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| :: News Archives October, 2006 ### July, 2006 Andover, MA - The home courts of the 12 World TeamTennis teams will sport a colorful new look and competitive feel when the 2006 WTT Professional League season opens this July and play begins on specially designed, multi-colored courts featuring a DecoTurf court system created for WTT by DecoSystems. ### June 2006 Andover, MA - DecoSystems, a division of California Products Corporation the leading supplier of 100% acrylic sport surfacing systems in the world, announced that their tennis surface DecoTurf, has been selected for the Plaza Tennis Center in Kansas City, Missouri. ### February 2006 The Indoor Tennis Stadium is the centerpiece of the $7.5 million dollar expansion of the Boar’s Head Sports Club that was completed earlier this month by tennis court builder Howard B. Jones & Son, Inc. of Lexington, South Carolina . The twelve newly constructed DecoTurf courts utilize the same tennis surface and colors as USTA National Tennis Center, site of the US Open. The colors, US Open Blue™ used for the inner court area, and Winter Green for the outer court, vastly improves visibility for players and fans. “What a fantastic facility and the work by Howard B. Jones is outstanding. The vibrant colors just jump out at you and make you want to play tennis” said John Graham , Managing Director of DecoTurf. “What a wonderful recruiting tool! Visiting prospective tennis players have the opportunity to hit on new DecoTurf courts, and by choosing to attend UVA they will compete in college on the same surface that is selected for use at the US Open and the Olympic Games.” DecoTurf was also recently selected for use at the University of Alabama, the University of Connecticut , and St. John’s University , amongst other prestigious universities. DecoTurf is the best-known tennis court surface in the world. It is simply unmatched in providing a full depth resilient surface with precise speed control. The surface offers unique play characteristics, providing maximum player comfort, custom-tailored speed of play, and exceptional durability. All DecoTurf courts have been classified by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) in each of the three speed categories, slow, medium and fast. For further information visit the DecoTurf website at www.decoturf.com or call 800-DECO 1ST.
September 2005 *** The following was taken from the World Team Tennis website. *** ### September 2005 *** Note: The following article was taken from Newsday.com ***
For 123 years, it wasn't so hard being green, really. Tennis courts at the U.S. Open -- and the Open's predecessor in the amateur-only days -- went from grass to clay and, with the 1978 debut of the National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, to concrete. Always in some shade of green. But now the era of green -- a synonym for youth, immaturity, inexperience? -- is over. With this year's Open, which begins its two-week run on Monday, the U.S. Tennis Association embarks on its blue period. On all two dozen courts at the tennis center, the in-bounds surface has been painted a deep blue, surrounded in the out-of-bounds space by the traditional green of past seasons. "For me," said Graham, whose company provides the surface and preferred color for tournament organizers around the world, including the Open, "this court really jumps out at you." Also (and not insignificantly) it is a marketing tool, a move engineered by U.S. Tennis Association chief executive Arlen Kantarian to promote a sort of North American tennis regular season leading up to the continent's super bowl Open. By tying together 10 major men's and women's hard-court summer tour events over an eight-week period as the "U.S. Open Series," then branding each venue with the same blue-inside-green floor plan, the USTA has "created a consistent thread," said Jim Curley, the USTA's director of professional tournament operations. The new standardized look -- officially, that's "U.S. Open blue" (not quite royal blue) with winter green around it -- first appeared at the Indianapolis tournament in mid-July and continued through last week's Pilot Pen event in New Haven. But: Why blue? And how? In two years of planning and testing, USTA officials actually considered red. "But one of the things John Graham told us," Curley said, "was that red, more than blue, will fade out quicker." So they moved briskly from thoughts of a brick red to other considerations. Blue was a candidate, in part, because the National Tennis Center has used blue walls around its courts for years, and Graham noted that "blue and purple are about 180 degrees opposite to the yellow of the ball on the color wheel." DecoTurf provided scores of swatches with color samples, interior-decorator style, but Curley said it immediately was clear that a judgment could not be reached merely using the swatches. In April, USTA officials began to paint and evaluate colors on courts during the women's international Fed Cup play in Delray Beach, Fla., and at the Stone Mountain, Ga., tennis facility. "We liked the blue and the darker blue," Curley said, "but we found if we got too dark, it showed up black under certain conditions, and we knew we didn't want that." In Carson, Calif., they set up a court with quadrants painted in different shades of blue, and worked with TV technicians to consider the colors in bright sunlight, cloudy conditions, dusk, and under the lights at night. In May, starting with Courts 17 and 18 on the outside edges of the National Tennis Center, they began to put down U.S. Open blue; the main show court, inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, was finished only last week. As word and pictures spread of blue courts in a sport heavy with tradition, there were the expected naysayers. One report raised the specter of Smurf Turf, that gaudy electric-blue artificial football field at Boise State University that plays havoc with televised color. John