Vancouver, BC – The BC Senior Provincial Championships are one of the most long-standing events in our province’s tennis history. In the spirit of tradition, the 2019 edition of the BC Senior Provincial Championships are proud to be Presented by Odlum Brown Limited and Floyd Hill.
Established in 1923, Odlum Brown Limited is an employee-owned, full-service investment firm. With their head office located in Downtown Vancouver, one of the factors that makes Odlum Brown stand out is their corporate culture. Among many designations, the firm has been recognized as one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies for over 20 years. They have consistently achieved this recognition through two important factors. The first and foremost is their client-focused philosophy. As an independent firm, they can ensure that their interests align with those of their clients. The second key factor has been the sense of family that Odlum Brown has created within their company. The people that make up Odlum Brown are a close-knit group who share the same values and care for their clients, as they do for one another and their community.
In addition to their support of the BC Senior Provincial Championships, Odlum Brown demonstrates their passion and dedication to the community through their support of over 150 charities and organizations. As a proudly BC-based investment firm, Odlum Brown has established their presence throughout BC by making a difference. They proudly support initiatives in a wide range of areas such as health care, education, arts and culture, sports and active living, the environment, youth and community development.
Amidst their community involvement, supporting tennis throughout BC is a true passion for the firm. Odlum Brown has been the Title Partner of the Odlum Brown VanOpen for 17 years. The firm takes pride in their long-standing relationship with this event. One of Odlum Brown’s Directors, Floyd Hill, is the Founder and Past Chair and Underwriter of the Odlum Brown VanOpen.
Floyd first got involved with tennis when he started playing as an adult. At the time, he was living in Kamloops, BC. A coach by the name of George Lee saw him hitting against a wall and encouraged him to take up tennis lessons. Floyd took George’s advice and began tennis lessons at the Kamloops Tennis Centre.
As he started playing more and competing, not only did he find the sport to be a great game and an excellent form of exercise, but Floyd also met many people through the sport. In fact, some of the most important relationships he has to this day, both personal and professional, have come through tennis. Floyd’s experience of meeting new people through the sport is what initially prompted him to want to give back to the sport. “I decided I wanted to give something back because I got so much out of it.” Floyd’s desire to give back to the sport led him to Tennis BC. At the time, Tennis BC had a magazine titled “Matchpoint.” Floyd began supporting tennis through advertising in this magazine.
Shortly afterwards, a women’s professional tournament which was taking place at Jericho Tennis Club was in need of a new Title Sponsor. At that time, Floyd was on the board of Jericho, his home club. He recognized another opportunity to give back to the sport in a big way. That year, with then Executive Director of Tennis BC, Ryan Clark, Floyd founded what we now know as the Odlum Brown VanOpen. Since 2002, it has grown from a women’s $25,000 USD ITF tournament, to a combined Men’s ATP Challenger and Women’s ITF event. Now hosted at Hollyburn Country Club, the event boasts a total purse of $200,000 USD. It is Western Canada’s largest professional tennis tournament, and Canada’s second largest professional tennis event, second only to the Rogers Cup.
Floyd’s most memorable moment from the Odlum Brown VanOpen was the 2009 match between Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) and BC’s Philip Bester. “You couldn’t get a seat in the house,” he remembers. The three-set thriller, in which the Cypriot prevailed over the hometown favourite 6-3 5-7 7-5, remains Floyd’s most vivid memory of his time as Chairman of the event. At the time of the match, Baghdatis was ranked No. 150 on the ATP ranking. He would go on to win the event in 2009 and climb to No. 18 the following year.
After 14 fantastic years of managing and underwriting the Odlum Brown VanOpen, Floyd stepped down from his role to spend more time with family and to have the opportunity to pursue other areas of personal interest. The most special thing Floyd takes away from his experience at the event is watching the alumni continue to flourish in their tennis careers. Many of the Odlum Brown VanOpen alumni have gone on to reach the Top 100 in the professional ranks and some have become Grand Slam Champions, like alumna Gabriela Dabrowski (CAN) and Naomi Osaka (JPN). Knowing that he played a part in their careers and achievements must be a pretty special feeling indeed. “The legacy I would like to leave behind is to see the Odlum Brown VanOpen continue to flourish and be the best Challenger.”
This year’s BC Senior Provincial Championships return to Floyd’s home club, Jericho Tennis Club. Floyd’s passion for the sport and dedication to giving back continues. “It’s great to have it at my home club. It’s nice to see the players come out and how much they appreciate being there.” The event provides local, national and international players over the age of 30 with the opportunity to compete for international ranking points. It is one of two such events in BC. In addition to providing competitive opportunities for senior players, the event plays an integral part in bringing together the tennis community in BC. Taking place June 1-7, 2019, players and spectators are welcome to the 2019 BC Senior Provincial Championships Presented by Odlum Brown and Floyd Hill.
For event registration and more details, click here. Registration deadline: May 21, 2019 at 10:00 AM GMT (3:00 AM PST).
