Business Beat: Friends make bucks from pucks
Daniel Costa and Cameron Dinnell found a need and skated right through it.
The two 20-year-olds, friends since elementary school, opened Ripon Powerplay Sports Arena in September.
Owner Costa, son of Modesto entrepreneur Dan Costa, has been a lifelong fan and player of roller hockey. For the past four years, he has been working on opening his own rink and league in the Central Valley.
The dream also filled a need in the area. The closest roller hockey rink was in Lathrop and closed more than three years ago. A similar rink in Modesto shut down years before that.
The brand-new 20,600-square-foot facility includes a roller rink, a restaurant (Stanley D's) and an arcade. It also is the home to a new roller hockey league with adult and 15-and-under divisions.
Still, general manager Dinnell said he was surprised by the amount of interest and support for the rink from the start. The league has about a dozen teams already, in different skill levels from bronze (beginner) to gold (advanced).
"We actually didn't expect as many people as who showed up to the grand opening," Dinnell said. "A lot of people were excited, they haven't played here since Lathrop closed down. And people still wanted to play."
Men and women can play in the league, and one team is all women. Teams range in age from adults in their 50s to a 14-year-old who plays in the adult league. In all, the league has more than 100 players.
The 10-week opening season has gone through its playoffs. Next week will be the league championship games. The public is invited to watch, for free.
The new season starts in January and sign-ups are being taken now. There is a fee to play in the league. Nonleague players can use the rink for a fee, as well.
The arena also has a free learn-to-play program Mondays through Thursdays from 4 to 5 p.m. General hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, closed Sundays. Contact the Ripon Powerplay Sports Arena, 1043 S. Acacia Ave., at 599-2479 or go to www.riponrollerhockey.com.
Elsewhere around the Business Beat:
Get your motor running to a new location for Cycle Specialties.
Last week, the Modesto motorcycle and scooter dealership moved from its previous Maze Boulevard home of nearly 40 years to a brand-new building on Carpenter Road. The shop, which specializes in BMW, Triumph, Vespa and Piaggio bikes and scooters, is more than double the size of the old store.
Owner John Wienholz said the move allowed him to add Triumph motorcycles to his dealership and give the brand its own dedicated showroom. It also doubled the size of the service department and provided more retail space for equipment and accessories. The new site also has more parking.
Visit Cycle Specialties at 1201 N. Carpenter Road. The dealership is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Call 524-2955 or visit www.cyclespecialties.com. ...
Another business making a move is One Source Interiors in Association With Lyn Ross Interior Design.
Interior designer Lyn Ross opened her shop on McHenry Avenue in 2005. In September, she made the move to a bigger showroom on Pentecost Drive off Kiernan Avenue.
The new location gives Ross three times the space to sell "everything from the floor to the ceiling." Her showroom includes lighting, plumbing fixtures, custom furniture, accessories, fine art, tiles, window treatments and more.
One Source Interiors, 5054 Pentecost, will have a free public grand reopening from noon to
8 p.m. on Dec. 12-13. Its regular hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, or by appointment. For more information, call 526-2464 or visit www.onesourceinteriors.com.
Have an item for Business Beat? Contact Marijke Rowland at The Modesto Bee, P.O. Box 5256, Modesto 95352; 578-2284 or mrowland@modbee.com.
This story was originally published December 3, 2008 at 1:10 AM with the headline "Business Beat: Friends make bucks from pucks."