Forty years ago, today at the US Open, Chris Evert was on her way to her fourth consecutive win and Jimmy Connors was battling his way to Open win number three. Pam Shriver, Chris’s feisty challenger in the finals, introduced the world to Prince Pro racquet and shocked everyone by beating Navratilova in the semifinals. It was oversized, (100 square inches, vs 65 square inches) and it was made of aluminum, a different animal altogether from the old school wooden racquets.
The USTA had made the bold move from the venerable grass courts of Forest Hill to new stadium at Flushing Meadows with the hard courts and much larger capacity. “Slew Hester” the brash head of the USTA defied all odds when he orchestrated the move and had the property ready for play in less than 7 months.
Corporate and sports executives across the board were beginning to realize that there were new branding opportunities at every level. Warden Brooks was only four months old when Marcia Strousse, one of the first female vice presidents of the NYTimes Magazine group, gave me the opportunity to bid on an amazing order for Tennis Magazine. The Warden Brooks label would be on a product given to 1,600 corporate attendees.
You can imagine my horror when the manufacturer who had committed to the order, announced three days before the due date that he couldn’t do the order. No explanation, no apology, no deal. Marcia had gone out on a limb to give me a shot at the order. There was no way that I was going down without a fight.
I gathered my thoughts and my 15-year-old German Shephard, Nicky, and headed downtown. I hoped that no one would tow my station wagon if there was a dog in the front seat! The lower east side had everything I needed in order to purchase the components. The situation was so outrageous and so desperate that the suppliers jumped on board to give me at least a fighting chance. There were huge rolls of foam rubber exactly the right thickness at Canal Rubber on Canal Street and just up 2nd Avenue, Stanley Grotsky ran Apron and Bag Supply. He would be able to cut all the components and silk screen the logo onto the blue canvas. He told me where to look for the canvas on lower Broadway. I had my team and the game was on. Miraculously in just one day, I had sourced all the components. Imagine no google, no cell phones, no computers. We’re talking yellow pages and pay phones! It was a miracle.
Nicky and I were a familiar sight for the next couple of days ferrying raw goods and cut parts all over the city. I found every tailor on the lower east side with an industrial sewing machine. If they couldn’t help they knew someone who could. And so, on time and looking great, 1,600 Tennis Magazine seat cushions were delivered to Flushing Meadows.
A defining moment for sure. I realized that only by taking manufacturing into my own hands could I maintain the consistent quality and timing that had become our trademark. At that moment, I felt like I had won the Open myself!
