Although Wolverine Pickleball started as a fun hobby, founders Christy Howden and Leslie White, have made their entrepreneurial spirit and love for pickleball into full-on second careers. But it’s not just paddles and plastic balls you’ll find at Wolverine—it’s a gathering place for fun, drinks, community and multiple sports and games.
The Ann Arbor-based company employs 38 people and the atmosphere of Wolverine Pickleball fully embodies the journey Howden and White have been on. They’ve created an environment where competition and community meet hand-in-hand, creating an exciting venue to enjoy sports and be social. Because of this, Wolverine Pickleball is considered a premier destination for pickleball players all over the Midwest.
Howden, Wolverine Pickleball’s CEO, answered some ques-tions for us about their relationship with SBAM, how they market to broaden their base and ways they create a vibrant community:
Focus: Pickleball has been experiencing incredible popularity the past few years. Why did you decide to open a club?
Howden: When I learned to play pickleball in 2017, I was told I was too young to play! I had no idea I was at a senior citizen center inside the school. They graciously offered me an oppor-tunity to purchase a senior-in-training card to join. Definitely something I never thought I would purchase in my life.
We started Wolverine Pickleball in 2018 out of our desire for more pickleball and this was before the hype of pickleball began. We simply wanted more people to play with and have more competi-tion. Pickleball was really niche at that time and not in popular culture like it is now. Much of our time was educating people to give it a try since it sounded like such a ridiculous sport. Once people tried it, though, they were hooked.
Focus: How did you bring your entrepreneurial vision to life?
Howden: In 2017-18 we started grassroots, going to pickleball courts and events all over the state, asking for email addresses and pitching our vision of a pickleball facility. Along the way we researched what players want. To test our ideas, we progressed to renting school gyms and courts to run pickleball events and classes through community education.
In October 2020, we found an 8500 sq. ft. warehouse and a landlord that was willing to take a chance on us. With the help of our pickleball community, in the midst of the pandemic, we converted the warehouse into four pickleball courts. In just 10 days, as a monster DIY project, we mixed 55 gallon drums of silica/acrylic slurry and squeegeed five layers of it to make the courts. It was a very gritty warehouse with no frills, but we leaned into it.
We pretty much became the speakeasy of pickleball—people only knew about it if they knew someone who played there. As you can imagine, it was tough advertising an inherently social business in the middle of a pandemic, even though it was com-pletely safe (a very large and drafty warehouse and only four people on a court at a time).
Once we were open for business, we tried all sorts of play formats, experimenting and tweaking things on a daily basis. In 2022, when a tenant moved out on the other side of the warehouse, we added another four courts DIY style again. All the while we were working on our bigger dream of a custom-built pickleball facility with additional amenities.
We’re now one of the longest-tenured owners of dedicated pickleball facilities in the world, and we’ve become a premier pickleball destination for players across the Midwest. We are a 38,000 sq. ft .facility, with 12 world class indoor pickleball courts. Inside we have a relaxing lounge with fireplaces and 30 self-serve taps of beer, wine and mixed drinks for connecting after play. The location may have changed, but the spirit of the speakeasy remains alive and kicking!
Focus: Wolverine Pickleball isn’t just pickleball—tell us more about your offerings and why you chose to move beyond one focus?
Howden: We’re all about building community and friendships. Our motto, “It’s not just pickleball,” shows how we offer a bunch of different activities and experiences to suit everyone. We love hosting unique events that get people interacting and having fun, like puzzle competitions, trivia nights, euchre nights, tasting events and craft nights. We also have a spot for food trucks to pull up and connect.
We’re big on staying active and healthy in general, with six sand volleyball courts for beach volleyball, beach tennis and beach soccer. Our six bocce lanes are open all year round and even turn into curling sheets in the winter. We also have cornhole and other yard games that you can play around our cozy firepits.
We’re always looking for new and exciting activities because we believe in lifelong learning and the value of new experiences. We want to create a fun and friendly environment where everyone feels welcome and can connect with others, learn new things and have a great time, no matter their age or interests. Come by yourself and you’re sure to see someone you know!
Focus: How do you market to reach a broader audience?
Howden: Our email newsletter is still the best way to stay in touch with our current players and get them to invite others to join our community. We know that a regular newsletter with clear calls to action keeps our players engaged and informed about upcoming events and opportunities. While we still use Facebook and Instagram to share content and promote events, we’ve also been experimenting with Meetup and Nextdoor. These platforms have been great for reaching beyond the core pickleball com-munity and attracting new guests.
Focus: What are you doing to bring more people into the world of pickleball?
Howden: Now that it’s entered popular culture, everyone seems to be pickleball curious. We strive to make it easy for everyone to experience the sport by offering “Learn to Play” sessions and corporate team building events, ensuring that newcomers have a positive and successful introduction to the game. We believe that everyone should give pickleball a try, and we emphasize that you’ll experience success within the first hour of playing. While you might not be an expert right away, the focus is on having fun, laughing and enjoying the social aspects of the sport.
One of the unique things of pickleball is it can be enjoyed by people of all ages, and it’s not uncommon to see players of dif-ferent generations competing and having a great time together. In fact, it’s quite common for players in their 60s and 70s to beat players decades younger, especially when the younger players are just starting. This adds a fun and humbling element to the game, and that dynamic fosters a sense of camaraderie and friendly competition. This is the magic of pickleball and why it keeps players coming back for more.
Focus: How do you create a “vibrant community?”
Howden: We strive to be the club for everyone and connect players, which helps them to feel part of the community. When new players join us for “Learn to Play” pickleball, our staff is excited about potentially changing their lives and they don’t even know it yet! We make joining activities incredibly easy, our staff is always making introductions/connections and everyone has access to easily manage their events. And we know everyone’s busy, so we make it easy for people to reschedule.
Focus: What entrepreneurial advice do you have for other small business owners?
Howden: I love innovating; change is a constant and it’s important for small businesses to always improve and look for new op-portunities. For me, it’s keeping the lines of communication open and really listening to what people have to say. Things change fast and our customers are quick to notice the good stuff. This usually gets them talking and sharing more ideas, and our em-ployees do the same. We’re always ready to listen and take action on their feedback. Whether it’s making the facility nicer, offering new events, buying a new board game or fixing those annoying computer glitches, we’re all about keeping things moving forward.
Focus: What aspects of your relationship with SBAM have helped your business the most?
Howden: SBAM has been an invaluable resource for my busi-ness—they keep me updated on all the legislative changes that could impact me, and their everyday support for small businesses is fantastic.
The Women’s Entrepreneurial Fellowship, a program through SBAM, has been a wonderful experience. Connecting with so many incredible women entrepreneurs from all over Michigan is amazing. Even though we come from different backgrounds, we all face similar challenges, and being able to share our knowledge and experiences has been invaluable.
I’ve also personally benefited from SBAM’s energy advocacy services. Brandon, their energy advocate, did a thorough audit of my current facility and gave me great suggestions for energy efficiency at the new pickleball facility I’m building in Northville.
By Bona Van Dis; originally published in SBAM’s March/April 2025 issue of FOCUS magazine
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