A day seldom passes when someone doesn't stop Dani Apted to ask a question or tell a story. More often than not, though, the stories have no connection to her job as president of the St. Louis Aces. The questions have nothing to do with the travails of being a woman running a pro sports franchise.

Instead, people ask where to find that recipe for sour cream noodle bake or spinach salad or split lemon cake. They tell her about a prom or wedding night they'll never forget.

"I feel like my family is a part of their lives. St. Louis is so connected to nostalgia," she said. "I hope my grandchildren hear stories about tennis that are so nostalgic."

For the recipes and reminiscences, she can thank her great-grandmother, Florence Hulling Apted, who served up yummy comfort food at Miss Hulling's.

She can thank her grandfather, Stephen, who expanded Miss Hulling's to five restaurants, then bought the property that became the Cheshire Inn and adjoining Fox and Hounds tavern. A sports enthusiast, Stephen also founded the Creve Coeur Racquet Club in 1968 and hosted tennis exhibitions and events through the 1960s and '70s.

And she can thank her father, Dan, who has expanded the tennis end of the business, even though Miss Hulling's restaurants have closed and the Cheshire Inn has been sold.

"We seem to skip generations," Dan said. "My grandmother was a lot like me, a back-of-the-house grinder. Dani is like my dad. She loves being out front, she's a people person and she loves taking an idea and running with it."

The Apted family took over management of Dwight Davis Tennis Center in Forest Park in 2004. When the Aces went up for sale a few months later, he bought the franchise, with the approval of the Dwight Davis board.

"I told them, 'I don't want to see St. Louis lose this. And I think Dani can sell it,'" Dan said.

Dani spent her early life training to carry on the family business. She learned to play tennis on a family vacation in Jamaica at age 4 or 5, when her uncle, Dave, took her to the court "for at least four hours," she said.

"And I didn't let her off until she learned how to play," Dave said. "But she was a better person for it."

She played tennis her freshman year at Visitation Academy but chose to focus on volleyball and softball through high school, making the Post-Dispatch All-Metro softball team in 1997 and '98 as a catcher.

"At the time, tennis hit too close to home," she said. "Everyone played, and everyone had an opinion on my game. Volleyball and softball were just fun, and I loved team sports."

Despite receiving softball scholarships, she veered again, making the volleyball team at St. Louis U. as a walk-on. A defensive specialist, she eventually earned a scholarship and became co-captain her senior year.

"Being at SLU taught me how to take care of athletes," she said. "When all we had to worry about was playing, we won. But when things like hotels and meals went wrong or were out of our control, it was harder to win. Little things like that are the difference between winning and losing."

Dan said she started helping in family affairs around age 15, including stints at the front desk at Creve Coeur and as a hostess on the courts. She also helped sell sponsorships for golf tournaments "and probably made more at that than she's making now," Dan said. "She learned how to talk to people and really got good at sales."

When the Apteds took over Dwight Davis, Dani became facilities manager. When they bought the Aces, she took over as president. Shortly thereafter, she met her husband, Eric Schlottman, manager of international accounting for Emerson Electric. They dated awhile, broke up and got back together, "but when he took vacation time one June to help me set up for the season, I knew he was the one," she said.

In an effort to reach beyond the traditional tennis crowd, she has come up with dozens of doozy promotions. She gave out duck calls for the Great Outdoors Night last week, has invited family pets to tonight's match and will serve up ladies night for the season finale, which features Mark Philippoussis. The team also offers Quickstart tennis clinics before every match, designed to introduce kids to the game in 45 minutes — as opposed to four hours.

The season ticket base has remained steady, she said, but overall attendance has inched up and the average age of the crowd has trended down in the six-plus seasons that the Apteds have owned the franchise.

"I know that I would have a tough time working for someone other than my family," she said. "I can come up with a promotion and not have to get approval. But there are times I wish I could shut off at 5 o'clock."

The players, though, benefit from her long hours. When Lindsay Davenport had to forgo playing this season because doctors advised her not to fly during pregnancy, coach Rick Leach said, "Lindsay was in tears and said, 'I feel so sorry for Dani.' Those were the first words out of her mouth, before anything about the team or the league. That shows you how much the players appreciate Dani. She takes care of little things, like a ride from the airport or laundry or food at the hotel. She takes care of her team, and the team responds to that."

The Aces could repay her with a World TeamTennis championship, the franchise's first since 1996. Entering Monday's match in Boston, the Aces were a game behind Kansas City and Sacramento with four matches remaining. But to this point, Dani lists her proudest achievement as Dwight Davis being named the Public Park of the Year by Racquet Sports Industry magazine this year.

"Dwight Davis is beautiful now. The grounds are immaculate and the courts are beautiful," she said. "Everyone can enjoy them, not just the Aces."

Though founded by Billie Jean King and presided over by Ilana Kloss, the league still has heavy male participation at the top. Apted, 30, is the only woman president in the nine-team league.

"I may get more attention in some environments, but does that fill the stands or win matches? No," she said. "I feel like Billie Jean and Ilana worked hard to equal things out. I think you need to follow their lead."

Rather than highlight her position as the top-ranking female executive among St. Louis' pro sports franchises, she keeps the focus on family and its mission to grow tennis. After wrapping up the Aces' season this week, her next project will be promoting the Champions Classic, Oct. 21 at Chaifetz Arena. The event will feature John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, Michael Chang and Jim Courier.

"I'm trying to make tennis here more than the St. Louis Aces," she said. "I'm really excited about the champions series. I put my reputation on the line that St. Louis can support this kind of tennis. I know it can."