackie:  Be smart. Get ready for tomorrow.  Make good choices.  Live with the consequences of your decisions and then learn from them.

What are some key lessons you’ve learned from your dad about entrepreneurship and leadership?

Dom & Jackie:  Take care of the problem today, because there’s another one coming tomorrow!!  Be proactive. And don’t get stressed out.

What are you most excited about in taking on your new roles?

Dom & Jackie:  It may seem like it’s going to be the same, but it’s a little different when everything’s going to be on your shoulders.  It’s going to be different, but exciting. The idea of continuing with a family business, continuing with our dad’s legacy, and being able to provide memories for families in this community is really cool.  We look forward to raising our families around here and especially since we have kids, we want to see that as our own kids grow up.   We also want a lot of the same experiences we had when we grew up.  We think that maybe in the future some of our kids might want to work here, but only if they want to.

Batavians are thrilled that Dominic and Jackie are going to continue this legacy and that Funway is going to stay in their family. It's going to be exciting to see them incorporate and continue with the values that their dad brought to this business.  That is very important to the families of Batavia and something we don’t want to lose. Their family is a treasure and we’re so happy that Funway is staying in the hands of this family!