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Company finds growth in tennis racket strings

Thursday, December 06, 2001

By Corilyn Shropshire, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

Nearly 30 years ago, in an Edgewood basement, a Westinghouse Electric scientist began experimenting on tennis racket strings. He stretched and pulled the nylon fibers, certain he could develop a string that would improve the game of tennis enthusiasts everywhere.

	Harry Ferrari holds one of his company's rackets at the Gamma Sports headquarters office on Herrs Island. (Darrell Sapp/Post-Gazette)

Today, Harry Ferrari presides over Gamma Sports, a $15 million sporting goods equipment company from a 37,000-square foot facility on Herrs Island.

Ferrari began his quest for the ultimate tennis string in the seventies when his cat gut strings -- actually made of cow intestines -- broke as he played in a local tournament. After switching to an identical racket with synthetic strings, he went from winning to losing.

With 25 patents and a Ph.D. in material engineering, Ferrari set about creating his own tennis strings -- with durability that would not kill his game.

By day, he toiled for Westinghouse. His evenings were spent perfecting his product. In 1976, he launched "Gamma Gut," a nylon fiber tennis string with a twist. The strings were subjected to Ferrari's patented irradiation process, bombarded by millions of gamma rays to provide both durability and control.

In the early days, Ferrari filled his basement with the molecularly altered strings which he urged friends, tennis pros and specialty shops to try. When Ferrari made a sale, his young son filled out the bank deposit slips. Gamma never went into debt and steadily moved from developing strings to penetrating the market, offering racket grips and stringers to clients and in 1986 acquiring two tennis gear companies.

Gamma purchased Associated Tennis Systems (ATS), adding items including "vibration dampeners," which control arm shock when the ball hits the racket, pony tail holders and sweatbands. The acquisition of Ballhopper opened doors to big box sports retailers. ATS provided a bridge to West Coast customers.

Now, the Ferraris sell strings for specific needs from counteracting tennis elbow (the RX-17) to increasing top spin (Dura-Spin15-L).

"We engineer down to every little filament," said Matt Ferrari, who has advanced, since filling out the bank deposit slips, to marketing director.

For 23 years, Gamma strings have rated the best on the market in surveys by the United States Racquet Stringer's Association.

Despite the quality, though, competitors Wilson and Prince remain the most widely recognized in the tennis industry. By selling the strings that go with their rackets at a discount, the two larger firms have kept Gamma from gaining more than a 20 percent market share.

The Ferraris admit that their focus on engineering may have overshadowed their marketing efforts.

"We are so focused on engineering, it's hard for engineers to appreciate what marketing people do," Matt said. "We're training our engineers to know a little bit more about marketing ... and get a little bit more aggressive."

The Ferraris are also counting on a new alliance to stimulate sales. Next month, Gamma will join forces with Fischer, a German racket and ski maker. The German company wants a foothold in the North American market, and Gamma hopes to raise its global profile.

Gamma has also begun developing and selling fly fishing line.