Services

More than a facility manager, AFD is your customer sensitive business developer. AFD provides ethical facility management and business development for the facility owners’ objectives. AFD’s emphasis is providing solutions for management and ownership in:

AFD commits itself to a definite objective. We achieve a finite solution by working closely with you to think through your goals and create a clear solution. We make a public commitment to your objectives. We maintain this vision in promoting your core purpose and values. AFD anticipates obstacles and utilizes our experience and agility to deal with them, without losing sight of your objective. In our commitment, we adjust our strategy as necessary, but not your objective, while delivering a unique customer experience.

Turnkey Facility Management

AFD provides complete arena management services to meet your requirements. We analyze your business architecture and work with you to create a strategy with a clear infrastructure and relational/optimal timeline. We seek out hidden opportunities and new solutions, identify which or all components of the overall business structure you would like AFD to implement and operate. Our careful analysis provides solid groundwork for your success.

Ice arena management is more than selling ice. We recognize that you most likely entered the ice arena and athletic facility business to provide a sense of community. AFD’s individualized, personalized, approach is with regard to your demographic and geographic location. Focusing on achieving your goals, respect and consideration is given to your foundational base customers to strengthen retention, and ice utilization within your facility.

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Business Turn-Around

AFD does not shy away from a turn-around environment. Testing everyone’s strengths and leadership, we have a talented staff that is diversified in their applications, adept and agile in their abilities, and will react and evaluate the crisis quickly. Typically a long time in the making, the intent is to take charge. Immediate action is required. The customer environment has to turn visibly better, regaining trust and credibility, now.

While implementing a crisis strategy AFD sets a clear objective, further economizes, communicates the plan, leads by example, and acts decisively. Concurrently, we need to work together to identify the critical path that caused the diversion from the business plan, while rebuilding your core values and brand identity in the marketplace. Crisis compresses the implementation timeline, but cannot ignore the future strategic plan.

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Business Plan Evaluation / Re-Alignment

Utilizing your business plan, financials, and working through the discovery process with you and your management team, AFD, at your direction, will evaluate how your sequence method and implementation strategy complies with obtaining your overall business objective. Often relational to accounting concerns, this may provide an early warning detection process potentially identifying integrity issues, alternative program measures, facility long-term modifications to expenses and processes to grow revenue; or potentially … just generate peace of mind.

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Accounting Validation

AFD maintains clear, accurate, record keeping and financial reporting procedures. Accrual based, financial reports follow GAAP standards and are designed to provide all involved parties’ documents that may be discussed and analyzed with confidence and integrity in their decision making process. Athletic Facilities Development holds the integrity of your financial transactions and reporting as one of its main core values. Your reports are produced on time, complete, and may be audited by your representative at any time.

Ed’s expertise involving business and financial matters as it related to the ice rink disciplines…. Hockey, figure skating, skating school, public skating, pro-shop and concessions…. was invaluable to me in the running of my profitable operation. Ed’s concern for details always made it possible to identify the correct steps to take to maintain profitability…
Rich Wasilewski, Prior Owner, Sunblades Ice Arena, Tampa, FL

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Auditing of Concerns

With experience in facility management, sports and pro shop ownership and management, marketing and apparel company ownership, and hockey/skating school ownership and management, AFD is adept in the discovery, internal auditing and analysis of: integrity of customer billing, misstated receivables, lost revenues, validation of expenses and payables, co-mingled labor expense, auditing of percentage leases, and cash transaction losses … AFD may function at your direction and discretion to validate, or nullify, any potential concerns.

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Program Development

AFD’s consistently proven development program curriculums are modified and adapted to your customers’ evolving needs and are implemented with your, or your major youth organization’s, brand to ensure integrity and stability in your business and your customers’ future. All program development is designed to support and strengthen your youth organizations, thereby building foundational security for increased business growth. AFD programs are designed to service your geographic and demographic footprint and bring a sense of community to your facility marketplace. Operating year around, implementing our program methods maximizes utilization and builds all revenue components within your facility. “Programming” may be referenced on the website for additional individual program information.

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Facility Operations and Procedures

AFD recognizes its duty to protect and build your image. We focus on maintaining your facility to the highest standards, generating pride of usage to your visitors, customers, constituency, and associates. The success of this model builds momentum toward your customer families desire to fully utilize and market your facility and programs. Since the ice surface quality is the primary generator of the revenue and customer base, this is also the focus of AFD’s initial concentration.

Operationally, from an ice plant standpoint, AFD believes in a regular maintenance schedule and report logs with consideration given to local and state laws, equipment condition, your mechanical contractor, industry standards, safety, risk management, insurance, etc… As the operating condition of the ice plant is directly relational to the business operation, it is of primary concern. AFD operates under the assumption “if we don’t schedule the maintenance … the equipment will schedule it for us.” Alternatives have grave impact to the overall business and customer relations, potentially may cause severe shut-downs, safety concerns, and negatively impact your position in the marketplace.

AFD personnel understand that the facility should operate in the background, be positive in its marketability, and any temporary negative conditions should be transparent to the customer and corrected immediately. AFD operations personnel are trained to be aware of your patron safety and recognize potential risk management concerns.

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Staffing and Training

AFD staffing selections and personnel understand they represent you.

