The following people are active and dedicated members of the IART Alliance. They are committed to the expansion and growth of the organization and serve as official IART global ambassadors.
IART Ambassador Director
Lance Andersen is a PTR National Tester and Clinician 4A, a member of the National Cardio Tennis Speaker Team, USPTA Certified, an Etcheberry certified coach, a member of Team Babolat and a member of the USRSA. He is also the chairmen of the PTR technology committee, the PTR Massachusetts state representative, the USPTA New England Lesson For Life Chairperson, a member of the Tennis Industry Association Technology Committee, a USTA New England adult committee member, and USTA Eastern Mass Association League committee member. Lance is a senior tennis professional at the Longfellow Club in Wayland MA and for the Tennis Academy of Harvard. Lance was the recipient of the 2011 PTR & Tennis Industry Association Commitment to the Indusry Award and was named the 2011 PTR USTA New England PTR Professional of the Year. Previously he was named the 2010 USPTA New England Regional Pro of the year and the 2010 PTR Massachusetts Member of the Year. Lance has been a speaker at tennis industry events for the PTR, Tennis Industry Association, USTA, and USPTA. When not on the court, Lance is a senior software engineer in the Java Engineering group at Oracle Corporation.
Mark Gonzalez of Yonex and Alpha Racquet Sports is one of the most respected names in the industry when it comes to customer service and in fact, is a role model for others to follow. His knowledge of stringing machines ranks among the very best in the industry and he has strung racquets professionally at many tennis & badminton tournaments. Mark is an MRT (Master Racquet Technician) with the USRSA (United States Racquet Stringers Association) and a certification tester for the USRSA as well. Mark began his career in the industry in 1985 in Corpus Christi Texas by working 8 years at Nevada Bob’s Golf and Tennis. He is extremely passionate about racquet sports and has been a seminar leader at every IART training symposium. Alpha has also been a sponsor of the IART symposium from the very beginning.
John has been a key contributor to the IART community since its beginning including his involvement and contributions to the IART training symposiums. Among his awards are being named RSI Magazines Stringer of the Year in 2012, “Top Design” from Industrial Design Magazine for innovative racquet design, and making the list of the “New Top 100 Products” from Popular Mechanics Magazine for designing a series of six racquets, one of which was named to the top 100 list. John is still on his “quest” to design the perfect racquet and through tried and tested practices and his many years of experience, he makes every effort to design the perfect racquet and set-up for his clients. He currently owns and operates his own tennis shop in Orlando, Florida.
Known as “The Racquet Man” Mark Campanile is a USPTA Elite Professional, a USRSA Master Racquet Technician, inventor, published author and consultant. He is also the owner and operator of “The Racquet Man”, a service business that specializes in racquet stringing, racquet repair and customization. Mark operates “The Racquet Man” out of the Northbrook Racquet Club in Northbrook, IL
As a USRSA Master Racquet Technician, Mark has been stringing racquets and managing his pro shop since 1980. Voted America’s “Top Stringer” in 1990 by the USRSA and Tennis Magazine, Mark is currently a USRSA certification tester and presenter of “The Total Racquet Workshop” as well as a product play tester for the USRSA.
Mark also invented pivoting glide bars for the Ektelon Model H and NEOS 1000 stringing machines, a device that aids in the correct stringing of fan-pattern racquets on these particular stringing machines.
Mark was a member of the Babolat VS Stringing Team, the official stringer of the French Open. Previously, he was a member of the Bow Brand Stringing Team, which was the official stringer of the Wimbledon Championships. As technical advisor for Bow Brand Strings from 1998 to 2004, Mark was responsible for building name and product recognition in the US market.
Fluent in three languages, Mark holds an MBA degree from DePaul University and a BA degree from the University of Wisconsin.
