Family Recreation Centre staff and St. Catharines and brunswick pool tables and chards and kozaks and Sean cummings President of Brunswick Billiards

Sean Cummings President of Brunswick Billiards and Sandi Chard co-owner of Family Recreation Centre at recent BEC

Sandi has been involved in the billiard industry all her life. Her family owned and operated a billiard room in Simcoe. There Sandi learned to play snooker, clean tables, and learn the industry of billiards.

She has a vast knowledge of the industry of older tables and the new tables. Sandi kept onto of the new trends in pool cues, training methods and billiard tables.

Sandi has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario graduating in the class of 1981.

Sandi has taken the college of pool knowledge from the BCA in 1989. She used the tools from the college to teach her own class of pool. Sandi instructed a ladies only class for beginners, advanced and co-ed class for beginners.

Sandi also started the St. Catharine's Youth dart league. The league resulted in a Canadian champ and four Provincial champions.. The leagues main focus was to introduce the children in St. Catharine's and area to the game of darts and tournament play. In 1994, the Chards with their committee hosted the Ontario Youth Championships in Niagara Falls. The 2004 season Sandi was involved with the Ontario Senior Games dart section.

Sandi's other interests are her family. She is married to Gary Chard an owner in the business, and has one child, Jamie Chard. . The family has a black cat with a white spot they call Eightball

She spent a few seasons as secretary of the St. Catharines Minor Hockey Association. and President of the St. Catharine's Golf and Country Club Business Ladies Curling Section

Gary has been involved in the billiard industry since meeting Sandi. The Kozak family had a Brunswick authorized billiard store in Simcoe when Gary met Sandi as a teenager. When they needed help unloading a truckload of pool tables, Stan noticed his daughter was dating a boy that could help, be paid and have money to take his daughter to the movies. Gary was quick to help and has been involved ever since.

Gary has learned from Stan every aspect of the industry. He services and installs the billiard tables. There is not a job in the billiard table that Gary has not been involved in. He is highly respected in the billiard industry. Along with learning the trade from Stan, Gary has taken the BRUNSWICK and Dufferin Games Installers course and is always looking for better ways to install and service pool tables. Gary also has his Mohawk finishing products course which helps him with the many scratches, etc when reinstalling tables. Gary is one of a few installers that has the knowledge to rerubber snooker and pool tables and restore antique pool or snooker tables

With his wife, Sandi, he ran the St. Catharine's Youth Dart League. Many players still come to the store telling of the fine times they had at the league. Gary was involved with the Ontario Senior Games 2004 held in St. Catharines

Gary's interests are boating, skiing, curling and of course watching hockey and rowing.

Rosemary is one of the first people you see. She comes from a fashion design background. Rosemary can help you with colour solutions for the fabric for the pool table as well as design of the table look in the room. She has two boys and a husband and of course a pool table in her home.

Rosemary can also be found at an arena but usually behind the bench where she is a coach with the Kiwanis hockey league. Year 2005 she was awarded the Kiwanis appreciation award for her many hours and years in the organization.

Rosemary has taken two Brunswick's billiards sales training courses in Philadelphia in 2003 and 2005 to further help her clients

We receive numerous phone calls on Scott's professional installs and customer care

Scott also was an avid youth dart player that made it to the Ontario youth dart Championships.

Stan started in the billiard industry helping his father-in-law in the Simcoe pool hall. Over the years Stan learned from the BRUNSWICK team of installers at the pool room. The installers took Stan under their wing and showed him their trade secrets. Stan took that further by moving, reinstalling, recovering other tables as well as the pool room. Stan looked after pool room maintenance with the billiard operation.

Stan and his wife Ruth took the business to the selling side in the 70's. BRUNSWICK approached them about becoming one of the first authorized dealer stores in Canada. As they had alot of knowledge in the industry they started the store and named it FAMILY RECREATION CENTRE. The store was located in Simcoe adjust to their other business interests. It expanded fast due to the Kozak's knowledge and experience in the pool table industry. In 1983, along with Gary and Sandi Chard they expanded to the Niagara Region area with a second location.

Stan has a vast knowledge of the old antique tables BRUNSWICK, and other manufacturers that is an asset to us at FAMILY RECREATION CENTRE. .While Stan has retired you can still see him at the store on a advisory capacity, covering rails or re-tipping cues.

In retirement Stan and Ruth can be found traveling throughout North American with their motor home. They always come back to St. Catharine's with tales of all the pool tables they have encountered on their voyages.

Ruth has been involved in the billiard industry for many years. Her father Roy Whitehead and uncle Clarence Gray started a pool room. Ruth's husband, Stan worked in the store for many years. Ruth and Stan together started FAMILY RECREATION CENTRE. Ruth sold the pool tables and accessories in the store, while her husband Stan installed the tables. Ruth while retired with Stan can still be seen at the store helping out wherever she can.

Everyone always asks about our son who has worked in the business since he was born. Yes he was in the store since he was 5 days old. Here is about Jamie

Jamie is Gary and Sandi's son. Whenever he was home from school was can be seen at FAMILY RECREATION CENTRE installing pool tables or working in the store.

Jamie is an avid 9 ball player and dart player. At the age of 8 he played in the Ontario Youth Dart Championships single junior boys division.

Jamie also was a goalie in ice hockey and played for the St. Catharines Minor Hockey Association and Governor Simcoe High School Team His other interests at school have all been sports minded. Jamie has been on all the school sport teams. He was the athlete of the year for his school year at Queen Mary. While attending high school Jamie became an avid rower. His high school rowing team has won many awards including the Canadian Secondary School Championships. Jamie was also a member of the Canadian national rowing development team Canammex which was held in Saskatoon. Jamie graduated from Governor Simcoe High School in 2003.

Jamie graduated in May 2007 from Mercyhurst College in Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts in Hotel , Restaurant Management and Conventions. He participated in rowing at Mercyhurst on a rowing scholarship. After Graduating Jameie worked in a management training program for the Kimpton in Chicago, Illinois at all there three hotels, . Currently he works for the Kimpton at the Pacific Palisades Hotel in Vancouver, British Columbia. Yes he is back in Canada. He goes at work by the name James now. His description of the Kimpton (Kimpton Hotels: Boutique Hotels, Luxury Travel and Chef-driven restaurants) Always has something great to say about everything

This makes for a complete four generations in the industry. ..Roy and Lena Whitehead.....Ruth and Stanley Kozak....Sandi and Gary Chard....Jamie Chard