The underlying premise throughout AFD is customer service and your image. We train all personnel accordingly, continually, and reinforce this through our leadership example.

Management personnel: are service and goal oriented, aware of all component areas of your business, and are focused on the continual application of your image and vision plan.

Customer Service personnel: are trained to provide in-depth knowledge in all programs within your facility, possess a sensitivity to all ages and backgrounds and are aware of the significance of additionally building your customers’ programs to strengthen the overall facility.

Operations personnel: understand that their responsibilities stretch beyond the building; including the customer interface, program support, and ongoing awareness of the safety of your facilities patrons. Instructors: are professionals committed to the overall program development curriculum, are focused on retention, assisting your customer’s in a clear, understandable manner to achieve their, and their skater’s, goals.

Athletic Facilities Development staff members are a cooperative and supportive asset in achieving your business goals and objectives. We possess experience in all facets of your business and facility, grass roots (your local organizations, clubs, park districts, schools and communities), National Governing Bodies (USA Hockey, USFSA, US Speedskating) and Affiliates (Amateur Hockey Association of your state, local Figure Skating clubs, local Speedskating clubs), and understand your organizational and individual customers’ requirements, sensitivities, and concerns.

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Revenue Enhancement Ideas

Tied closely to New Business Development and Increased Utilization Strategies, AFD has pioneered many fresh innovative programs that have been, complementarily, rebranded and adopted by our competitors. The real success of this facet of your business exists in a clear understanding of your current customer base and customer experience audit. AFD researches the customer’s connection with your business architecture today, defines the ideal experience, and seeks to re-define the format to provide: differentiation, credibility and relevance. By stretching this model we are able to market a distinction and increase your position in the marketplace. Continued success and growth is directly tied to the product administered and implemented, coupled with the continuous redefinition of the evolving product and customer ideals.

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New Business Development

Capitalizing on Revenue Enhancement Ideas AFD has identified your current customer preferences. Second in this process is the discovery of why customers had left the facility. Third is the identification of potential customers that are not or have not utilized the facility and why? In seeking out this new business AFD begins by ensuring we obtain retention and satisfaction of the current customer base. Without disregarding your core values we create a logical framework to align the customer’s expectation and experience. We search for a clear method that will deliver a distinct position in reclaiming lost customers, satisfying current customers and attracting new customers. AFD believes in solutions that continually deliver on the business promise, with dependability, value, and consequently, creditability. This is a significant component to building your brand representation identity.

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Increased Utilization

Maximizing ice utilization is essential to increasing and maximizing revenue. AFD designs its programs to facilitate maximizing your facility. In addition to operating all typical ice area programs, AFD has been a leader in creating additional model programs to utilize open ice with a vision toward building their place in your annual facility curriculum offerings.

While there are many methods to increase utilization in the short term (this can be as easy as better training of the ice scheduler and implementing a heightened awareness), the real effect of increased utilization will occur over the long term, through new and enhanced program growth. While both short and long term utilization increases lead to increased revenue the long term growth will provide the stronger revenue foundation for your business and facility growth. This is particularly true of ancillary facility revenue generators.

Increased Utilization IS Your Business. AFD management is skilled in its perception of lost utilization, authored the USA Hockey publication “Implementing a USA Hockey Senior League to Maximize Utilization” and was selected as an ISI Annual Conference speaker/presenter on “Increasing Off-Season Revenue & Utilization

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Marketing and Brand Development

AFD recognizes its duty to protect and build your mark. If we assume that your ice and facility are maintained with a high level of customer emphasis, safety, and satisfaction, then from this point the remaining focus of your business is based on what do you feel you represent, what do your customers think you represent, and how do you want to be represented?

AFD incorporates a distinctive difference in their overall philosophy regarding both your business and your brand. AFD believes you are the client and it is your business. You are not a resource to build our business, we are a resource to assist in building your business; ethically, with integrity, building and positioning your brand with a positive image. AFD understands we represent and reflect you.

As a management company within your facility, AFD can develop an informative, user friendly, web-site design. We build strong partnerships with area Park Districts, form relationships with area schools, youth groups, and clubs and interface daily with your customers. AFD creates informational, program descriptive, literature that assists your customers in understanding the steps and curriculums, maximizing program retention while providing consistent program expectations and understanding. AFD presents program brochures that honestly support and define what the customer will receive when participating. AFD’s successful program models have shown: participating families desire to fully utilize and market your facility and programs to others.

AFD continuously builds your brand representation and this focus permeates throughout its management efforts. By evaluating the current image position with regard to your intention we implement measures to assist in your positioning and brand architecture. If requested, AFD can assist in developing your brand platform and identity to facilitate your value with customer expectations in a clear and effective manner.

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Web Design

AFD offers web design services and implementation from conception to a complete installation and maintenance program. If desired, we can design a cohesive framework that ties to your programming and brand platform, write the content and marketing layout, for hosting through your web designer or provider, or we can utilize our designer and host administrator, depending on your specific needs. As the web content ties visually to your marketing and brand positioning and in many cases is your first customer image, great care should be taken in your content presentation.

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IT Systems Design and Solutions

With AFD’s focus on integration of all phases of your business, our IT division will analyze your existing systems, make recommendations, implement solutions and train staff to ensure that you stay industry current and secure.

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