Ball Hopper Company Expands Staff In Chicago And New York

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 7th August 2013

Ball Hopper Company Expands Staff In Chicago And New York |

Christi Turdo, a tennis teaching professional who designed and patented the Hop-a-Razzi line of tennis ball hoppers has named Gary Thomas as National Sales Manager and Liza Horan as Head of Brand Strategy & Engagement as part of expansion efforts at the start-up manufacturing company.

The Hop-a-Razzi ball hopper is a basket holding tennis ball with wheels attached for easy transportation.

“For three years I was Hop-a-Razzi myself — designing the product, securing the patent, working trade shows, selling orders, packing shipments, mailing orders,” says Turdo, a USPTA-certified pro and entrepreneur who owns the Glenbrook Racquet Club in Northbrook, Ill.

“Once I got the patent and secured funding, I could go from a piece of paper to an actual business. Gary and Liza bring deep experience in sales, marketing and media, as well as in tennis, and they are key members of the Hop-a-Razzi team. It’s a very exciting time!”

Thomas leads a sales team of six people based in the Chicago area. He’s a longtime advertising and marketing agency executive, who was most recently with Alloy Media & Marketing. Thomas is certified as a PTR Master of Tennis in Junior Development. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Illinois, and an associate’s degree in tennis management from Tyler Junior College.

Horan heads marketing, advertising, public relations, and digital out of the New York office. She’s a tennis industry stalwart, having worked on the media side for more than 20 years. Prior to her recent tenure at ESPN, Horan launched and ran TENNIS.com for a decade, founded TennisWire.org, and served as the longest-running president of the U.S. Tennis Writers’ Association. She earned an M.S. in strategic communications from Columbia University, and a bachelor’s degree from Mount Saint Mary’s University.

In addition to building the staff for sales, marketing and operations, Hop-a-Razzi has a new warehouse stocked with three tennis hopper models that come in 144 vibrant color combinations.

All models feature built-in wheels, a 360-degree weld for durability on all steel joints, and tubular handles. The Classic model, which holds 95 balls, is stackable. The Junior Hop (65-ball capacity) and Pro Hop (125-ball capacity) feature lids for easy portability and storage of balls, and the adjustable-height handles convert to sturdy legs so the baskets can stand.