Jack and Linda Heinz bought the tennis centers in April 1995. While Jack died in 2006, Kettering Tennis Center and Quail Run Racquet Club are still owned and operated by the Heinz family.
At 68, Linda owns and regularly works at the tennis centers. Her son Darrin is the general manager for both facilities. Daughter-in-law Sandy is a program coordinator and granddaughter Alex manages the KTC pool.
The Heinz family works and plays together. Grandson Jackson Heinz qualified to the boys state tennis tournament last spring as a freshman at Bellbrook High School with doubles partner Steven Johnson. Two more grandsons, Wyatt and Chase, will join the high school ranks over the next two years.
“One of us, but usually several of us, is out here playing every day,” Darrin said. “And that’s a good thing because if there’s an issue, we know about it.”
Operating costs
That hands-on approach has helped the family-run tennis centers hold their own in challenging economic times.
“We try to keep costs down as much as we can but I’ve almost been surprised that we haven’t been more affected by the economy, at least not yet,” Linda said. “But I think even in tough times and, maybe, especially in tough times, people are looking for something active to do.”
The centers have become a bit more creative to offset economic factors and increased competition from facilities such as Five Seasons Sports Club. They offer nonmember introductory programs for six, eight or 12 weeks to help generate interest in the sport.
“Our biggest edge is that we focus on tennis,” Darrin said. “We have other amenities but we focus most of our efforts on creating the best possible tennis facility.”
The Kettering and Bellbrook tennis centers have a combined 16 indoor and 14 outdoor courts. The clubs have 12 teaching professionals on staff and offer both private and group lessons. Young players from the centers have earned 25 state championships since the clubs first opened more than three decades ago.
“I think it makes it a lot easier that we are tennis people in the tennis business,” Linda said.
High impact
The tennis player-turned-owner has been pleasantly surprised by the business she fell into more than a decade ago.
“When we first bought these centers, I remember people telling us that we were going to get all kinds of grief from people when things didn’t go as planned and that has not happened,” she said. “People are here to have a good time, and it is so rare that someone is unreasonable.”
While the tennis clubs are the family business, Linda is quick to put the emphasis on “family.”
“The centers have provided so much good for us over the years as a family,” she said. “I’m just so happy that we have the opportunity to do the same for other families.”
Contact this writer at djunie@aol.com.
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