The Pickle Talk
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Corporate: Add a few pickleball courts, and I'll work overtime

Corporate: Add a few pickleball courts, and I'll work overtime

PLUS: Drew Brees debuts in pickleball commercial + Costco's $80 pickleball bundle deal

Welcome back, picklers!

I don’t know what sport these ladies are playing, but it sure ain’t pickleball.

And…we love it. ❤️❤️ Pickleball. No. Smashball.

Now, on to the newsletter.

How to read The Pickle Talk:

First, don’t click any links just yet. Read it all the way through, and then send it to a friend you think might benefit too.
Next, come back and dive into the links that caught your eye.
Last, go play some pickleball and stir up conversations with your newfound knowledge.

Enjoy :)

TODAY’S BANGERS:

🥒 Pickle Talk: “If I throw in a couple of pickleball courts, will you come back to work?”

🫦 Bite-Size Pickle: Cornell students win pickleball pitch. From landfill to pickleball fun house. The Picklr + Drew Brees pickleball commercial debut.

👑 Golden Pickle: Costco’s 2-pack Selkirk paddle & ball bundle for $80

Let’s get into some... PICKLE TALK 🎙️

“If I throw in a couple of pickleball courts, will you come back to work?”

Thanks to the chaos of the 2020 pandemic (you know the one), most of us corporate folks found ourselves stuck at home for what felt like an eternity…two years at least, and if you were really unlucky (or lucky, depending on how you see it), three.

For those of us who love the freedom of working from home, it was like a dream come true. No more dreary office cubicles with their soul-sucking lack of windows and perpetual chill.

But as we kicked back in our home offices, our old workplaces turned into ghost towns, gathering dust while their landlords scratched their heads trying to figure out how to fill them again and keep those rent checks rolling in.

You know what they say: You gotta spend money to make money. Right? 💸

So, while surfing the web one day, I stumbled upon what seemed like a stroke of genius: Pickleball courts.

Enter the Seagram Building, smack dab in the heart of New York City.

Now, beneath its fancy exterior, there's a hidden gem tucked away from the busy streets of New Yorkers and the rats that scurry around looking for leftover pizza, a secret playground exclusively for the corporate bigwigs who call it home, like Advent International and Brant Point Capital Management.

Digging a bit deeper, I found out this massive 34,000-square-foot hangout, dubbed "The Playground," opened up in 2022, with a jaw-dropping price tag of $25 million.

And what's inside? Well, besides pickleball, you've got basketball, floor hockey, a spin studio, and more.

For those stressed-out finance peeps, it's kinda heartwarming to think of those high-flying brokers and bankers blowing off steam on the pickleball court.

Better than the alternative, if you know what I mean.

And according to the New York Times, out of 144 million office workers in the US, 115 million (or 80%) are back working in the offices. The residual 20% (or 29 million) are either remote or hybrid workers.

Promise me pickleball courts like that👇🏾, and I’d gladly and willingly come to the office 😅.

Fun fact: On September 20th, 2023, Selkirk partnered with RFR, owner and manager of The Seagram Building, to host the building’s pickleball championship match.

BITE-SIZE PICKLES

1/ ➜ Happenings: Ivy League Students Win Pickleball Pitch

At Cornell's Biotech Building, students pitched cool projects, like one to amp up pickleball at Ithaca Mall. And lucky for that team…

…with alum Lesa Carter's support, Pickleball Mania scored $2,500 to inch a few steps closer to its cause.

The pitch competition was all part of the Grand Challenges Program, where students tackle big global issues.

And thankfully, judges loved how the team made pickleball about more than just a game and how it can potentially help solve the empty-mall dilemma.

***

2/ ➜ Happenings: From trash to treasure. From landfill to pickleball.

The old and abandoned Freeway Dump in Burnsville, Minnesota, is MAYBE getting a major facelift, with plans for an entertainment complex featuring indoor and outdoor pickleball courts, a top-notch restaurant.

Think… a three-story golf-driving building reminiscent of TopGolf.

Dubbed Suite Shots, the project hopes to create a year-round destination, promising at least 200 new jobs for the area.

Supported by local organizations and undergoing regulatory reviews, it's now up to the Burnsville City Council to give the green light.

If all goes according to plan, it looks like Burnsville is about to hit the jackpot with this exciting rags-to-riches renovation.

***

3/ ➜ Happenings: NFL legend, Drew Brees, stars in The Picklr’s newest commercial

Get ready to get in a good laugh cause The Picklr, the ultimate indoor pickleball hub & pickleball franchinse, drops its latest ad, "Everything's Better At The Picklr," starring none other than NFL icon and Picklr franchise owner, Drew Brees.

It’s quicky and well done, in my opinion, and it takes you on a wild ride from chilly outdoor courts to the cozy confines of The Picklr, where, from the looks of it, the fun is endless.

Just watch it. It for sure makes me want to visit!