We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Devan Egan. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Devan below.

Alright, Devan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So, let’s start with trends – what are some of the largest or more impactful trends you are seeing in the industry?

Our business competes with free. The alternative to purchasing our product is not a competitor with a better price or superior product, it’s going to the park and not having to pay anything. The trade-offs are notable, but nonetheless free.

The trend we are experiencing a massive shift in is the number of pickleball players who are wanting skill-oriented play. Even in the fair weather, we have players that would rather pay a small premium for high level play instead of playing at a park for free.

We are also seeing such substantial growth in the sport that the public parks can’t keep up with the demand. So aside from the experience we offer, some players are willing to pay to play instead of waiting at a public court.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?

Sure thing, my name is Devan Egan. I’m just your ordinary guy…married for 12 years, 3 kids with 1 on the way. I was born & raised in Utah and currently live in Lehi, UT. My professional life has always been in the real estate industry: buy/sell, finance, investment & hospitality.

I got into the pickleball industry by playing. My dad & I played together in the summer of 2020, we entered our first tournament in Sept of 2020 and then by Jan 2021 we had opened the largest indoor pickleball club in the country.

That tournament helped us identify the problems we needed to solve. We played on converted tennis courts with temporary nets, taped lines and undersized courts. We had confidence that players would be willing to pay for better conditions. The next thing we realized is that most people didn’t have
anyone to play with, so we started organizing doubles events where players could sign up individually and we would match them with other players.

The most distinguishing thing about our Club is our brand and culture. Our players are part of a large family and everyone is incredibly supportive of each other.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Accessibility. We are with our customers. We regularly play with them and interact with them at tournaments. Many other Clubs, nobody knows who owns it. They don’t have a friendship or connection with ownership, but we have made this a point of emphasis to be well known among our players.

I can walk into either Club on any day and know at least half of the players in the building by their first name. This has helped us tremendously.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

About 45 days in we realized our business model was flawed. We thought players would want to just reserve courts like us. But we were totally wrong and had to shift our business to being experience oriented where we organized events for them. So many players don’t have a group to play with.

We pivoted overnight and did it with precision. It was a subtle change, but a lot of business owners may have been more stubborn or unwilling to change. We embrace change and love when we’re wrong, it’s the fastest way to getting it right.

Contact Info:

• Website: clubpickleballusa.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/clubpickleballusa
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClubPickleballUSA/
• Other: Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/clubpickleballusa