001Uh, thank you so much for coming. My name is Beth Reynolds and I'm the economic development director and uh, director of community outreach for the town of Ashland. I have had uh, the pleasure of working with this fine gentleman here for many many years um, in my career here in Ashland. Um, and this is a fun one for sure. Although everything you do, Steve is fun. So we got Jose Leche in here. We've got uh, Dr. greens. We have Zeta fencing, Btown pickle ball. I mean, it's really quite something. This building has seen a huge transformation. Um, and we're so grateful. So, my role here in town, for those of you that don't know me and what I do, is to support our business community. Um, I like to attract new businesses and I really
002love keeping businesses here in town. So when we get to do a ribbon cutting like this and give everyone um that has put so much time, effort, money, love into buildings like this to show them this kind of outreach and out this pouring of support um is great and it's my favorite part of my job. Um so I thank you all for being here today. Um I am going to kind of pass the torch over here a little bit um from person to person. Um, starting with our town manager, Michael Herbert. [Applause] Thanks, Beth. Hi, everybody. How's everybody doing? Great. Good. Um, so it's so great to be here finally at uh at the the pickle ball courts here. I've never heard of pickle ball before. I'm just joking, you know. Um, pickle ball it's
003Is it still the fastest growing sport in America? Yeah. And uh, you know, I thought it was relatively new, but um, I was talking to somebody who's an afficionado of this. Actually, it might have been Tony and Helen. Um, you I think like pickle ball a little bit. I've heard. Um, but you know, pickle ball started, I think, in the 60s in Belleview, Washington. I think it was in Washington. Some some island in Washington. So, it wasn't Belleview, but uh anyway, it's just so interesting how um a sport can kind of go it it kind of gets started and kind of stay underground for a while and then all of a sudden it explodes and again it becomes the uh fastest growing sport in America. And so, uh we're so lucky to have pickle ball
004courts here in Ashland uh that's not owned by Framingham State. So, we we love all pickle ball courts in Ashland. Um, that was a joke, folks. Sorry. Any of it, you know, if President Nim is here or or well, I was about to say Dale, you know, apologies. But, uh, in any case, uh, what a remarkable transformation of this space here. And then also what a remarkable transformation of this building. Um, I just was asking Steve, I was like, you know, you had a vision for this building, right? He's like, yeah, kind of. Let me tell you, you don't transform a building that was in the condition that it was in 10 years ago without vision, without persistence, without creativity, and without being able to get a whole bunch of business partners together and and
005being able to kind of be the leader and and and basically develop that vision that inspires people and gets them on board. And Steve, you've done that. and you and your partners have done that just uh to the nth degree. I mean, I remember when I came to town just what this building looked like and just what this building was. Um, and to see how it has transformed over the decade is just remarkable. And in a lot of ways, it mirrors what Ashland has transformed into over the last 10 years. Those of you that have been in town know what we've done collectively um to this town. And again, it just kind of mirrors the trajectory that Steve and this building have gone through. So, Steve, congratulations to everything for you to you and to
006everything that you've accomplished. Um, we're so glad you're doing it in Nashland, though. And, uh, look forward to live here anymore. Well, I wasn't going to say anything about that, but uh, since you brought it, just joking. Um, no. And, uh, I just, uh, thank you. I want to thank everybody here who helped make this possible. Um again all the way from you know 10 years ago to now. Um it took a lot lot of people working rowing in the same direction. Uh Beth obviously is at the center of of all of our business activity and you just look across the street at the old Dairy Queen and seeing that happening and um it's just uh it's just great to be here and great to see you all here and great uh for you all
007to be a part of it. So, uh, um, actually, that's a good opportunity to introduce some of our select board members that I see here in attendance who played a big role here. I see Claudia, you're hiding in the back, and got Claudia Bennett, Yolanda Greens, our chair, Brady Kinsman, our vice chair. Um, I don't see Joe or Makita here, but they were certainly involved. But, um, thank you for everything that you do in town, um, including support, uh, businesses like this. So, uh, without further ado, Beth, you want me to turn it over to you or do you want me to turn it over to Susan? No. Representative I stand a few steps behind me. All right. Well, I will give the middle of them and I will now introduce Representative Jack Lewis. I
