May 4, 2026
Headlines

February 2025

Power of the Pickle: How Opelika Pickleball is Serving Up Growth and Community Involvement

Riley Watkins015 mins

It is widely known that the popularity of pickleball has been steadily increasing over the past few years. One of the primary reasons for this growth is the innovative approaches that pickleball clubs are taking to attract new members, engage with the community, and organize top-notch tournaments with significant impact. That is exactly what Opelika Pickleball is doing. Since its inception in 2019, Opelika Pickleball has been a hub for pickleball in the southeast United States.

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Chicken N Pickle Employee Benefits Program

Emma Jane08 mins

Chicken N Pickle is one of the premier entertainment-focused pickleball venues in the country. With its indoor/outdoor pickleball complex, a variety of yard games, and hearty restaurant, Chicken N Pickle is a unique experience that seeks to serve its guests well. However, their guests are not the only ones well-served by the company as they offer their employees a robust benefits package to show their appreciation and care in addition to their wages. Of their benefits program, Jessica Sharpsteen, Chicken N Pickle’s Director of Human Resources, Training, and Recruiting, says, “Our benefits are in line with our core values. [We] want to ensure our team members have [the] insurance coverage they need to be happy and healthy but also feel valued for the time they give back to the community.” While it requires sacrifice on the company’s part, Chicken N Pickle understands the need to make their team members feel valued in order to run a successful business and does so through several generous elements within their benefits program.

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The Pickle Lodge Ensures Member Satisfaction with Court Time Availability

Amy Busse16 mins

With over 1,700 paying members and thousands of drop-in members, The Pickle Lodge in Cincinnati, Ohio, has found a successful formula for keeping its 17 indoor courts full and their membership steady. 

Player Experience Coordinator Ethan Shutte says keeping members happy is key to their success. 

“We make sure the members have what they need and put them first by catering to them as much as possible,” he says. 

Since its soft opening in June of 2023, The Pickle Lodge has used the Court Reserve booking system that allows all players to select their own court time. Ethan says the system is easy to use and every player is encouraged to download the app in order to book through their phone. Players who don’t want to use the app can also book online through the website. The app allows players to book open play, round-robins, clinics, leagues and lessons. Ethan says he hasn’t heard any complaints from members about the app that proves it’s working as it should.

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The Kitchen Spreads Through Utah With Streamlined Business Model

Joseph Peshek07 mins

The Kitchen is a Utah-based pickleball franchise quickly spreading through the state. Their facility designs are smaller and more intimate, but their impact on the Utah pickleball scene has been significant. The owners of the Kitchen save loads of their time and energy by installing small, self-running facilities that require little to no employee maintenance. Efficient, low-maintenance facilities are the key to the Kitchen’s unique business model.

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Vision Casting and Value Setting for Your Club

Emma Jane110 mins

Because so much of a club’s identity over time hinges on the initial vision casting from its founders and core values that stem from this vision, being purposeful about vision and values is crucial to a club’s origin story. In this article, we get to hear from three new clubs in various parts of the country on how they initially determined their club’s vision and values, setting them on a successful course to effectively communicate their mission with their community.

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