BRIGHAM CITY, Utah – Storm Products announced Chad McLean as the new Technical Director. His primary responsibilities include leading Storm’s product testing, weight block designs, and the USBC ball approval process. He will continue to manage the technical team who create solutions to customer requests.
“I’m very excited for this opportunity,” said McLean. “I’ve always participated in the ball testing and weight block development but now I’ll be conducting the tests and assembling the results. That’s pretty exciting.”
The bowling journey started for McLean when he was just three years old. He developed a passion for bowling as well as athletics and fitness through high school that carried into his adult life. He went on to earn a degree in Exercise & Health Science from Kennesaw State University in Atlanta. After graduation, he decided to move to Florida to pursue a master’s degree in Exercise Physiology from the University of Florida and started working at a pro shop. He was passionate about learning more about the sport and personalizing layouts for his customer’s individual styles. He joined the PBA Tour and competed on the regional tour while managing his own pro shop. He quickly gained notoriety around the South for his outstanding drilling and layout recommendations.
After working as a pro shop operator for a few years, McLean attended a Storm Pro Shop seminar and met Steve Kloempken who was the Technical Director at the time. He knew then that he wanted to be part of the technical team at Storm.
“When I met Steve, I thought it was so cool that he gets to travel around the world and talk about the products he creates,” McLean said. “Thinking about where I am now, it’s very surreal.”
McLean joined Storm as the Technical Customer Service Representative at Storm Headquarters in 2015, where he was responsible for facilitating warranty claims and assisting with ball testing. He was quickly promoted to technical manager and his added responsibilities included international ball development, website updates, and writing technical articles about the product line.
“Since he started here three years ago, Chad has been a huge asset,” Kloempken, Vice President of Marketing, said. “This new title and the added responsibilities were not just given to him, he earned it. And I’m confident that Chad will continue to grow and will keep pushing the envelope with technology.”
McLean continues to leave his mark on the sport through the bowlers he has helped, pro shop operators he has guided, technology he has directed, and the records he has crushed. He has been inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records seven times, most recently for the most bowling balls held simultaneously.
“Working alongside Steve Kloempken and Hank Boomershine has been as educational as it’s been fun,” McLean said. “Being part of the development team I’ve looked up to for so many years is an honor that I will never take for granted.”
In his new role, he will be working closely with the R&D Team conducting ball tests and developing weight blocks. He’ll be responsible for the development of Storm catalog inline balls from logo ideation to ball colors and fragrances. He will also take care of the USBC ball approval process and all approval applications.
“I look forward to Chad assisting our team in continuing to develop the most innovative products in the industry,” Boomershine, Vice President of Sales and R&D, said.
Chad will also provide more direction during our video productions and will be responsible for the description of our products to the consumer through digital and print communication. As chieftain of the technical department, McLean is also extremely excited to help Storm look to the future of technology.
“A new era of marketing and technology is coming that will inspire education and be a lot of fun.” McLean said. “This is truly the biggest day of my life.”
McLean lives in Brigham City, Utah with his wife Mandy and young daughter Kenzie.
About Storm Products, Inc.
Storm Products Inc. is the leading manufacturer and marketer of high performance bowling equipment featuring the Storm, Roto Grip and Master Brands. For everything Storm and Roto Grip, visit stormbowling.com and rotogrip.com
Couldn’t have happened to a more deserving gentleman! I’ve known Chad personally for the better part of 7 years now and not only does he eat, drink, sleep & love bowling…he loves making bowlers better through his knowledge and expertise! A true ambassador of the sport, Storm Bowling has just promoted the right man for this challenging tasking! Well done Storm & congratulations Chad! Keep up the great work!
I meet Chad at a camp in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and he was really happy to be there and a lot of people were happy to have him there because he told us a lot about the inner working of the bowling ball. He also got on facetime with Jason Belmonte and we got to talk with him so I am happy that he got this job
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Hey Chad, tell me if you get at notification that I left THIS comment.