008was hoping for more time to dry off, but thank you so much. Well, I can talk, so um, while I lettered in marching band, it may be a surprise to you I'm not an athlete. Uh, and that was that was a lot. Uh, I'd never played pickle ball before. And when it was described to me, it was described as tennis, but less difficult on the joints, I think, was the person. They were lying. I have no idea what they were talking about because I feel gross. Um, but alive. I feel alive. I should come back and do it. Um, there's also Signature Cocktails, which may be the real reason uh I I come back, to be honest. Um, I am so excited to bring a citation. I know Susan has one from the Senate President
009as well uh celebrating this grand opening uh here signed by myself, the Ashen State Rep and the Speaker of the House. Uh I hear about pickle ball from constituents all the time. Typically, it's good things like we need more pickle ball courts. I was sharing I think with Beth beforehand, there's a park in Framingham where the people play it too loudly and the neighbors complain and so I'm going to send them here. um the complaining neighbors to the bar, but the pickle ball players uh to to play. Uh but no, really excited and happy to have been able to to give it a try myself. Uh I'll I'll just read a part of uh the citation. Be it hereby known to you all, the Massachusetts House of Representatives offers its sincerest congratulations to Clock Tower
010Pickle Ball. In recognition of your grand opening, the entire membership extends its very best wishes and expresses the hope for future good fortune and continued success in all endeavors. Signs this March 19th, 2025. Congratulations. So, I'm happy to be representing Senate President Keran Goa, Ashland native. Um, I just saw her when I was leaving the state house. She was going into some sort of glum meeting and she looked especially jealous that I was going to be here cuz she knew I'd be in a place that was celebratory and so supportive. So, she did have this citation made up, asked me to read it to you from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts State Senate official citation. Be it known that the Massachusetts Senate hereby extends its congratulations to Clock Tower pickle ball in recognition of the joyous
011occasion of your ribbon cutting and it's filed and signed by multiple people including Senator. Thank you. Two more. Adam from the Ashlin Businesses president of the Ashlin Business Association. Steve, congratulations. Uh, Adam Saxs, uh, Ashen Business Association. Um, congratulations to you, your partners, uh, Mike, Tim, Eric, Phil, um, and Eric. Um, if I said Eric twice, I apologize. You should say it twice. He's on top. He's the best. Um, you know, I've been a tennis player for since I was like 5 years old. I love tennis and I've been sort of uh holding back and um you know I'm excited uh that uh today was the first day I actually played pickle ball. Uh Kathy raise your hand Kathy. Kathy knows the rules of uh pickle ball. She was my partner and gave me some
012instructions. Very exciting. I printed out actually on your website all the rules. So u kitchen uh ball has bounced twice back and forth. So that's great. So on behalf of uh the board, I'd like to introduce some of our board members. Sandy Monosino, Dino Weissberg, uh Bill Gaff, Beth Reynolds. Uh National Business Association is really geared to help create uh visibility for our businesses here in town, create a healthy business environment. Ultimately, we also give back to the community in various ways. Certainly giving uh scholarships to Ashlin High School seniors that exemplify community service. Uh we're very excited to have a speed networking event next uh Tuesday at Bagel Table. All are welcome to attend. Um you know ultimately um this is just really exciting to have a great business like this here in town
013and um we have a little certificate of recognition. Um this certificate of recognition is awarded to Clock Tower Pickle Ball in honor of their official ribbon cutting on on this day. The Ashley Business Association is extends its best wishes for continued success. Welcome to Ashlin. Thank you. And then one last um Yolanda, you want to just speak on behalf of the board. Sure. Congratulations. Uh I'm Yolanda Greaves. I'm the current chair of the Ashton Select Board. to say that because we rotate every year and people walk up to me and go, "Are you still chair?" I'm like, "Yeah, now I am." Um, but in a few months I will be. Uh, it's always great to see the work that Beth and Michael and the rest of our town staff do to support businesses like this.
