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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

USTA To Establish Division Headquarters In Orlando, Florida

05/14/2014
United States Tennis Association will locate a new divisional headquarters facility at Lake Nona in Orlando, Florida, creating 154 jobs and more than $60 million in capital investment.

The 106-court facility, “the new “Home of American Tennis,” will house the USTA’s Community Tennis and Player Development divisions and will be divided into dedicated areas that will focus on the complete tennis pathway – from the youngest players, to recreational players, to collegians and to future professional players. The Lake Nona facility will also serve as home to the University of Central Florida’s tennis program.

“The Lake Nona area in Orlando provides the optimal location for the USTA’s new facility,” said Dave Haggerty, USTA Chairman of the Board and President. “We can build a state-of-the-art facility which will further our mission in the country’s top destination market that also provides opportunities for year-round play.”

In addition to its headquarters operations, the facility will serve as a tournament and training destination, serving a large number of visitors from outside the state throughout the year. This will increase the economic impact to the state and region. The Lake Nona location provides much needed infrastructure and airport access, nearby amenities, a supportive community with regional partnerships and an ideal climate for playing conditions, the Governor Rick Scott’s Office said.

Tavistock Group, the international private investment organization behind the 7,000-acre master-planned development at Lake Nona and the 600-acre Lake Nona Medical City healthcare cluster, was the driving force behind the pursuit of the USTA. Tavistock Group provided an innovative structure to acquire the land for the new state-of-the-art facility and will act as the lead developer on the 270,000 square-foot complex and its more than one hundred tennis courts.

“Lake Nona is founded on the principles of innovative collaboration and inspiring human potential,” said Rasesh Thakkar, Senior Managing Director of Tavistock Group. “USTA’s state-of-the-art facility at Lake Nona will be such an exemplary, tangible example of these principles in practice as this new ‘Home of American Tennis’ forges links across the region in pursuit of helping people of all ages and athletes from across the nation be their best, both on and off the court.”

“This announcement represents another incredible Florida business first and we couldn’t be happier about this news,” said Secretary of Commerce and president and CEO of Enterprise Florida, Gray Swoope. “Florida will soon be home to the largest tennis complex in the nation, as well as critical player development operations. The USTA could have located this one-of-a-kind facility anywhere in the U.S. and they chose Florida. When you put the state’s resources together with strong regional partnerships, it creates an ideal opportunity and we’re thrilled the USTA chose Florida. We look forward to watching the future of the sport being led from our state.”

The Governor’s Office noted the project would not have been possible without the close partnerships of the Tavistock Group, the University of Central Florida, Visit Orlando, Metro Orlando EDC, Orange County, City of Orlando, CareerSource Florida, Inc. and the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. As part of the project, CareerSource Florida offered the USTA performance-based partial reimbursement grants for employee training through the Quick Response Training program.

“The City of Orlando is proud to become the next ‘Home of American Tennis,’” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. “The selection of Orlando for the United States Tennis Association’s divisional headquarters speaks to the value of our community’s assets – a talented labor force, business friendly environment and global access via a world-class airport. Orlando is a great place to live, work and play. We are excited to welcome USTA to our dynamic city.”

“Orlando is the ideal location for the USTA’s new divisional headquarters and training and tournament facilities. We’re a region internationally recognized for welcoming visitors and businesses from around the world with access to first-rate infrastructure, world-class amenities and a community built upon collaboration,” said Rick Weddle, President/CEO of the Orlando Economic Development Commission.

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