From Bowling Center to Indoor Theme Park: Inside Neb’s Fun World

In Episode 15 of the FEC Masterminds Podcast, Clint and Erik sit down with Jeff England, the fourth-generation owner-operator of the legendary **Neb’s Fun World** in Oshawa, Ontario (just outside of Toronto). Unlike many operators who enter the industry from the outside, Jeff grew up as a "bowling rat" in a family business that spans four generations (with his kids already representing the fifth!). In this episode, Jeff takes us deep behind the scenes of how Neb’s Fun World has continuously evolved—including a massive COVID-era "Franken-building" construction project where they built a giant 53-foot-tall structure right over top of their old expansions to keep doors open. **In this episode, we cover:** - **Next-Level Theming:** Why Jeff and his family decided 15 years ago to move away from "empty box" setups and turn Neb's into an immersive, indoor theme park experience. - **In-House Engineering & Software:** How Jeff writes his own PLC logic, builds custom automatic scoring systems from scratch for their 52 bowling lanes, and creates unique ID-tag security doors for staff training. - **The Canadian Bowling Conundrum:** How they built custom convertible machines that seamlessly handle both traditional Canadian five-pin and American ten-pin bowling on the same lanes. - **Reinventing Redemption:** Why they ditched the traditional crowded retail store counter for a hybrid kiosk system that saves valuable square footage for money-making games while slashing labor bottlenecks. - **The Mansion & Future Expansion:** An inside look at their massive 10,000 sq ft multi-level indoor expansion featuring a brand-new custom laser tag arena and a 46-person Triotech stand-up motion theater. Whether you’re looking to scale your footprint, rethink your arcade layout, or marvel at what operators can build when they roll up their sleeves, this episode is a masterclass in independent innovation! **Listen & Subscribe:** - **YouTube:** https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqjhH0o01j-QOfYaL\_4xrxA - **Spotify:** https://open.spotify.com/show/2klCyxlYbcGKFxdOQx15DV - **Apple Podcasts:** https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fec-masterminds-podcast/id1895404878 Are you an FEC owner looking to level up? Drop us a line or apply to join our off-the-air Mastermind calls: https://www.novakamusementsolutions.com/