Butch Buchholz, Jr.
Chairman & Co-Founder, Sony Ericsson Open
Whether in a boardroom or on a tennis court, International Tennis Hall of Fame inductee Butch Buchholz (pronounced Buck-holtz) has always been active in a sport he knows well. Buchholz’s contributions to tennis were recognized in 2005 with his induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island. He was enshrined as a “Contributor” with Jim Courier, Yannick Noah and Jana Novotna.
As Chairman of the Sony Ericsson Open, Buchholz has dedicated much of his life's work to this tournament – which became a reality in 1985 after he first conceptualized the idea while still a touring pro over 30 years ago. Today, with over $6.9 million in prize money, equal prize money for men and women, and all the top players competing, the Sony Ericsson Open is surpassed in size and stature only by the four Grand Slams.
Active in tennis since his youth, Buchholz played his first tournament at age six and won his initial title a year later. He became the first player to win junior titles at the Australian Open (1959) and French Open (1958), Wimbledon (1958) and the U.S. Junior Championships (1958). Ranked fifth in the world in 1960, Buchholz entered the professional ranks with Jack Kramer's worldwide circuit. A member of three U.S. Davis Cup teams from 1958-60, he won 22 professional tournament events and was one of Lamar Hunt's famous "Handsome Eight" of World Championship Tennis (WCT). He retired at the age of 29 after injury ended his 10-year professional career, but the same spirit that drove him as an intense competitor inspired him to develop and grow in the business of tennis. His credentials include tournament promoter, network television commentator, owner/operator of tennis clubs, and U.S. Junior Davis Cup Tennis Team captain in 1970.
A founding member of the first men's players association in 1963, Buchholz has served tennis in many capacities. He directed tournaments in his hometown of St. Louis (1964-1968), directed WCT events (1969-78), directed a Virginia Slims event in 1972, was Commissioner of World Team Tennis (1977-78) and served as Executive Director of the ATP and as a member of the men's pro council - the governing body of men's pro tennis (1981-83). While running the ATP, Buchholz was responsible for establishing the framework for the first pension fund for men’s professional tennis players, still in existence today.
Butch expanded his realm in the tennis world in 1997 by acquiring the Pilot Pen International Championships at the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale in New Haven, CT, formerly an ATP event - now a Sony Ericsson WTA Tour event.
Butch added another element to the mix in 1998 when he agreed to take over the management of the prestigious 50-year-old Orange Bowl International Tennis Tournament. He secured title and presenting sponsors and rescued a junior tennis tradition from extinction before handing the event off to the USTA. In 2000, Buchholz created Copa Telmex, an ATP International Series event played in Buenos Aires annually in February.
In 1992, Buchholz and the late Arthur Ashe, then tennis director at Miami's Doral Hotel, were reminiscing about how tennis programs in their hometown parks had shaped their lives. They were inspired to form the "Good Life Mentoring Program" in partnership with the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, providing valuable life skills for elementary and middle school students. Moore Park Tennis Center in Miami became one of the venues where hundreds of youngsters would benefit from this program.
When Buchholz saw that Moore Park's 50-year-old Tennis Center needed extensive renovation and reconstruction, he was determined to play a role in its redevelopment. He had previously been successful in forging a public-private partnership to develop the Tennis Center at Crandon Park and knew that it could work for Moore Park. Following discussions with Florida Governor Jeb Bush, Buchholz moved forward, and on March 24, 2001, the Ashe-Buchholz Tennis Center at Moore Park was dedicated.
Buchholz remains Chairman of the Board of First Serve Inc., a concept that began in conjunction with the USTA in 2001 as a way to give back to tennis by using the sport as a positive influence on our nation’s youth. First Serve is a youth empowerment organization that utilizes tennis to help kids develop the skills, values, and experience they need to be responsible, productive and successful if life. The program utilizes public tennis facilities as a venue for teaching a broad range of age appropriate life skills.
Buchholz, a product of public parks in St. Louis (his father was a public park tennis instructor), has stepped up his personal involvement with the First Serve effort. Butch’s son Trey Buchholz is CEO with a charge to broaden the reach and resources of First Serve throughout the entire tennis community, both locally and nationally. Currently thousands of inner-city young people throughout the United States have exposure to the First Serve program, with a long-term goal to expand throughout the world.
Buchholz lives in Coral Gables, FL, and is active in civic and charity organizations throughout South Florida. He and his wife Marilyn have three children: Kathy, Trey and Kristen; and five grandchildren: Brittany, Brooke and Jack Gentile and Hayley and William Buchholz.
Adam Barrett
Sony Ericsson Open Tournament Director
Executive Vice President, IMG
Meeting and exceeding the needs and expectations of the Sony Ericsson Open guests has been the primary theme during Adam Barrett's reign as tournament director of the world's fifth largest tennis event. An administrator with a strong financial background, Barrett is in charge of the day-to-day operations of the Sony Ericsson Open, which was named Tournament of the Year by both the ATP and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour in 2004.
Barrett’s role has expanded with IMG, the parent company of the Sony Ericsson Open. Barrett is a consultant for the IMG-run China Open and the Tournament Director for the Bank of the West Classic, a Sony Ericsson WTA Tour event held in Palo Alto, CA.
At the Sony Ericsson Open each spring, Barrett oversees a staff of more than 2,000 and stays personally involved throughout the site, interacting with volunteers, sponsors and many of the players and fans walking the site.
Barrett was named to the tournament director post in 2002. He originally joined the event in 1990 as accounting manager/human resource manager and quickly rose in the ranks to Vice President of Finance before taking on Executive Vice President duties in 1997 and now his current position of Tournament Director.
He developed the accounting, in-house ticketing and other business operating systems currently used by the tournament. In 1997, he helped create the tournament website SonyEricssonOpen.com.
Actively involved in the inner-workings of tennis, Barrett has served on the Sony Ericsson WTA Board of Directors and is very involved in Tennis Properties Limited as well as various organizations that promote the sport globally.
Perhaps it is "The Championship Way" where Barrett has made his greatest mark, which is the tournament’s guest service program that is the vehicle for fulfilling the events mission of meeting and exceeding the needs and expectations of tournament guests. The program has evolved over the last eight years in an effort to provide the most outstanding experience for all Sony Ericsson Open guests. Members of the Sony Ericsson Open team - both staff and volunteers - work collectively toward providing that experience with training ongoing throughout the year.
Prior to joining IMG, Barrett was a staff auditor with Coopers & Lybrand-Miami.
Born and raised in Miami, Barrett graduated with Bachelor of Arts in Accounting from the University of Florida. He enjoys Gator football and is an avid sports fan. He resides in Weston, Fla. with his wife Rachel and their three children, Matthew, Zoey and Chase. | 
