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La Crosse Tribune, Dec 12, 2004 by Springer, Dan

Ask Joel House about the remote control racing business he and his father, Jerry House, operate, and the conversations quickly will include two words - fun and family.

"One of the things I love is that it's entertainment. As a business person, I like that the clients are there to have fun," Joel said. "We don't have. to get involved in some of the things that other businesses do. There's no dealing or haggling, we're there for the client to have fun."

Joel House of La Crosse and Jerry House, a retired high school teacher and coach from Rochester, Minn., have operated Whomper Room Entertainment for the past two years.

The Houses' business is made up of a 24-foot-by-16 foot oval track on which replica NASCAR model cars are raced in a "slotless" format.

Customers get to experience the thrill of competition by operating replicas of cars driven by the likes of Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Matt La Bonte, Tony Stewart and other NASCAR greats.

While the popularity of NASCAR has helped attract customers, Joel who serves as marketing director for the business - said there are many customers who want to enjoy the fun of racing remote-controlled cars.

Unlike the sets kids have raced on for years in their basements, Whomper Room's larger track gives customers the opportunity to have a more realistic experience because the cars are not limited to a slot or groove in the track.

Using larger steering wheels, the customer guides his or her car around the oval track as they race with up to five other cars.

To make it easier for their clients, Jerry and Joel try to provide new customers a few pointers to get started.

Jerry said this is one of the things he likes most about the business.

"There's always a certain amount of teaching you have to do to help the clients get started," Jerry said. "Thats one of the things I enjoy most about the job. I get to be involved with people."

Jerry and Joel said they entered the business for slightly different reasons.

For Joel, the business was a way to supplement his income without taking on a regular job.

"I am also an artist, and I initially thought this kind of business would be a way to make some money without being tied down to a 9-to-5 type of commitment," Joel said.

Jerry said he had more personal reasons for going into the business with his sons, Joel and Kerry, two years ago.

"I told my sons I always wanted to spend more time with them and figured this would be a perfect opportunity," Jerry said. "Unfortunately, it did not work out for my other son, and I had to buy him out, but it does give me a chance to spend more time with Joel."

The business operates in two ways. One is a pay-to-play system where the track is set up at a fair, mall or other event, and customers pay $3 per race.

The more preferred system involves a business, organization, school or other group paying Whomper Room a flat rate for a set amount of time in which the guests are allowed to race.

Throughout the year, the track can be found at fairs, auto shows and other events throughout Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa.

Joel said they have been contracted to work after-prom parties, company picnics and other events - including this summer's Wisconsin Republican Party convention in La Crosse.

Whomper Room also offers advertising opportunities for businesses interested in posting a billboard on the track or having a car designed with their company logo.