Like a fast-paced, music-pumping lap around the roller rink, the national recognition is a rush:

• USA Today, in October, named Omaha's SkateDaze one of the 10 great roller skating venues in the United States.
• Spirit Magazine, a publication of Southwest Airlines, listed SkateDaze among its top three skating centers in the country.

"Those lists put us on the national map of elite venues in the United States, and that's really significant to our community," said Scott Cernik, owner and president of SkateDaze, the Greater Omaha Chamber March Small Business of the Month.

Those widely circulated praises certainly bring great pride, but Cernik said less publicized, more personal accolades also pump him up. He called to mind a former patron who, as a kid, was often kicked out of the rink for bad behavior. Today, that kid is a San Diego police officer who works with troubled youth.

"He was in town for his 20 year class reunion," recalled Cernik, "and he said to me, 'I want to thank you for being such a special person in my life growing up. I'm glad you kicked me out. I loved skating so much, and I loved being here so much that I wanted to straighten up. I wanted to keep coming back. You and the rink kept me on the right track.' It made me realize how big a part we play in the community and how valuable our efforts really are."

SkateDaze opened as SkateLand in southwest Omaha in 1983, about 40 years after Cernik's father Frank first ventured into the roller rink business. Throughout the years, the Cernik family has built, operated and sold numerous rinks, both here in the metro and in the cities of Fargo, ND; Minneapolis, Minn.; and Phoenix, Ariz. SkateDaze, which Scott and his wife Pam operate, is now the family's lone facility, a much different venue compared to what was rolled out 26 years ago.

In 1994, SkateLand expanded into SkateLand PlayDaze with the addition of a 3-story play structure, arcade games, a rollercoaster and bumper cars. Five years later, the entertainment lineup grew to include an award-winning laser tag arena. It's been voted "Best of Omaha" two years straight, but Cernik doesn't stop there.

"It's probably the nicest arena in the country," he said.

The facility was rejuvenated once again just recently with new carpeting, rental skates and arcade games, a flashy new paint job and the name change to SkateDaze. Evolution has been a key to success, but, throughout the years, the mission has held steady -- "To bring the great, healthy, wholesome sport of roller skating and family entertainment to our community at an affordable price in the best facilities possible and be responsible for creating lifelong memories in the lives of our guests."

Cernik said it is rewarding to know that he and his staff of about 40 are fulfilling that mission every day, operating a facility that is "such a big piece of the community." And, he takes comfort knowing that SkateDaze is contributing to the well-being of its young patrons', for example:
* SkateDaze offers rewards to students for good grades and sponsors a reading program.
* Roller skating is recognized as an effective way to develop core muscles for balance and improve overall fitness. The President's Council on Physical Fitness and the American Heart Association endorses it.
* In this age of "Facebook" and text messages, SkateDaze provides a venue for genuine, face-to-face social interaction.

During these fiscally uncertain times, Cernik said SkateDaze, with its focus on affordability, also promotes economic well-being.

"You can come here on a Saturday at 11 a.m. and stay until 6 p.m., and it's $6.50 for admission plus $3.50 if you need skates. That's for all day. You figure that per hour, nobody can beat that. That's one of the beauties of what we offer -- value."

In addition to providing value, Cernik said SkateDaze is also receiving value -- as a member of the Chamber.

"We feel that it is valuable to attend and even sponsor events. We hosted a 'Coffee & Contacts' here, and it was great. It brought in a lot of people that hadn't been here in a long, long time. We got the word out; let everybody know what were doing and how we've changed."

SkateDaze joined the Chamber about a year ago. Besides the draw of networking and other benefits, Cernik said it was simply the neighborly thing to do.

"You can look out our door here and see the Chamber's west Omaha office. They're right down the street; they're neighbors."

For more information or to nominate a small business, go to www.omahachamber.org/SmallBusinessoftheMonth.