Meet the Member: Rich Salgo
Where are you from? If not from Reno, what brought you here?
I was born and raised in Las Vegas, and lived there all the way through high school, graduating from Western High School. Like many of my friends, I wanted to break away from my childhood home for college, but stay in-state and not too far away, so I chose UNR, and ended up falling in love with Reno and all there is to do here. When I graduated with my Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering in 1985, my future wife, Amy, and I decided to stay in Reno even though we had some great career opportunities in the Bay Area and in Las Vegas. This was a decision that we’ve never regretted. I’m proud to call Reno my home now for 43 years!
How long have you been a member of WTC?
I was a member briefly in the ’90s, but have been a continuous member since 2019. I had played mostly at Lakeridge and had only occasionally played at Washoe in the course of USTA matches and other non-league play over the years. In 2022, I volunteered to be on the Club’s Board of Directors and currently serve as Board Secretary.
What WTC or activities do you participate in?
I am a regular in the men’s 4.5 Bump Doubles seasons and I’ve been playing on the Men’s 4.5 Washoe 18-and-over team, a.k.a. the “B Team” for years. I also have been playing on Washoe’s Mixed 9.0 18-and-over and 40-and-over teams for several years.
What’s your tennis story? What got you started and what keeps you going?
My dad got me started with tennis lessons in Las Vegas at age 10. I was coached in those early years by a renowned teaching pro, Gar Glenney. Some may remember that Glenney eventually moved to Reno, was head pro at the MGM Grand indoor tennis facility, and served on this Club’s Board for a time. I had a great bunch of tennis friends in my early teens. We used to spend every summer day on the courts at the various hotel properties on the Strip – Frontier, Dunes, Desert Inn, Caesars, Riviera, etc., bouncing from court to court hitting and playing from early morning until our parents picked us up after work. Vegas was a terrific tennis town at that time; imagine a bunch of teens being welcomed onto hotel/casino properties to use their courts.
My junior tennis claim to fame was actually getting seeded (13th) in the 14-and-under Intermountain tournament, which at the time was one of a dozen or so sections in the country, comprising southern Nevada, Utah, Idaho, and Colorado. Unfortunately, I lost early, without upholding my seeding, but hey, it was still pretty cool to get seeded that high. As a junior player, I recall one local tournament where I got my runner-up trophy presented by none other than Martina Navratilova, who was just bursting onto the professional scene. I also got to be a ballboy at the Alan King Classic, which was held annually in Vegas for a number of years. It was fun to be on the same court with guys like McEnroe, Gerulaitis, Nastase, Tanner and Connors.
When I came to Reno in 1981 for college, I walked onto the Nevada Men’s tennis team, quickly finding that I’d better just stick to engineering coursework instead of competing with that level of talent. After that, I have pretty much just played for the enjoyment and exercise, only in the past ten years or so joining some USTA team competitions. I keep going, because of the pure joy of solid ball-striking and satisfaction of rapid movement around the court, and I can’t think of a better way to try to stay fit.
Who in your favorite tennis player? Why?
Wow, there are so many choices! Borg and Vilas were my favorites as a youngster. Today, I marvel at the complete game of Carlos Alcaraz, and I’m always rooting for him these days. I’m also looking to see great things from Ben Shelton – he’s so fun to watch and so explosive and gutsy! On the women’s side, I’m rooting for Coco Gauff, but also love the energy and disposition of Jasmine Paolini, who nearly captured the Wimbledon title this year. Hands down, though, my all-time favorite player is Roger Federer. I was lucky enough to see him play at Wimbledon on Centre Court in 2018! What an amazing fluid and graceful player he was.
What is another favorite hobby other than Tennis?
Besides tennis, I enjoy biking, hiking, occasional downhill skiing and x-country skiing. Woodworking is another enjoyable pastime, making furniture, such as: bookcases, tables, benches, and even a few sewing cabinets to help perpetuate Amy’s quilting passion.
Would you like to share anything about your family, pets included?
Amy and I have two grown daughters, one a veterinarian and the other a physical therapist. We also have two grandkids, a girl almost 4 years old and a 9-month old boy. The grandkids are a great joy to be with and watch as they develop into little people. My granddaughter is very excited about tennis, and sometimes watches matches on TV, especially when Coco is playing! We’ve always had dogs, and currently we have two small Labradoodles that keep us busy and entertained.
Would you like to share anything about your occupation?
While I was entering my senior year at UNR in the College of Engineering, I landed an opportunity as a summer student intern at Sierra Pacific Power Company (predecessor of NV Energy). That was 1984, and I stayed with that company for thirty years, working through various engineering and operations positions, eventually into leadership and then up to executive leadership, until I left the company in 2014. There were great opportunities and fabulous co-workers throughout my time there. From there, I spent a year as the head of Liberty Utilities California operations in Tahoe. I then found my way back to a pure engineering and project management consulting job with Tri Sage Consulting, an engineering consulting firm here in Reno, staffed primarily with ex-NV Energy engineers. I still do a bit of on-demand consulting with them today, but for the most part, I’m retired.
Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself?
In late 2017, Amy talked me into getting certified to SCUBA dive. The final open-water certification dives we conducted in the icy waters of Lake Tahoe in mid-December of that year, scheduled so that we could take advantage of a 4-day live-aboard SCUBA boat trip at Australia’s Great Barrier Reef in January of 2018. Today, we are up to almost 80 dives, and we are thrilled with the experience every chance we get; however, never will we dive in such cold waters as Tahoe again! One other thing about that year, 2018: We made it a successful mission to attend all four Grand Slam Majors in the calendar year, our own personal spectator Grand Slam!
