Cory Ellis found himself in the solar power industry at a time when the sector was about to heavily ramp up growth.
Ellis said he sees the pickleball space about to take off in the same way, and wanted in. His way of doing so was signing a 60-unit agreement with an emerging brand, The Picklr, through his company, LB Sports Inc.
Ellis said he noticed the popularity of the sport, a cross between badminton, ping-pong and tennis, in his own life, with his sons being major fans. It’s an activity that’s catching on across the country, too, as 48.3 million Americans played the sport in 2022, according to a report from the Association of Pickleball Professionals.
As a franchisee of The Picklr, Cory Ellis plans to develop locations throughout the southeast.
Founded in 2021, The Picklr has seven company-owned locations open, with six in Utah, where it’s headquartered, and another in Colorado. The brand launched its franchise program this year, and since September, has agreements signed for 110 units.
“Our growth strategy is centered on the owners,” said The Picklr founder and CEO Jorge Barragan. “The most important factor for us was trying to find the franchisees who will be successful as our initial operators. We were very selective and more focused on the experience of the franchisees than on the geography or location.”
Experience is something Ellis has plenty of when it comes to franchising. In addition to his sales work in the solar industry, Ellis was also an owner with Blind Guy, a window coverings concept. Today, Ellis is a Crumbl Cookies franchisee, owning seven locations.
In addition to partnering with experienced owners, Barragan also said the brand itself has been hard at work to create a franchise system that bolsters its franchisees.
“Franchisees like Cory play an important role, and as a franchisor, we dedicated all of our time in the last six months to developing the infrastructure to support those franchisees,” Barragan said.
Jorge Barragan is CEO of The Picklr.
In Ellis’ case, the agreement will have units across a territory that includes Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland and Tennessee. The plan is for him to open the 60 locations over the next five-to-six years, with 12 expected in 2024.
The 60 locations, Ellis said, was mutually decided upon between LB Sports and The Picklr, based on demographics as well as data on pickleball members and courts. Ellis said LB Sports is establishing a board of directors for its Picklr operations, and that there will be area managers in place to ensure the quality across all units.
According to Ellis, both the brand’s low staff needs and its service as an athletic center for communities is what gave him the confidence to go with 60 locations.
“With Crumbl, the staff has to be regularly trained with new menu changes every week,” Ellis said. “So, I was enticed by the lower staff count at The Picklr. But I was also struck by how they are really engaged with the community. It’s not just a staff member sitting at registration, handing a ticket to the customer. Engaging with the members, setting up kids camps and hosting clubs are all crucial.”
On top of its brick-and-mortar operations, The Picklr has two e-commerce businesses, The Picklr Shop and Stack Athletics. The concept is also partnered with Major League Pickleball.
The initial investment range to open a location is $400,000 and $500,000, and the average square footage is 25,000. The brand expects to open 25 locations in 2024.
The Picklr offers a pickleball experience for both casual and serious players.