If you’ve ever been around Ivor Savage you undoubtedly know that his enthusiasm for tennis is infectious. Ivor is definitely in the right business and his love for his work is obvious. In 2012 he hooked up with Ytex, a relatively “new kid” on the block when it comes to strings but with the help of Ivor’s marketing efforts, Ytex is fast becoming a recognized brand in an industry where a small string company can easily get swallowed up by the big fish. Ivor and Ytex have been supportive of the IART since their involvement in the IART symposium. They participated in 3 symposiums; 2 at Saddlebrook in Tampa as well as joining us for our 10th anniversary symposium in Chicago in 2016
David Hall is the owner of Racket Sport Services, providing a pro shop and stringing services both at Frinton-on-Sea Lawn Tennis Club, a home-based stringing service in Essex, England. His initial training as a stringer was provided by the company who sold him his first machine back in 1986. He is a founding member of the UKRSA and his experience of all racquet sports has provided him the opportunity to work at many tournaments. He has worked at Futures events in England, and at the WTA and ATP event at Eastbourne, where in 2009 he was head stringer. David is also an accomplished badminton stringer, stringing at the English National Badminton Championships for a number of years, many badminton age groups championships and national premier league weekends. David has attended five IART symposiums and recognizes the value of the event for his own personal development as well as the opportunity it presents to share knowledge with others and learn from the best in the world. Being a member of IART has also resulted in an expansion of his own business in becoming the sole UK distributor for string companies, YTEX, Diadem, StringLab and Still in Black. He is also the UK and Ireland Territory Manager for the newly revived Snauwaert brand of rackets and ancillary products.
Albert’s tennis life for the past 40+ years—playing, stringing, teaching, and retailing—has positively impacted every aspect of his tennis business.
Playing
Hooked on tennis, Albert started playing at age 14. He still enjoys competing and most recently played in the 2019 USTA 4.5 18+ National Championships. On and off the court, Albert appreciates the friendships he’s developed along the way.
Stringing
Stringing is a form of therapy for Albert. He was first hired as a stringer in 1977 and has been behind the stringing machine ever since. He treats each racquet he strings with respect, philosophizing that a part of him accompanies the player onto the court through that racquet. You can visit Albert’s website HERE
- USRSA Master Racquet Technician and Tester – 1986 to present
- US Open Babolat Competition Stringing Team – 1994 & 1995
- Davis Cup Stringer – 1992 & 2020
- Fed Cup Stringer – 2017
- Hawaii’s Professional Tournament Stringer – 1985 to present
Teaching
Teaching tennis never gets old. There’s always something new to learn as the game evolves. Teaching is Albert’s opportunity to share his passion for tennis with others, and he loves to see his students enjoying the game!
- USPTA Teaching Professional since 1986
- USPTA Hawaii Division Pro of the Year – 1990 & 2015
- USTA JTT League Coordinator since 1989
Retailing
Albert enthusiastically embraces innovation. Specializing in the Prince brand, he views his retail shop as a toy store. And he’s like a kid at Christmas every time he unwraps a box of new products!
- Owner of AM Stringing since 1985
- Prince Sponsored Teaching Professional
Matt Steverson has spent almost his entire life in tennis: 47 years of it, in fact.
Starting as a player, he spent 3 years at Auburn University-Montgomery (AUM) in Alabama, playing for the nation’s #25 NAIA team. It was there he became involved in racquet stringing, taught by his coach.
After leaving AUM, Matt moved to the metro Orlando, FL area and became involved in tennis as a teaching pro and racquet stringer, eventually becoming one of the first USRSA Certified Stringers in 1986. At the initial GSS Symposium in 2007, he would earn his MRT status.
Curiosity abut the intricacies of tennis has always led Matt to strive to learn and improve. Besides being one of only two people to attend all 10 GSS/IART Symposiums, he has worked in the tennis industry as an equipment analyst, having written equipment reviews for Tennis magazine and Tennis Express, and wrote the first equipment reviews to appear on the Tennis Warehouse site.
Today, he owns and operates Matt’s Tennis, LLC, in Altamonte Springs, FL.
Steve Huff
Steve Huff has been stringing racquets for 42 years. He was formerly a member of the USRSA, USTA and the Prince Play test Team. A native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, he attended Oklahoma State University with a major in business. He then moved to Farmington, New Mexico and went back to school to become a registered nurse (RN). While in Farmington he helped start the 4-Corners Tennis Association where he ran 3 tournaments/year. He also taught tennis for San Juan College and was involved in helping local high school tennis teams. After graduating he and his wife moved around a bit, first to Fresno, CA, then to Sacramento, CA from there to Charlottesville, VA and finally to Richmond, VA. There he went back to school at VCU and obtained his masters in nursing.
He was an avid tennis player until health problems sidelined him but he’s working to get back on the court and hopes to do that in 2022. Two of his biggest accomplishments in tennis were (1) making the finals at Pagosa Springs, partnering with a 12 year old and knocking off the #2 seeds in the semis then losing to collegian players in the finals and (2) playing in the 1998 Transplant Games (he’s had two kidney transplants), placing 3rd in that competition. He’s retired now and enjoys spending time with his grandkids.