February 24, 2002

Edmundston company builds centerpiece for Basketball Hall of Fame

Edmundston, N.B.- A $103 million redevelopment project is underway to transform the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, into a world-class tourist attraction commensurate to the stature of the game.

Upon completion this fall, the 220,000 sq foot facility will feature sporting goods shops, restaurants and a 35,000 sq foot three-level museum complete with 80 ft. a three-level sphere-shaped atrium housing interactive displays, a 200 seat viewing theatre and a full-size basketball court. Suspended high above it all from the sphere's 80-foot ceiling will be the "showstopper," a state-of-the art-interactive scoreboard complete with running time, scores and full multimedia capability.

The scoreboard is currently under construction in the shop of Nik Design Inc. known under the trade name InfoLight, in Edmundston New Brunswick.

"It's a really exciting project," says Tim Shaw, president of InfoLight, who is overseeing the construction of the scoreboard. "We're now at a stage where it's starting to take shape. The box has been built and we're installing and testing some of the electronics," explains Tim Shaw.

The scoreboard will serve as the focal piece of the museum, displaying video footage of basketball's greatest moments, biographical sketches of players and will provide lighting and sound for several theatrical productions which will highlight various aspects of the game.

"The scoreboard is a crucial part of the museum. We couldn't entrust it to just anyone," explains Raphael Guadalupe, design director for Scenic-Technologies Inc. of New York and project director for the museum portion of the project. " I was impressed from the beginning with Tim Shaw's ideas and his company's abilities. They've really come through. We've had a lot of changes and adaptations and they've been with us every step of the way."

Scenic-Technologies Inc. has designed multimedia shows and sets for some of the world's biggest attractions, including projects for Broadway, Las Vegas, Disney World , and the Olympic games.

According to Mr. Shaw, it was a little bit of luck and the Government of Canada that brought he and Mr. Guadalupe together last year. At that time, Mr. Shaw had recently returned from Boston as part of ACOA's Export Partnering Program trade mission. One of his pre-arranged meetings with a local scoreboard manufacturer's representatives gave him a head's up about the project. He immediately got in touch with Mr. Guadalupe and soon was signed as a part of the development team.

Since that time, Mr. Shaw has been involved in the fine-tuning of specification and design. His own team in Edmundston is assembled from InfoLight 's in-house engineering and electronics expertise and specialists from A-1 Tekno Signs, a local company with which he has partnered several times before. A-1 has constructed the box that will house the technology.

"Our previous experience in custom projects of this nature gave me the confidence that we had the know-how here to do the job."says Shaw.

"Canada is very much a part of this scoreboard," says Guadalupe. "I think Dr. Naismith would approve."

Dr. James Naismith, the man credited with the invention of the game of Basketball, was born in 1861 in Almonte Ontario. According to Basketball Hall of Fame historians, Naismith created the game as while studying for his physical education degree at the School for Christian Workers in Springfield, Mass. The city has become known as the home of basketball.

"It's really amazing to be part of something so significant," says Shaw, who admits that he's not much of an athlete himself. "This is likely the only way I'm going to be part of any sports-related hall of fame," he says with a smile. "And that alone is really special to me."