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Capability 01Belonging was designed
Ambassadors, orientations, level-based play, recurring events, and follow-up pathways reduced the social risk of arriving somewhere new.
Case Study I · The Launch Challenge
A new facility needed a community.
Opening 24 courts was only the beginning. The real challenge was building awareness, converting beginners into members, creating a culture people valued, and coordinating an entirely new member experience during the COVID era.
$6.3M
A civic experiment takes form
Pictona emerged through a public-private partnership between the City of Holly Hill, Martens Charities, and an ECHO grant. The launch created 24 courts—eight covered and all lit—plus a clubhouse, restaurant, senior center, gardens, and flexible spaces for gathering.
“A community center focused on pickleball.”
That phrase shaped my approach. Pickleball attracted people, but an integrated member experience—programming, communication, hospitality, events, and belonging—gave them reasons to stay.
On July 15, 2020, the campus opened. I helped turn launch-day infrastructure into a working member experience through onboarding, communications, programming, maps, procedures, and daily problem-solving.
Case Study II · Programs I Helped Build
Programming became the growth engine.
The strategy connected introductory instruction, organized play, social experiences, major events, and community partnerships into a member journey with clear reasons to advance and return.
Case Study III · Leadership Capabilities
How I contributed.
My role spanned growth strategy, member journey design, programming, communications, events, partnerships, and operational adaptation.
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Capability 02Programming was infrastructure
The real product was not court access. It was the assurance that something meaningful—and someone compatible—would be there.
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Capability 03Everything could become an event
Music, meals, gardens, health classes, cornhole, tournaments, and holidays continuously recombined the campus into new experiences.
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Capability 04Beginners were future citizens
PB101 was not a lesson but a passage: first contact, confidence, novice play, intermediate play, social connection, membership.
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Capability 05Community sustained commerce
Programming produced traffic; traffic reached The Kitchen, retail, instruction, sponsorship, and events; revenue sustained the experience.
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Capability 06Growth required adaptation
I helped translate rising demand into clearer court maps, skill zones, peak-hour practices, reservation guidance, and member communications.
Case Study IV · My Leadership Approach
I built journeys, not transactions.
I built journeys, not transactions.
I mapped the member experience from first exposure through PB101, novice play, intermediate programming, social participation, and long-term belonging.
I treated culture as measurable work.
I connected membership, check-in, day-pass, and Kitchen targets to the human experience of welcome, friendship, activity, and a thriving facility.
I operated across boundaries.
I worked across marketing, facility logistics, programming, sponsorship, volunteers, food service, instruction, and event production.
I documented and improved the system.
I created and refined plans, communications, rosters, maps, processes, and member-facing materials as the organization grew.
My signature outcome was momentum.
Membership grew from launch to just under 1,000 within 24 months. The operating challenge shifted from attracting activity to managing sustained demand.
“The most important result was not simply membership growth. It was helping turn a new facility into a community people wanted to join, support, and return to.”Leadership case study · Pictona, May 2020–April 2022
Case Study V · Evidence of Impact
Programs with measurable reach and revenue.
The strongest surviving records add concrete scale to the story: membership growth, a large beginner-conversion event, destination tournament participation, and a multi-program sponsorship portfolio.
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Sponsorship development~$200,000
Helped raise approximately $200,000 in sponsorship support during my tenure, connecting partner investment to tournaments, community programs, facilities, and member experiences.
101
Signature recruiting event99 participants
Created and led PB101 for 101, a one-day New Year health and membership recruitment event delivered after months of promotion and community outreach with support from 50 volunteers.
600
Final tournament operationsNearly 600 players
Supported the Selkirk America’s Pickleball Challenge, a four-day tournament that began March 31, 2022 and drew nearly 600 players.
1K
Membership growthJust under 1,000
Helped grow membership from launch to nearly 1,000 within the facility’s first 24 months.
24
Launch environment24-court campus
Helped launch and operate a complex public-private recreation campus during the COVID era.
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Operating resultDemand at scale
Growth ultimately required peak-hour planning, skill-based court assignments, reservation guidance, rotation systems, and expanded programming.
I helped create the connective tissue between awareness, first participation, membership, belonging, and long-term engagement.
Sarah Lockett · Membership growth, community engagement, programming, and operations