Tennis Industry United Podcast

With the indoor season approaching, we talk to Joe Wilkerson, Vice President of the Junior Tennis Champions Center (JTCC) in College Park, MD about the strategies and solutions he has used to make playing tennis indoors as safe as possible.

Michigan indoor tennis facilities are categorized as “gyms” and remain closed. With the indoor season approaching, we talk to Steve Cook, Executive Director of the Greater Midland (MI) Tennis Center -- one of the nations top clubs -- about how they have dealt with the COVID-19 crisis and their strategy for the upcoming season.

Let's find out what Simon says! We talk fall programming with USTA National Campus Director of Tennis Simon Gale, who also provides insight on COVID-19 procedures and staff training.

We visit again with Scott Colebourne, Chief Operating Officer at Cliff Drysdale Tennis, to catch up on their resort business and discuss programming ideas for the fall.

We visit with Butch Staples, National Racquet Sports Director for Midtown Athletic Clubs. Butch discusses his strategies for opening now and his ideas for programming given the uncertainty of schools opening up in the fall.

We catch up with Charles Smith, Senior Vice President and SBA Specialist at Eastern Bank Corporation, to discuss the changes in the loan programs introduced earlier this year when COVID hit. Find out details about the loan forgiveness process and what to do if you have not yet taken advantage of the assistance that is out there.

After the July 4th holiday weekend Coach Mick and Doug Cash check in with four facilities to find out how they handled some positive test results and prepped for local tournaments.

We visit with Jorge Capestany in Michigan, who just opened up his summer tennis camps and shares the challenges and rewards of making young tennis players “happy campers” again!

More stories from on court! We catch up with Steve Contardi, Jonathan Fralick and Jean Mills to gain insight on how things are going and how you might better prepare for opening up your facility.

We check in with Scott Colebourne, Chief Operating Officer at Cliff Drysdale Tennis about opening up some of their resorts. Also, details on a known case of an employee testing positive for COVID-19 and the steps taken to contain it.

As more courts open up we talk to the USTA's experts on facilities, Virgil Christian and Todd Carlson, about the Facility Recovery Grant and other financial opportunities available. We also offer insight on college tennis, venues and what a facility could look like in the future.

As we catch up with directors of private and public facilities which have opened up, we hear a common theme: new players coming into the game. We also touch base with Jorge Capestany about the Ultimate Tennis Courses project, which helped pros recoup lost income during the COVID-19 closures.

We talk College Tennis with Tim Cass, USTA National Campus General Manager and former college player, coach and athletic director. Tim offers insight and updates on what the USTA is doing to help College Tennis navigate its way past Covid-19.

We visit with Jonathan Fraylick, General Manager of the nationally-recognized Peachtree Tennis Center in Peachtree City, GA for insight on reopening a municipal facility. Plus updates from previous guests Jean Mills, Mike Woody, and Steve Contardi on the progress of their re-openings.

Kurt Kamperman of the USTA explains the $4 million initiative to help certified teaching professionals as they seek to recover from the impact of Covid 19. We check back in with Mike Woody of Genesis Health Clubs and welcome Jean Mills of the Polo Club of Boca Raton, FL. Both offer great insight about getting back on court!

Jorge Capestany from the USTA Tennis Pro Task Force tells us about a program created to help recoup lost income. The deadline to apply is this Saturday (May 9) with information available at www.TennisIndustryUnited.com. Coach Mick and Doug Cash also speak with Mike Woody of Genesis Health Clubs and Steve Contardi of The Club at Harper's Point in Cincinnati about reopening.

As some parts of the U.S. move to Phase 1 status, we get insight from the public and private sectors about safely getting back on court. "We're looking forward to delivering fun activities for people…that's what we do best." -- Scott Laakso, Roswell, GA Parks and Recreation. "What I miss the most is the excitement of Spring. The energy is addictive. We will all as tennis professionals have to be a beacon of that energy as we get back." -- Scott McCulloch, Cliff Drysdale Management.

Labor attorney Marc Siegel – a tennis enthusiast – answers questions relating to unemployment and how to get the most out of this benefit. An appointed American Arbitration Association (AAA) arbitrator in labor and employment, Marc has helped many people facing unemployment challenges and shares his insights with the Tennis Industry.

The Tennis Industry United podcast team of Doug Cash and Coach Mick again talk finances with Charles Smith, Senior VP of Eastern Bank Corporation. We get answers to the financial questions you submitted and an update on the ever-evolving number of financial programs available to clubs and facilities.

USTA CEO and Executive Director Mike Dowse explains the next phase of support for the Tennis Industry from the USTA. Comprehensive suite of financial, educational and other resources to help Tennis Industry weather the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Charles Smith, Senior VP of Eastern Bank Corporation offers insights on the financing and lending programs currently available to clubs and facilities and explains how to access each. To submit a question for discussion on the TIU podcast, email tennisindustryunitedpod@usta.com.