In May of 1989 Jeff Stassen, formed Jeff Stassen Tennis Enterprises Inc. The impetus for starting the business was control over the content and quality of the tennis operations he was associated with. Over the course of the next decade, JS Tennis Enterprises Inc. successfully ran tennis programs at the following facilities: Dearborn Racquet and Health Club, Plum Hollow Country Club, Bloomfield Open Hunt Club, and the Birmingham Racquet Club.
In 1999, Jim Fleming joined forces with Jeff Stassen to co-found Baseline Management. The main operations of the company at that time consisted of the Birmingham Racquet Club and Orchard Lake Country Club. Mr. Fleming took on the role of President of the company, while Mr. Stassen maintained the CEO position. Under Jim’s leadership and Jeff’s vision, the company grew steadily over the next five years. Baseline Management added several Park and Recreation programs, formed a Community Tennis Association and became owners of the Birmingham Racquet Club.
In 2003, Baseline Tennis was created as a tennis management and services company. All of the Baseline Management contractual arrangements are now under the Baseline Tennis umbrella. Further growth came in 2004, when Baseline added the Birmingham Athletic Club’s tennis program to its core business. The BAC is considered one of the top racquet clubs in the state of Michigan.
In 2004 Mike Graff joined the company and immediately stepped into a leadership role. Mike spent 17 years at the Sports Club of West Bloomfield and is widely considered one of the most complete tennis professionals in the Midwest. Mike has been President of Baseline since 2010. That same year, Matt Parker joined Baseline as recent graduate of Ferris State University’s Professional Tennis Management Program. Matt has evolved into a fantastic tennis professional, manager and leader within the company. These two key employees round out the leadership group with Mr. Stassen and Mr. Fleming.
Baseline continued its growth in September of 2007, adding Dearborn Racquet and Health Club and Travis Pointe Country Club to their business portfolio. The company grew quickly between 2004 and 2009, but our commitment always remains the same: great service and programming provided by top notch staff who love to make a difference.
In 2015 Jeff Stassen assumed Mr. Fleming’s interest in Baseline Tennis and Jim remains on as Vice President of the company.
Baseline Tennis has a wide breadth of involvement in the game of tennis including:
- Commercial and private facility management
- Staff training and development
- USTA district and sectional committees
- Coaching of school tennis teams
- Grass roots community programming
- Sanctioned amateur and professional tournaments
- Elite player development
- Annual commitment with Ferris State University’s Professional Tennis Management program to place interns into seasonal positions
Baseline Tennis has the vision, tennis business acumen and resources to continue its growth in the tennis industry.