Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Brayton.
Hi Joe, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’m the CEO and Co-Founder of Pickler Universe and a serial entrepreneur with more than 50 years of executive leadership experience spanning healthcare, technology, finance, hospitality, and sports. I previously co-founded and helped grow Paragon Healthcare from a startup through its acquisition by Elevance Health, serving in executive roles including CFO and Chief Strategy Officer.
With a background in accounting, IT, and consulting, I spent more than 30 years in healthcare. After my partner and I sold our business and “retired,” we started looking for something to keep us busy. We had intended to play some pickleball, but we quickly discovered that finding an available court wasn’t always easy. In the process, we realized there was a need we could help fill.
I’ve always believed in the mantra “go big or go home,” so we decided to go large. When the opportunity came along to develop the two largest indoor pickleball facilities in the U.S., we figured if one was good, two must be great. From a business perspective, we also saw the value in establishing a strong presence in the market with facilities at a scale that would be difficult to replicate.
Today, I’m bringing my experience in entrepreneurship, leadership, business strategy, and customer experience to Pickler Universe as we build what we like to call the “country club” of pickleball. Ironically, we still don’t get to play much pickleball ourselves, but we’re having a great time building a fantastic venue and creating a place where other people can.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
As I mentioned, we didn’t initially set out to open the two largest indoor pickleball facilities. During our search, we came across both buildings, which were being used at the time as volleyball and basketball facilities, and began negotiating to purchase them.
Both locations came with their own issues, and the deals went through a lot of on-again, off-again periods. By April or May of 2024, we were convinced both deals were dead. At that point, we thought we were either going to have to start the search all over again or give up on the idea altogether.
Then, within just a few days of each other, both locations suddenly came back into play. After months of uncertainty, we ended up closing on both properties just one week apart around the beginning of July 2024.
I guess the lesson is to be careful what you wish for. We went from thinking we might not have a facility at all to owning two of them almost overnight.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Pickler Universe?
Pickler Universe is an indoor pickleball destination designed to offer much more than just a place to play. We’ve built one of the largest indoor pickleball facilities in DFW, but for us, being the biggest isn’t enough. Our goal is to also provide the best possible experience, with high-quality courts, great lighting, extensive amenities, and a 100% indoor environment where the Texas weather is never a problem.
But what really sets us apart is the experience we’re creating beyond the courts. We think of Pickler Universe as the “country club” of pickleball. We want it to be a welcoming, relaxed environment where people can play, socialize, grab a meal or a drink, and simply hang out, whether they’re playing pickleball that day or not.
Hospitality is a big part of that vision. We’ll have a full-service restaurant and bar developed with a nationally recognized chef, adding another reason for people to spend time at Pickler Universe beyond the sport itself.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
The growth curve for pickleball continues to be incredibly strong, and I think we’re still in the early stages of seeing where the sport can go. It’s being introduced in schools, which means younger and younger players are getting involved, and we’re now seeing opportunities such as college scholarships emerge around the sport.
There’s also growing interest in pickleball eventually becoming an Olympic sport, which would bring another level of visibility and participation.
As more people discover the sport, one of the biggest challenges will simply be keeping up with that growth. You need enough quality courts and facilities to accommodate all of those new players. From our perspective, that demand for infrastructure is going to be an important part of the industry’s evolution over the next five to 10 years.
Pricing:
- Memberships are available but are not required to play at Pickler Universe.
- Guests can walk in and rent a court without a membership.
- Players can also join Open Play, which is essentially the pickup game of pickleball.
- For those who play more regularly, we offer four levels of membership, each with additional discounts and benefits.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.pickleruniverse.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pickleruniverse
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PicklerUniverse
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pickler-universe/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@pickler-universe