McEnroe, predictably a curmudgeon, was quoted by Tennis Week magazine saying that a court color change wouldn't make "a damn bit of difference" in promoting the sport. A New York City Web site called "gothamist" fielded skeptical comments, including one observation that, "I feel like I'm looking at a swimming pool in someone's backyard." And another: "While they're at it, let's add a flaming streak to the ball whenever it goes above 88 mph." USTA officials soldiered on, convincing tournament directors based at resort clubs as well as those using college facilities to partake in the U.S. Open Series branding. In the case of last week's Toronto event, for instance, that meant discarding what had been a unique hue of purple courts. Originally, the idea of getting away from predominantly green courts had been pushed by some tennis officials frustrated, during televised coverage of the Australian Open, that they were having trouble following the ball. The Australian, in 1988, had followed the USTA's decade-old lead by changing its grass-court Grand Slam event to a hard-court tournament, played on green concrete. It has been 19 years since Wimbledon became the last significant tournament in the world to replace white balls with yellow -- because studies demonstrated yellow was easier to pick up against the grass-green background upon which the sport was invented. Of course, the French Open always has played on the red clay (really, a rusty orange) long common in Europe. But when the United States began to popularize hard courts, they almost universally were painted a grass-like green. That surface color seemed to hang on the way all-white tennis outfits clung to the big events until pastels at last were allowed at the U.S. Open in 1970. It was indoor tennis, played on carpet, that introduced blue courts about the same time. In recent years, Graham said, two-tone surfaces began to come into fashion; DecoTurf provided a dark-blue in-bounds with sky-blue out-of-bounds for last summer's Athens Olympics courts, for instance. And colleges lately have started to request courts painted in their school colors. Princeton features gray (close to the official school color of black) with orange sidelines, and Marquette has a dark blue with yellow lines. Graham's laboratory also has evidence of an orange in-bounds, spring green out-of-bounds court in Stockholm. None of those compares with the ill-fated experiment in the early days of World Team Tennis, when a multicolored carpet was used -- without lines. Deuce service courts were blue, ad service courts green, backcourts brown and doubles alleys maroon. But when Phil Dent, a top Australian pro who is the father of current touring player Taylor Dent, showed up for his first WTT match for the New York Sets at Nassau Coliseum in May 1976, he was lost. Being color-blind, Dent said, he couldn't even complain about bad calls. ###
Legg Mason Tennis Classic , Washington DC ### June 2005 The Bronx Zoo in New York recently opened an exhibit to showcase native butterflies. The walking paths throughout the new exhibit are coated with the Acrylotex surface coating provided by DecoSystems, a division of California Products Corporation. The chocolate brown color chosen by the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Exhibition and Graphic Arts Department (EGAD) compliments the unique exhibit. It includes more than 1,000 butterflies, large-scale sculptures, and hundreds of butterfly-attracting plants and shrubs. This new feature of the zoo officially opened on May 19th. The Acrylotex coating was a perfect selection for the butterfly exhibit which will get a tremendous amount of foot traffic. Acrylotex is a unique, durable acrylic coating designed for non-athletic use on asphalt and concrete surfaces. It provides a medium texture, non-skid surface for visitors touring the facility. The butterfly exhibit is open through October. The exhibit was designed by Cetra/Ruddy Incorporated, the architectural firm of record. The Acrylotex coating was applied by R&L General Construction. ### May 2005 The Hampton Tennis Club in Melbourne, Australia recently had the first DecoTurf courts installed at their facility. Not only were these the first DecoTurf courts for the club, but also the first in Australia. The courts have won accolades from existing members and are attracting new members daily. Club management decided to install four Pro DecoTurf cushioned courts to replace the existing clay-like courts. These previous courts required constant maintenance and were costly to keep in proper playing condition. The club was attracted to the low maintenance DecoTurf cushioned surface not only for its playability and comfort, but also so they could free up money to invest in other areas, such as junior development training programs. The club is attracting a lot of new members who want to play on a DecoTurf surface. "The membership response to Hampton has been tremendous, 150% increase," said Craig James, Club Manager. The unique DecoTurf cushioned surface is unlike any other playing surface. DecoTurf is the most widely used acrylic court surface for professional ATP and WTA tournaments and was recently the playing surface of the 2004 Olympics. The Hampton Club can boast to its players that they're playing on a true professional tennis surface. ### July 2004 The venue selections for the new US Open tournament series have been finalized. Seven of the ten tournaments leading up to the Open will be played at facilities that offer DecoSystems tennis surfaces, DecoTurf and DecoColor. Pro-DecoTurf has been selected for use at the USTA National Tennis Center, site of the U S Open Tennis Championships since 1978. #### May 2004 DecoSystems a division of California Products Corporation is pleased to announce that this year's NCAA Division 1 Men's Tennis Championships are being played on their DecoTurf® and DecoColor® tennis surfaces. #### April 2004 The new complex built to host the tennis events during this summers Olympic Games in Athens, Greece will have blue DecoTurf tennis courts. DecoSystems, a division of California Products Corporation is supplying all the cushioned DecoTurf playing surfaces for this year's Olympic tennis matches. ####
