Butler's Dellich honored by PBI
NAPA, Calif. — The honors keep getting better for Katie Dellich.
The 2000 Butler graduate and former No. 1 girls tennis player for the Golden Tornado has been tennis director at Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa, Calif., for five and a half years. Silverado is one of 55 such resorts worldwide owned by Peter Burwash International (PBI).
Silverado was recently selected as the 2017 PBI Site of the Year, in recognition of excellence in its tennis program and working relationship with PBI and its professionals.
“This award means a lot to me,” Dellich said. “We're always striving to improve our tennis programming and relationships with everyone who comes through here.”
Dellich accepted the award on behalf of Silverado Resort and Spa from PBI president Rene Zondag at the company's annual meeting in Tirol, Austria.
“We recognize the success of this program belongs to a unique combination of enthusiastic members, outstanding leadership from the tennis committees, supportive club management and an incredibly hard-working team of PBI tennis professionals,” Zondag said in a released statement. “We are proud and grateful to be associated with such an active and quality club.”
As tennis director at Silverado, Dellich is in charge of all the tennis programming and marketing. She develops new programs and runs tennis camps for adults and children.
She builds a quality staff through training and mentoring and conducts evening clinics.
“During the summer, my hours are pretty much sun-up to sundown,” she said. “Things get a little more mellow in the winter months.”
Silverado was also named the No. 15 tennis resort in the world by Tennis Resorts Online.
“We made the top 50 last year,” Dellich said. “They actually rank the first 25, then just name the next 25 in no particular order.
“To go all the way up to No. 15 is quite a jump. Like I said, we're always trying to get better and that ranking reflects that.”
Dellich, who also played tennis at Robert Morris University, has been with PBI since 2006. Before coming to Silverado, she worked at PBI tennis resorts in the Maldives (off the Indian Ocean), Maui in Hawaii, Homestead in Virginia and Desert Springs in California.
“I've learned at each stop, picking up on programming and how directors use their creativity to put a different spin on it.”
Now 36, she doesn't see herself leaving Napa.
“I love it here,” she said. “I have no intention of leaving. I have been taking on more projects within the company, though.”
Dellich is PBI Director of World Tennis Camps. She is also on the board of directors for a school in India “at one of the poorest places in the world.” She makes a trip to the school annually.
While tennis isn't the prime focus of working with kids at the school, Dellich's group does give them the opportunity to play the game.
“PBI has a goal of bringing tennis to every town and village in the world,” Dellich said. “Two poles and a piece of rope formed a net. We had three balls, a couple of rackets and an in incredible number of kids who wanted to play.
“They all did. They all had fun and that's what counts. They truly enjoyed themselves.”
Silverado hosts an 8-team Division I collegiate tennis tournament every year. It also hosts United States Tennis Association events.
“We're a higher end resort, so we deal with that demographic of people,” Dellich said. “Getting to know the people who come here, how incredible they are at their jobs and their travels, is so interesting.
“We also run a scholarship for kids program here and host school field trips. We not only want to enhance the tennis experience for people and teach the sport ... We want to introduce the game to youths and adults as well.”
