North American Table Tennis, LLC conducted its first major event in November of 1998, the North American Teams Table Tennis Championships in Baltimore, Maryland. This event is one of three Majors for the sport of table tennis in the United States. Previously, the Teams had been held in Detroit, MI, but in 1998 the operator was unable to hold his event. Players were delighted when NATT moved the event to its new home in Baltimore's Inner Harbor bringing professionalism and new enthusiasm to the sport." Thanks to a lifetime as a player, Richard Lee had identified several areas in which USA Table Tennis events could be improved. Through professional event management and software development, NATT has been able to develop events that are the most attended in USA Table Tennis. NATT has even been contracted to manage the US Open Championships, the US National Championships, US Open Team Championships, and the US Olympic Team Trials. In 2000, NATT developed a tour of table tennis events, bringing professionally operated events to venues across America. With industry support for this activity from Sporting Goods Manufacturers, the North American Table Tennis Tour was born. For the first time in USA Table Tennis history, an independent operator took the sport "on the road."