DecoTurf tennis court surfaces are commonplace throughout Asia, Europe and North America. So it is with great pride that DecoSystems announced that they recently entered into an agreement to provide four Pro DecoTurf full cushioned courts to the Hampton Tennis Club in Melbourne, Australia. What makes the accord so noteworthy and promising is that the Hampton Tennis Club will be the first and only club with DecoTurf, the tennis surface of the US Open in Australia, a country that has a deep history of producing countless past and present tennis champions. Hampton Tennis Club was originally established in 1922 with Asphalt tennis courts and until World War two hosted the second largest tournament held in the country outside of the Australian Open at Kooyong. In 1938 a sensation occurred at the event when Bertie Maggs competed in short pants. In 1956 the club converted its courts to En-tout-cas - a course red brick dust material that became very popular throughout Melbourne for the next 45 years. Club Coach, Frank Tamboriello said "This is a great for Hampton Tennis Club. I will be able to coach on the best courts for junior development available in the country and our court maintenance costs will go down allowing us to put more into our training programs. Our members are also very excited at not having to sweep the courts anymore and given Australia's perennial problems with water supply we will not have to water the clay, which will be good for the environment. Our neighbors are even happy - no more swimming pools filling up with our dust or discolored clothes hanging out to dry." DecoTurf, the best-known tennis court surface in the world can be fine tuned to provide the precise speed of play desired. All Deco tennis surfaces have been classified by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) in each of the three speed categories, slow, medium and fast. DecoTurf has been selected for use at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, the USTA National Tennis Center, site of the U S Open since 1978, and at the most prestigious events worldwide. DecoTurf is the ultimate cushioned tournament surface and each year more professionals play more matches on DecoTurf than any other cushioned acrylic tennis surface. #### December 2003 The ground has been laid for the future of Alabama tennis – literally. As the construction of the new Alabama Tennis Complex progresses RollTide.com will periodically bring you photo updates. The first pictures of the facility construction were take on December 12, 2003. Scheduled to open in the spring of 2004, the Alabama Tennis Complex will be located on 5th Ave. on the eastern border of the University of Alabama campus, visible from McFarland Blvd. The facility will contain 12 courts (three with TV lighting) and seating for around 1,000 people. Underneath stands there will be an area for coaches offices, home and visitors locker rooms for both the men’s and women’s teams, a player’s lounge and equipment storage area. Wrought Iron fences will surround the courts for a modish look. DecoTurf® DecoTurf is the best-known tennis court surface in the world. Selected for use as the USTA National Tennis Center, site of the US Open since 1978, DecoTurf® is the ultimate cushioned system. The world's most prestigious hard-court events are played on it, because touring professionals and tournament directors ask for it by name. DecoTurfis simply unmatched in providing a full depth resilient surface with precise speed control and in providing maximum player comfort, custom-tailored speed of play, and exceptional durability. #### November 2003 Tennis practice sessions and match play will take place on sixteen courts at the Olympic Tennis Center of the Athens Olympic Sports Complex. A total of one hundred and seventy two men and women will compete for medals in four events Mens' singles, Women's singles, Women's Doubles and Men's Doubles. The Women's singles Gold medal match will be played on August 21, 2004, and the Men's singles Gold medal match will conclude the event on Sunday, the 22nd. In addition to the 2004 Olympics, DecoTurf and DecoColor are the tennis surfaces selected at the following events: • USTA National Tennis Center, New York, N.Y., site of the U S Open DecoTurf, the best-known tennis court surface in the world can be fine tuned to provide the precise speed of play desired. All DecoTurf courts have been classified by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) in each of the three speed categories, slow, medium and fast. DecoTurf has been selected for use at the USTA National Tennis Center, site of the U S Open since 1978, and at the most prestigious events worldwide. DecoTurf is the ultimate cushioned tournament surface and each year more professionals play more matches on DecoTurf than any other cushioned acrylic tennis surface. #### July 2003 "Our partnership with DecoSystems is a natural alignment of showcasing a world-class product with world-class events" said Stacey Allaster, Vice-President, Tennis Canada and tournament Director (Toronto) "We are excited about continuing our relationship with Tennis Canada." Adds Tom Magner, DecoSystems' Area Manager. "It is only fitting that we have brought together the world's premier athletic surface with North America's most dynamic tennis organization." #### July 2003 DecoStreetIce is a multi-layer system, which uses the same proven technology used in the Deco tennis court systems, engineered to meet the requirements of skating. Offering consistent speed and texture with long-term durability, the DecoStreetIce product is the surface of choice for facility managers, skate parks, schools and municipalities. #### June 2003 Mr. Juan "Johnny" Ovalles has been appointed to the Product Development Administrator position for DecoSystems.
