Susan DiBiase, the U.S. director of marketing for Babolat, has been named “Person of the Year” for 2012 by RSI in the pub’s January 2013 issue. DiBiase led off the magazine’s 12th annual “Champions of Tennis Awards,” which honors people, businesses and organizations dedicated to improving the sport and business of tennis.
DiBiase, a former tennis teacher, joined Babolat in 2007, after stints with the Schwinn bicycle company and Nautilus fitness.
“In the last six years, Babolat has seen a remarkable increase in market share,” says Peter Francesconi, the editorial director for Racquet Sports Industry (RSI) magazine, the world’s largest trade magazine devoted to tennis and other racquet sports (www.racquetsportsindustry.com). “While DiBiase downplays her hand in this, the fact is she has had a major leadership role in orchestrating Babolat’s surge.”
RSI also named winners in 18 other categories for its 2012 Champions of Tennis Awards (visit www.racquetsportsindustry.com for more on these winners):
* Private Facility of the Year: Life Time Fitness, multiple locations
* Stringer of the Year: John Gugel, Orlando, Fla.
* Builder/Contractor of the Year: Baseline Sports Construction, Knoxville, Tenn.
* Tennis Sales Rep of the Year: Joe Habenschuss, South Florida
* Pro/Specialty Retailer of the Year: Tennis town, Pittsburgh
* Tennis Advocate of the Year: Nancy McGinley, Charleston, S.C.
* Junior Tennis Champion of the Year: Todd Dissly, Northern California
* Grassroots Tennis Champion of the Year: Danice Brown, Portland, Ore.
* Municipal Facility of the Year: Southlake Tennis Center, Southlake, Texas
* Park & Recreation Agency of the Year: Reston Association, Reston, Va.
* Wheelchair Tennis Champions of the Year: Curt & Lynn Bender, Grand Rapids, Mich.
* 10 & Under Tennis Facility Developer of the Year: Top-A-Court Tennis, Hatfield, Pa.
* Public Park of the Year: Kiest Park, Dallas
* Community Tennis Association of the Year: Tri-County CTA, Jackson, Miss.
* PTR Member of the Year: Roy Barth, Kiawah Island, S.C.
* USPTA Member of the Year: David Porter, Laie, Hawaii
* High School Coach of the Year: Terry Valdez, Wenatchee, Wash.
* USTA Section of the Year: USTA Northern California