Mitch Kistner

Mitch’s unique talents and skills will support Kingdom Franchisees by leveraging his 15+ years of experience in marketing and sales to drive brand growth and engagement through creative and data-driven strategies. At Pickleball Kingdom, Mitch oversees marketing efforts that support franchisees and enhance the customer experience by delivering innovative campaigns across digital, social media, and event activation. His expertise lies in aligning marketing and revenue-driving initiatives to achieve measurable results and foster brand loyalty.

Prior to joining Pickleball Kingdom, Mitch led the marketing and sales efforts for a portfolio of 14 distinct brands in the automotive and outdoor industries. With a strong creative background and a deep understanding of how to build and promote brands, Mitch excels at crafting compelling campaigns that resonate with audiences. He has mastered CRM strategies that drive customer engagement, activation, and retention, while fostering loyalty and growth. Known for developing innovative, multi-channel marketing strategies, Mitch has successfully driven results across both B2B and D2C markets. His expertise includes digital marketing, event activation, social media strategy, and building strategic partnerships that amplify brand presence and impact.

Outside of work, Mitch enjoys traveling and discovering new restaurants with his wife, watching hockey and football, spending time on the lake fishing, and enjoying outdoor adventures with his dog, Roo.

Mitch Kistner

Ace Rodrigues

Founder and CEO

When asked how he came up with the concept of Pickleball Kingdom, Ace likes to say, “On a windy, dirty court while standing in the sun waiting to play on January 9, 2021, I said out loud, ‘There has to be a better way.’ And then God threw this lightning bolt of a mission into my heart that has lit my brain on fire, and it’s been blazing ever since.”  

And the pickleball world has been better for it. Ace’s past experiences founding companies, scaling growth, and creating support networks, primarily in the financial services and energy efficiency sectors, serves him well in setting the go-forward vision to build Pickleball Kingdom.   

Having developed and coined numerous concepts and phrases that are now industry standards, Ace’s innovative approach continues to craft the path for not only the Kingdom brand, but the greater indoor pickleball industry itself. The creation of “Pickleball Paddle Battle,” a competition reality show is one such example of Ace’s leading-edge thinking.  

Originally from Hawaii, Ace has been married to Tracy for over 30 years and they have 2 children and 2 grandchildren. Ace and Tracy love sports, movies, and eating out. 

What motivates him? “I’m the most blessed man on the planet. So, my drive is to create Kings and Queens of Kingdoms, which are our franchisees, first throughout America, then throughout the world.”