Mr. Ovalles has been with California Products for the last year as a materials coordinator. He will play a key role in his new position supporting DecoSystems' business. Johnny can be reached at extension 235 or via email at j.ovalles@decoturf.com #### April 2003 California Products Corporation has announced the appointment of Mr. Ron Melvin as the new Southern US Regional Manager for their DecoSystems division. Mr. Melvin brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his new position. He has over twenty five years of experience in the tennis industry. He has relocated to Georgia from St. Louis, MO where he was involved with the USTA, high performance training center and served as Director of Tennis at the Dwight Davis Tennis Center. In addition, Mr. Melvin has many years of experience consulting with facilities regarding court construction and resurfacing. Form more information about DecoSystems products you can visit us online at www.decoturf.com or call 800-332-6178. #### April 2003 Mr. Graham brings extensive marketing, sales, customer relations, and construction experience to his new position. He will focus on expanding domestic and international sales, and enhancing the outstanding customer service and marketing programs of DecoSurfacing. Prior to joining BTG in 1995, Graham was the Finance Director for Virginia Lieutenant Governor Donald S. Beyer. His background also includes serving as President of Access Equity Management, a construction management and real estate investment firm in Newton, Massachusetts, and as a builder of tennis courts in the New Hampshire and Maine seacoast area. John holds a B.S. in business administration from the University of New Hampshire, and studied accounting on the graduate level at New Hampshire College. John can be reached at extension 231 or via email at j.graham@decoturf.com #### March 2003 Ms. Patty Martel has been appointed to the International Customer Service position for DecoSystems. Ms. Martel has a strong customer service background. She has been with California Products for the past 3 years as a customer service representative in the architectural coatings division, California Paints. Ms. Martel will play a key role in her new position supporting DecoSystems' international business. #### April 2001 2001 will be filled with many new and exciting changes at California Products. As the worlds leading supplier of acrylic sport surfacing systems, the Massachusetts based company will be celebrating its 75th anniversary, and finalizing the move of the company headquarters and manufacturing operations to it's new Andover home. What a way to celebrate almost a century of achievements in the coatings industry; a move from the outmoded manufacturing quarters in industrial Cambridge, Massachusetts to a new green field state of the art facility in Andover, Massachusetts. The Cambridge building complex housed the plant and offices while the warehousing and distribution center were off-site in another city. California's new Andover facility consolidates manufacturing, warehousing and distribution facilities with the corporate offices, all in the same building. The 168,000 square foot building located at 150 Dascomb Road in Andover sits on13 acres of land. It has been specifically designed as a state-of-the- art coatings manufacturing facility and houses the latest and most technologically advanced computer-based manufacturing equipment. The consistency of color and quality from batch to batch is near perfection. The throughput of this facility is triple that of the old plant and has the potential of producing over 50,000 gallons of coating products per day. The new warehouse inventory control system is tied directly to the sales department and production systems to ensure product availability. The warehouse can accommodate up to 10 truckloads departing simultaneously. The location of the facility provides direct access to railway and interstate transportation. The corporate offices of California Products rival those of any other high-tech company of the new century; fully inter-networked technology, a totally new research and development center equipped with product testing areas and a reorganized marketing department with in-house design and digital media capabilities. Not only does the office have every capability to help California serve its customers better, but it also hosts a range of other amenities for the 133 employees of this employee-owned company. ####
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