Maryland-based Dill Dinkers has announced its 14th regional development agreement with business partners committed to growing at least 50 locations in the North Texas region. [Photo: Dill Dinkers]

Indoor pickleball facility company Dill Dinkers announced its 14th regional development agreement with local business partners who have committed to opening “at least 50 locations” in the North Texas region – including in Euless, Southlake, Keller, Frisco, Little Elm, McKinney and Mansfield.

Maryland-based Dill Dinkers joins a long list of other pickleball venues already operating in or coming to North Texas, including Pickleball Kingdom in Plano, Pickle and Social in Frisco, Picklemall in Dallas and The Picklr in Dallas and Fort Worth.

Behind the Dill Dinkers project are Justin Goehring and Brock Oldenkamp, ​​​​two entrepreneurs who want to introduce a special indoor pickleball concept and a year-round solution for players who struggle with “the Texas heat and south wind.”

“Justin and Brock are exactly the type of developers we are looking for,” said Ben Litalien, chief development officer at Dill Dinkers, in a statement. “They come to our team with strong business acumen and an established franchise network that will undoubtedly bring success to their Dallas-area locations. The two believe in the power of pickleball to make an impact locally, and we are excited to support them as they build something special for Dallas and the Dill Dinkers family for years to come.”

More information about the local backers of the deal

Dill Dinkers said Goehring, a serial entrepreneur, worked at Verizon, where he managed private sales, before venturing into the business himself as a franchisee in his late 20s and greatly expanding the scope. He also grew a trucking business for FedEx from 13 trucks to 100 before starting his own franchise business.

Today, Goehring owns Bazooka Charlie's Barber Co., a franchise barbershop with seven locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area “and growing.”

Oldenkamp owns Azle-based KNO Construction, which specializes in commercial and residential construction, and is “an avid real estate investor.”

After 10 minutes on the pitch “addicted”

“After playing pickleball for 10 minutes, I was hooked,” Goehring said in a statement. “Dill Dinkers has established itself as a leader in accessible indoor pickleball facilities and I'm excited to bring such a valuable concept to the area where I grew up. We noticed there weren't many pickleball courts here and we're excited to offer players more play time year-round with quality indoor courts that create a safe place for players to have fun and improve their skills.”

“We are excited to be among the early adopters of a new concept and appreciate the collaboration we have had with the leadership team to develop the Dill Dinkers name and look forward to enhancing the pickleball player experience in our community,” added Goehring.

Goehring's experience as a franchisor and Oldenkamp's expertise in real estate and construction, combined with their extensive knowledge of operating Bazooka Charlie's and KNO Construction, position the team to build a strong franchise network as regional developers for Dill Dinkers, Dill Dinkers said.

As they expand their presence in the DFW region, Goehring and Oldenkamp are looking for franchise candidates who are passionate about providing pickleball players with a world-class indoor pickleball offering while supporting their local community, according to Dill Dinkers.

250 locations in less than 2 years

Since its founding in November 2022 in Columbia, Maryland, the company has been “at the forefront of the pickleball phenomenon” with its state-of-the-art indoor pickleball facilities, according to Dill Dinkers.

Dill Dinkers has four company-owned locations in Maryland, with another scheduled to open in Manassas later this month. Since launching its nationwide franchise program in September, the company says it has signed developers in Texas, Washington DC, North Carolina, Connecticut, South Carolina, Arizona, Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania for “over 250” locations.

Dill Dinkers expects to have a total of 30 locations open and over 500 permanent locations by the end of the year. The company continues to work with qualified applicants targeting markets across the state.

“We created Dill Dinkers because of our unwavering passion for the sport and the community it provides us,” said co-founder and CEO Will Richards in a statement. “As a former Dominos franchisee with multiple stores, it was critical for us to build a strong support network prior to launching our franchise, and now, with our 14th regional developer on board, we are excited to welcome experienced operators like Justin and Brock who are equally passionate about spreading the joy of pickleball. We look forward to seeing how the team gets our name out there in Dallas and how other entrepreneurs can benefit from a world-class indoor pickleball offering and strong support network.”

Dill Dinkers said his franchise offers regional territories and individual units for development with nine revenue streams, a “robust” operating system, a proprietary reporting and management platform that is mobile-ready through Court Reserve, an intensive training system and a turnkey marketing program for opening and member development.

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