Gold Coast Distributing family meets its match

Owning one of the region’s largest beer distribution companies has its perks.

Last year, John Saputo, founder of Gold Coast Eagle Distributing, bought Ohio-based Dickerson Distributing, which sponsored the Western & Southern Tennis Open from Aug. 15 to Aug. 23, in Cincinnati. The tournament is a qualifier to the U.S. Open.

 “Everybody was there,” Saputo said. “You name a tennis star, they were there. It was unbelievable.”

Sponsors had the opportunity to participate in tennis clinics, and Saputo’s wife, Denise Saputo, and daughter, Bethany Saputo-Dugger, received one-on-one lessons with tennis stars Mike and Bob Bryan.

“I was extremely surprised how grounded they all are and how focused they are on their sport,” Saputo said. “They are all very, very down to earth and not prima donnas at all.”

The champions of this year’s open were Serena Williams for the second consecutive year and Roger Federer for a record-breaking seventh title.