014Uh, I tell this quick story that my husband's first time here in Ashland was probably in like 1982 or 1983, somewhere around there. he actually came into this building and put in a theater like lights and stuff for for a theater. Um, and he went to Dairy Queen. So to Michael's to Michael's comment, the transformation that Steve and his team, because it's always a team, it's never one person that has done to this building and the businesses that have come here into Ashland that are transforming our town and making people want to live here and be here and become community members is what really makes Ashland Ashland. So, thank you all for being here. Congratulations, Steven. Congratulations, Beth, your team, Michael. Um, I just want to thank Claudia and Brandy for being here as well,
015my fellow board members. And let's cut a ribbon because that's all that standing between me and that. So, here we go. And one last thing, we are actually going live. So, if you want to let people know if they want to watch the ribbon cutting, they can go to the Around the Clock Facebook page. And we're live on Facebook right now. So, we have one more thing, I think, and that's to hear from clock tower pickle ball team. So, so people have asked, "Haven't they been open for a while?" And it's been a year since the courts have been open. Um, and Steve a year ago said, "Let's just wait. We'll get the bar and the restaurant open, and then we'll do a ribbon cutting." So, here we are, year later. Uh, the bar is
016open now. Um, they just got their occupancies a couple weeks ago, a month ago. Yeah. Um, so I'm going to turn it over to you to introduce your team maybe and tell us a little bit about this place. Sure. Thanks. You guys come on up here. All the partners. Jake, get up here. Macy, get in there. So, um, first of all, we have a lot of partners. We have 22 partners, um, that do this together and there's a lot of people that do a lot on a daily basis and they'll get an opportunity to talk. Apologize for my voice. I've learned. I'm not supposed to talk, but I'm going to talk anyway because that's all I do. Um, first of all, I want to take the thank the town. You guys have been awesome. Uh,
017Sue Roby is an absolute all-star. I don't think we'd be here without her. Just her guidance getting us through the permitting, the the liquor license, and all the different things. She's been great. Uh, Beth, you've been great. The whole town's been good. Um, and we want to thank the town obviously for all they've done. Michael is alluding to the fact, you know, the 10 years was um me and my partners owned this building uh from 2004 until 2020. And uh we did do a lot of transformation of this building. Some of the things I'm most proud about that we did was a lot of the local services like the fire the fire department used to not come in this building if there was a fire. They wouldn't come in here because it was so unsafe
018and we made it a very safe place and you know the doors weren't locked vagrants in this place. No one wanted to be in this in this building. So, we did transform it a lot. We did get a lot of good tenants in here and then we sold it to a to a friend of mine. So, I'm still uh operating the building, but just wanted to touch base on on what Michael was talking about for 10 years. The pickle ball started in 2023 at Del Frisco's. We had an idea. I put together a business plan. We met downtown and we talked about it and uh we said, "Let's let's uh let's go for it." So, you know, the wheel started there. But before I'm going to go back a little more for thanks. I want
019to thank Walker Development and specifically my son Mickey who built the bar. I definitely thank all of our partners. Um, our team, Macy and Patty and Michaela and Beth. They do a great job. We tell them to make this the most friendly place you can come to. Help everyone out. Do everything you can to make their experience great. And that's what we're going to continue to do. Um, so that's kind of our our uh our mission. So, obviously, thanks to my wife for letting me come from Charles Town all the time back here. We did live in uh Ashlin for 26 27 whatever years and now we live in Charles Town, but uh back here a lot. So, what the hell? I have a car. I don't walk. Um, you don't think I walk, baby.
020So, as I said, we had 22 partners. Um, it was really interesting when we started the project. Um, it kind of started all at PKL. Some guys were playing in a league, a downtown Boston place. Went there and they were we were watching it and all of a sudden uh one of our friends came up here and they set up a temporary court. They said, "Oh, we can play inside here." So, we came and we looked at it and I hired an architect and went through that whole process. Um, kind of did the lease, hired the staff. Uh, it was a lot because of all of us that are owners. Not one of us has ever owned a bar, a recreational facility, a restaurant, or anything. This is all our our third, fourth, fifth jobs.
