HISTORY OF BOGART'S
HISTORY OF BOGART'S ENTERTAINMENT CENTER
Apple Place Bowl was built in 1975 by Bill Baden. Rich Berry purchased it two year later in 1977. After 15 years of bowling success, Rich converted the bowlers club to an event space in 1992.
Scott, Alan and Christopher purchased Apple Place/Bogart's Event Center from Rich Berry January 1st, 2018. They merged the two businesses and created Bogart's Entertainment Center. In their first year as new owners, they were awarded the Apple Valley Entrepreneur of the Year award from the Apple Valley Chamber of Commerce in 2018. They went on the win the award again the 2023. In 2020, They updated the bowling center and continue to make improvements to the building and its offerings.
Bogart's also participates in the national Kids Bowl Free program that give registered kids 2 free games of bowling everyday of the summer. Bogart's has been a leader in the state of Minnesota for participating kids and families. Our goal for the summer of 2024 is to be #1 in the state.
In 2023 we updated our lighting system in our event space and create one of best stages south of the river. We are making big investments in local live music and have created a space that is guaranteed to impress our guests. If you haven't seen one of our shows, or its been a while since you've joined us, we'd love to welcome you in!
Before purchasing Apple Place/Bogart's Event Center, Scott & Alan previously owned Midway Pro Bowl in St. Paul for 35 years.
MEET OUR LEADERSHIP
Alan Loth
Owner
Alan has been involved in the bowling business since 1973. Since then, he has been working with Kraus Anderson, Diamond Lake Fun Centers before purchasing Midway Pro Bowl with Scott Koecheler in June of 1983. Alan attended Gustavus Adolphus College and the University of Minnesota earning a Bachelors of Science degree in Accounting. Alan has been a competitive bowler in the Twin Cities for 45+ years and is a member of the Minnesota State Bowling Hall of Fame, the St. Paul Bowling Hall of Fame, and the Central Bowlers Alliance Hall of Fame. Alan has been married for 40 years to his wife, Michele. The two of them have three kids: Chris, Brian and Melissa. Alan's two sons have been competitively bowling for 15+ years, while also participating in many tournaments & leagues around the Twin Cities.
Scott Koecheler
Owner
Scott has been involved in the Minnesota bowling community for the past 50 years, while also working in the bowling business for 45 years. Scott currently serves as the Minnesota State High School Bowling League commissioner. He also currently serves as Sgt of Arms on the Bowling Proprietors Associate of Minnesota Executive Board. From 2012-2014, he served as Bowling Proprietors Association of Minnesota President. In 2015, he was awarded Proprietor of the Year by the Bowling Proprietors Association of Minnesota.Scott has been married to his wife Cathy for the past 40 years. The two of them have 2 daughters Kylee & Krista. He is also the proud grandfather to two granddaughters.
Christopher Loth
Owner
Christopher grew up in a bowling center and has been a competitive bowler for most of his life. He holds a B.A. in Chemistry from St John’s University (Collegeville, MN) and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of MN Institute of Technology. In 2017, after spending 12 years as a Technical Sales Engineer specializing in water treatment in the Commercial, Institutional, and Process Industries, he left water treatment to work at his family’s entertainment center, leading the sales and marketing efforts. He's married to Andrea who also works in the family business as the marketing manager. Christopher is on the board of the Forest Lake Lake Association and the Comfort Lake-Forest Lake Watershed District.
Josh Clark
Director of Operations
Jorge Tejada
Kitchen Manager
Karl Xavier III
Events Manager
Jason McKearney
Beverage Manager
Jeff Walther
Facilities Manager
Andrea Loth
Marketing Manager