The History
The Marcus Lewis Tennis Center
All of it began when tennis professional, Marcus Lewis, returned from playing satellite tennis in tournaments in Europe and Africa. At the time, tennis in Central Massachusetts was not player-friendly and the costs were exorbitant.
Sensing an opportunity to offer something better for a reasonable price, the eponymous business was launched in 1997 and instantly grew to become a three-season operation that provided lessons in the Acton area. Years later, it would grow to operate year-round with multiple satellite programs in Acton, Groton, Stow, Bolton and Harvard with as many as 16 courts contemporaneously being utilized. The Marcus Lewis Tennis Center now partners with four different towns to provide recreation services and three different school systems to offer satellite tennis programs. The Marcus Lewis Tennis Center, or MLTC, has grown to the largest tennis program in Middlesex County. Now offering a very robust pickleball program too!
Mirror Lake Management
Mirror Lake is a beautiful pristine water body that exists on the former military base of Devens, Massachusetts. This lake was used by the Marcus Lewis Day Camp, but it needed to be managed as a separate entity. Mirror Lake Management was created in 2006 for the sole purpose of proper oversight of the lake. Staffing, boat rentals, special events and the everyday tasks of tending to patrons are just some of the duties the company oversees. Besides renovating the area, Mirror Lake Management staged an impressive economic turnaround with the site, taking it from tens of thousands of dollars in losses to ultimate profitability.
CRAFT
Community Recreation For Towns (CRAFT) is the answer for municipalities and organizations in need of recreational management services.
Although most people enjoy recreation, not everyone understands how to provide and manage recreational services. That’s where CRAFT comes in.
We offer a range of programs for all ages and skill levels, including youth sports leagues, adult fitness classes, and private coaching. Our goal is to provide our students with the tools and guidance they need to reach their full potential.
A brief history of Marcus
Marcus was your typical baseball, basketball and football player when he reached high school, but he soon began dropping those sports when he discovered that he could play tennis. Although he had virtually no tennis experience, by his junior year he quickly rose to play #1 singles for the team, and by the end of his senior season, he had made it to semi-finals of the state tournament.
During his second year of college at the University of California at Santa Barbara, Marcus had walked on to their Division 1 roster which had been in the top 25 of the NCAAs the year before. Ultimately deciding to leave school to pursue his dream of playing professionally, he spent the next few years training back near his home in Massachusetts before traveling through Europe and Northern Africa to play on the circuit during the mid-90’s.
Upon returning home, a few years later Marcus started the Marcus Lewis Tennis Center in 1997. The program began as a small seasonal tennis operation in a condo complex in Acton. It has since grown into the largest and most comprehensive tennis program in the area. From there, his desire to bring more sports to the area at reasonable prices grew into the development of other brands such as CRAFT and Marcus Lewis Enterprises.
Although Marcus still enjoys playing for fun, he feels the most enjoyment from watching others succeed and giving everyone an opportunity to enjoy the great life-long sport of tennis, hence the tagline “Tennis For EVERYONE”. For more background on Marcus or Marcus Lewis programs, you can click here.
