Sam Hitman has been managing Gates Tennis Center since 1993. In 30+ years he's turned a public facility into the host of the country's largest sanctioned tennis tournament, launched two more facilities across Colorado, and built a scholarship program for kids who can't afford lessons. We get into the public-private partnership with The Park People, running three facilities at once, the real economics of public tennis, how he added quiet pickleball courts, and why he started teaching other people how to run facilities.
Key Takeaways
- How the public-private partnership with The Park People works, and what a $4.7M reconstruction looks like when the city owns the land.
- Running three facilities at the same time across different markets in Colorado.
- The real economics of public vs. private tennis facility pricing.
- How Gates added quiet pickleball courts — the paddles he tested, the investment, and a league that sold out in three days.
- Tennis & Pickleball for Kids: how the scholarship committee decides who gets in.
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