Jarrett’s growing pickleball tradition boosts teamwork and employee engagement

Jarrett, a family-owned third-party logistics provider based in Orrville, took employee engagement to a new level with the second annual companywide pickleball tournament. Winners and finalists won bragging rights and prizes while building camaraderie and fitness and forging cross-departmental connections.

“Pickleball has a great mix of friendly competition and fun," said Rob Churgovich, vice president of human resources. "It’s the perfect fit for our culture. We wanted an event that gets people moving, laughing and building new relationships across departments. The enthusiasm and participation from our team show how much our employees value staying connected and engaged.”

This year’s tournament featured 34 teams and 68 employees, up from 29 teams and 58 participants last year. The increase reflects both the success of last year’s event and growth in Jarrett’s workforce, which now totals 357 employees. Teams were coed and included partners from different departments or randomly assigned pairings, fostering friendly competition and new connections.

The winning duo was Keri Speicher of Doylestown and Ryan Butcher of Wadsworth, followed by Lindy Griesinger and Steve Dotterer, both of Wooster, in second. Jarrett employees Brooke Gifford and Kyle Sasinka took home Best Team Name of Britney Pickle Spears.