021We don't No one's working here full-time doing this. It's all just kind of a passion project is kind of what we talked about and uh I get a lot of help from a lot of people. So, specifically my friend Tim Sgs, Mike Cork, Bookie, you're here all the time. You need to come more. You need to get here more. You're here all the time. Um, and just the ability to have all these guys here all the time and um, it's it's been truly truly incredible and I think we've really created a good community of what people want. It's so I mean Mike and I, SES and I have talked, you know, we sit here and the courts are full. People are playing. Old ladies are banging it back and forth and we're like this is
022unbelievably cool. I can't I wasn't talking about you. Oh, you're young. I'm young. But just the joy that people are having, the joy that people are having is incredible. You know, to see the joy and to see them playing it and be able to do it inside is is exciting. So, I wanted you guys to talk a little bit about the experience and what you guys have been uh doing. Yeah. Uh Tim Gazer, an investor. Um thank you. Thank you. I actually once you heard that knowing we didn't do anything I thought the 12 months was just a trial. That's we see if we were going to make it before you cut a ribbon. But uh I'm not going to try and talk too much about uh the community piece cuz that's Mike's uh talking
023point. Um but that's kind of what all this is about. Um you know, we've done a lot of private events um that have been a huge lift for us. We're on our fifth iteration of leagues. Um, and just to come to think about where we started, our first event was uh the moms of Ashlin. It was 24 moms in our third week. And just the lift and what that uh took on our end and how we didn't really know how to run an event and just to see uh see the operation and what Macy's has been able to do and and um all the events we've been able to hold in the last 30 to 45 days. we've held um church groups, temple groups, birthday parties, networking events. Um and it's just been really special
024to see um the different groups of people be able to come in here and leverage this facility to um you know, grow their special groups and and uh um you know, I'm from Ashland. My parents are from Ashland. So to be able to have this and build this um as a as a space for the community to to use as a place to hold their special events and their teams, it it means a lot. So um thank you guys all for coming. I'm excited to uh to get on with your two. Appreciate it. And uh I'm Mike Bor. I'm going to talk to you just a little bit about the community that we fostered here. And this default fell to me because I am here all the time. Um so we talked a lot about
025transformation. Um when I came into this building into this space I'm going to say 15 months ago this was document storage. This was a barren warehouse that just had medical documents in it. And you know, in through Steve's vision, we've been able to go ahead and build this place and really foster a community of people that have gone from beyond just people that play pickle ball together to groups of friends that now go to dinner, that now kind of form their own games. Um, it is so rewarding to us. It's probably the the I would say the proudest moment for us is to see all these different friendships and how we've been able to help kind of change and enhance people's lives. So, um, with that, let's cut that ribbon. Yeah. Well, first of all,
026I think that David Yeah. Hi everyone. Uh, David Marcia or or SGS. Um, my wife and I have two kids in the Ashton school system, a junior and eighth grader. We've been in town for about 20 years. Uh, we've all been fortunate enough to meet each other through golf in Framingham Country Club, which is where we met Steve. Uh, a lot of us were fortunate to be part owners of this building. And so when Steve sold the building and he came through and said, "Hey, I have an idea for pickle ball." We're like, "Where in the hell in this building pickle ball?" So, you know, Mike said about 15 months ago, we sat in that corner and some rusty old clothing chairs. And there's probably 10 of us. And nine out of the 10 were
027looking around just looking at cobwebs, scratches on the floor, holes in the wall. And Steve was just like, "No, you don't understand. There's going to be a court here, a court there, a court there. There's the bar. There's going to be TVs. Kitchen's going to be there. There's going to be, you know, prep sinks." and we're just like, "Okay, we trust you." And here we are 15 months later. Like Mike said, the community of people that uh that we've kind of cultivated has been amazing. We've met so many people from Western Mass, Connecticut, Rhode Island. They all seem to come here because of the family aspect and the community that we built. So, thanks for coming. Thank you. [Applause]