We were lucky to catch up with Greg Raelson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Greg, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

Pickleballerz was created to fill multiple needs for our pickleball community here in Northern Virginia. Obviously, there was a lack of indoor pickleball when the weather isn’t very conducive to outdoor play, but even moreso was the lack of “adequate” options for pickleball all-around. Most of the courts in our area were makeshift – extra lines on tennis courts, portable nets, or lines put down on a wood gymnasium floor. We wanted to have a professional facility for pickleball exclusively, with “real” courts, permanent nets, and a top-notch surface to provide the ultimate playing experience for all levels. Additionally, we wanted to grow the sport we love, so creating a place where new players can be introduced to the sport with beginner lessons and where more advanced players can continue to hone their skills with our fantastic coaching staff was critical. Pickleballerz has since become a “home” for our pickleball playing community and we think of our members and players as our pickleball “family.”

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Pickleballerz was started by my father Jeff Raelson (CEO), my wife Beverly Raelson (COO), and myself in 2020. We all come from a lifetime of playing and enjoying tennis and other sports, but once we discovered pickleball we knew we’d be hooked. Together, we combined our individual experiences in business, management, leadership, and public relations to develop the business and grow it to what it is today.

We’d love to hear about you met your business partner.

Well, obviously we are related, but we’ve never been in business together before. In 2019, my father Jeff was visiting from Florida where he lives. We were sitting around the kitchen table lamenting over the fact that there was no place to play pickleball inside during unfavorable weather. Thus, the idea for Pickleballerz was borne. We decided to put our idea into action almost immediately and began the development of our business plan and started to seek out potential locations.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Our reputation is 5-star, literally. We take great pride in our online reviews and feedback we get from our customers. It boils down to a few core elements: Providing excellent customer service; employing friendly and outgoing staff; offering a wide variety of programs and events; and maintaining a clean and professional facility. We hold ourselves to very high standards. Also, our reputation is strengthened because we aren’t just nameless “business people” but our customers see us on the courts playing pickleball as well. We come from within the pickleball community and are just as much a part of it as our players.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.pickleballerzusa.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/pickleballerzusa
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/pickleballerzusa

Image Credits
Pickleballerz