Meet the Owners
“Our mission is to promote Table Tennis by making the sport available to everyone in the local community.”
Gainesville Table Tennis Community
Diana has owned GTTC now for 3 years and has built a community of table tennis players all over Alachua county. She currently lives in Alachua County where she has been a longtime resident of Newberry and a local Newberry business owner since 2008. Besides being the owner of GTTC, She is also a licensed realtor with Glanzer Realty in Newberry and has over 25 years of real estate experience and has owned and managed many businesses in the state of Florida. GTTC started with Jen-sung Tan with only the Westside location and 4 tables. With Diana’s persistent goal to put Gainesville table tennis on the map and be involved in major table tennis events in Alachua County. She now has 3 locations and access to over 20 tables and a partial sponsorship with Joola. She has helped host the Gainesville Seniors Games now for 3 years this year and will assist with the Florida state Senior Games again this year for her second time. Diana has a passion for table tennis both as a player and business owner. She thanks her husband Mario for teaching her how to play and supporting her in this business opportunity. Mario is also a great part of GTTC he is Diana’s right-hand man and an experienced player as well. He is the go-to guy for all our events, set-ups, transportation, tech help, and equipment repairs. They are both hardworking and 100% family oriented and committed to GTTC and it’s growth. This year’s goal is a 4th location with hopes of many new members and spreading the love for table tennis. If you need to get in touch with either of them please call them at 352-665-GTTC(4882).
Our Story
In April 2016, the inception of the Gainesville Table Tennis Community marked a significant milestone. Our journey, however, commenced informally in February 2015, as a close-knit group of friends gathering at Palominos on Tuesdays and occasionally convening at each other’s homes. These spirited sessions even extended to road trips for USATT Tournaments. While these interactions fostered camaraderie, we recognized the potential for more by connecting with a wider circle of enthusiasts.
As the months progressed, our ranks grew swiftly, quickly outpacing the existing table tennis venues within Gainesville. Paradoxically, our newfound popularity posed its own unique challenges.
Central to our mission was making table tennis accessible to all. Faced with limited options, our recourse was to chart our own path. Our aspiration pivoted towards establishing a haven where every enthusiast, irrespective of background, could revel in the sport we cherished.
By August, our pursuit reached a turning point when the Baptist Collegiate Ministries extended their support, providing sponsorship for our Sunday Bi-weekly Practice. With this partnership solidified, the Gainesville Table Tennis Community accomplished a remarkable feat – becoming the city’s inaugural table tennis club open to the public.
Contributions
David Hou
David Hou owns New Dash Tennis, a local Tennis Store based at the 300 Club and Jonesville Tennis Center. He is a Butterfly product dealer, tennis coach, USTA member, Santa Fe College student, and entrepreneur. As a serious enthusiast and USATT member, his goal is to grow the Table Tennis Community in Gainesville. David kindly donated a Kettler Ping Pong Table that was once used for New Dash Table Tennis Tournaments and our group’s only table.
Eddie Gilley
Eddie Gilley is the Baptist Collegiate Ministries director and a writer for Seamheads.com. He was the Senior Associate Pastor at Westside Baptist Church, USF BCM Director for the Florida Baptist Convention, and chaplain for the UF Softball and baseball teams. We extend a special thanks to Eddie for helping us promote Table Tennis by allowing us to use BCM’s facility.
Chuck Adams
Chuck Adams is a professor and the Marine Economics Specialist for the Florida Sea Grant Program at the University of Florida. Chuck is also a Task Force member for the Gulf States marine Fisheries Commission and the Gulf-region Sea Grant representative for the Gulf Seafood Marketing Coalition. Chuck held many fond memories of family competitions with his Ping Pong Table, which was in many ways as an old friend to him, but he was so generous as to part ways to support our cause.
Honorable Mentions
We would also like to acknowledge Ryan Burton for helping us transport the Ping Pong tables to BCM; Chuck Peek for contributing Table Tennis nets, cardboard barriers, and equipment; Victor Marik for engineering a digital wait list and donating his personal laptop; Mike Duke for serving as a liaison with the City of Gainesville; along with all the club members who have contributed to our cause.
Founder
Jen-Sung Tan is a student, self-employed entrepreneur, Department of Defense contractor, FGI Industries owner, stock and real estate investor. He has over five years of experience in market research, retail sales, business operations management, and bookkeeping. He is a licensed business owner, certified reseller, and supporter of eSCO Processing and Recycling LLC, a full-service electronics recycling and asset recovery firm with a zero electronic waste landfill policy.
Jen-Sun Tan
