The Antidote to Screen Time: How RECS Is Rebuilding Human Connection Through Pickleball

What happens when a passion for human connection becomes a business model? For Kevin Richards, it became RECS — and a blueprint for what a pickleball club community can look like at its best. In this episode of the Pickleball Innovators Podcast, Kevin — CEO and founder of RECS in Portland, Oregon — shares how a decade-long journey from building pickleball's first algorithm-based rating system led him to open a club rooted in what he calls "analog connectivity": the belief that people are starving for real, in-person connection, and that pickleball is one of the best vehicles we have to deliver it. From the hospitality-first philosophy that turned members into loyalists, to the membership structure and lease lessons every operator needs to hear, to why he's building a nonprofit arm to get kids off screens and onto courts — Kevin brings a grounded, mission-driven perspective to pickleball club ownership that's as practical as it is inspiring. For club operators who want to build something people actually show up for, this one is worth your time. To stay in the loop on the latest trends in the pickleball club space, subscribe to the Pickleball Innovators newsletter: pickleballinnovators.com/subscribe