"Tennis anyone?"

On the wall of Peter Fosnough's modest office is a world map, but it's not there just for decoration. As general manager of Master Sports LLC, located in Fort Wayne's Edgewood Industrial Park, Fosnough directs an influential enterprise that designs and assembles products used by tennis players throughout

Master Sports manufactures SAM(R) (Sports Action Machine) tennis ball throwing equipment for all tennis enthusiasts from beginner to professional. Over fifteen years ago, when the company was founded, it produced court accessories and pneumatic tennis ball machines. Since then, the company has expanded its product offerings and markets significantly.

The ball-throwing equipment is available in several product lines. The entry-level product line, the iSAM(R) portable tennis ball machine, is appropriate for casual players who want to improve their game. As a battery operated machine, it can feed balls every two to seven seconds and deliver speeds ranging from fifteen to 60 mph. Weighing only 29 pounds, it is the lightest machine on the market. A higherend professional, portable product line and three increasingly advanced commercial machines comprise the middle range of the SAM(R) ball throwers.

The top of the line is the Big SAM(R) Robot, which is used by some of the finest players in the world, including Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras, and some premier tennis facilities, including the John Newcomb Tennis Academy in New Braunfels, Texas and the Melbourne Tennis Park in Melbourne, Australia. The Robot has at least 10,000 shots stored in its database, simulates real points at eight different skill levels, delivers right- or left-handed flat, slice and kick serves at world-class speeds and offers constant repetition to correct player weaknesses. Basically, the Robot can deliver any shot in any sequence.

Master Sports' SAM(R) product line has propelled its success. It employs a highly skilled workforce to produce its machines and sources over 90 percent of its components from Northeast Indiana suppliers. The company also has experienced over twenty percent compounded growth in the last four years. Fosnough, who has been with Master Sports since 2002, credits the company's success to several factors. The popularity of the product is one reason, because players know that the benefits of training with a ball-throwing machine cannot be matched.

"You can learn from other players, but execution skills are best developed from a ball machine," Fosnough says. "This technology has changed the game completely."

For example, if a player has difficulty with a backhand return on a top spin ball, the machine can be programmed to fire top spin balls to his or her backhand over and over at different speeds to help the player develop muscle memory for that stroke.

"The machine eliminates all of the variables to help you figure it out so you learn to respond intuitively," Fosnough says. "The continual repetition perfects a player's game."

Although he believes other technological factors have dramatically influenced the game, such as racquet design, material composition and size, he believes that stroke repetition is what separates the true players from the wannabes.

The quality of the SAM(R) product and the customer service provided by Master Sports are also major factors in the growth of the company.

"We combine an extremely good product with good value," Fosnough says.

Fosnough brought his experience and enthusiasm for lean manufacturing to Master Sports, and the result is an efficient, successful organization; highly regarded in the industry in spite of its low profile in Fort Wayne. The company insists on high production standards.

"We don't want a ball machine that puts the ball in the right place only 90 percent of the time," he says. "That's not good enough for our product."

Located throughout Master Sports' facility are signs that summarize Fosnough's standards succinctly: "Perfection is the goal. Excellence will be tolerated." His customers echo his standards. He frequently receives handwritten notes or phone calls from customers who want to share stories with him about the outstanding performance of one of his employees or the great experience they had with a purchase from Master Sports.

The company has formed some strategic alliances to further its success, including a ten-year collaboration with Prince Sports Inc., a producer of tennis related products. Before Master Sports consolidated all of its products under the SAM(R) brand, Master Sports' machines carried the Prince' brand name.

The international growth of the company has significantly smoothed the seasonal demand that the U.S. market experiences. When North Americans are polishing their skis for the winter season, Australians and New Zealanders are stringing their tennis racquets for the start of outdoor-friendly temperatures.

The SAM(R) product line also has received some highprofile media exposure over the years. When Canon aired a commercial for a camera that featured Maria Sharapova and the Big SAM(R) Robot, sales spiked substantially.

"Calls came in from all over the world after that," says Fosnough. In addition, Master Sports' products have been featured on MSNBC's annual "Best Toys" and MTVs "Real World Houses".

Master Sports' also manufactures pickup equipment, racquet stringing machines and the SAM(R) Extreme Pressureless tennis ball, referred to by Fosnough as the "best ball for its price on the market." Expansion opportunities for the company are considerable. "We're not just limited to tennis," Fosnough says. "We're in the business of throwing things." According to Fosnough, any sport that involves a ball or a puck represents an opportunity for the company.

With the team assembled at Master Sports, such growth is not unreasonable because the team shares in multiple aspects of management and support. "We have a great, committed team of individuals who honor God, respect each other, work hard, have fun and create value," Fosnough says.

With its increasing presence in the international market, Master Sports is poised to become a dominant player in the tennis market. The company is built on basic values and promotes a close-knit camaraderie among employees. Master Sports, which is quietly situated and has a low-key local profile, is an international powerhouse.

For your information ...

Master Sports, LLC

6206 Discount Drive

Fort Wayne, IN 46818

Phone: 260.471.0001

Toll-free: 1.800.837.1002

Fax: 260.490.7643

Website: www.mastersports.com

Years in Business: 15

Products & Services: Designs and manufactures tennis training equipment including the SAM(R) product line.