Dill Dinkers™ Debuts Executive Leadership Team

By: Dill Dinkers | 0 Shares 140 Reads

October 23, 2023 // Franchising.com // COLUMBIA, MD - Dill Dinkers is launching dedicated indoor pickleball courts across the nation.

Dill Dinkers, founded by avid pickleball players and husband-and-wife duo, Will and Denise Richards, who were determined to find a solution to the woes of outdoor pickleball by transforming America’s most favored sport into a year-round phenomenon. As a former franchisee himself, Will alongside his wife carefully fine-tuned and crafted a pickleball business model designed specifically for avid pickleball players. To support the national franchise effort, the Richards have recruited executives, including Erika C. Spalding to serve as Chief Marketing Officer; Chief Development Officer, Dr. Ben Litalien, CFE; Chief Pickleball Officer, Brian Lloyd; Chief Financial Officer, Roy Tarash; and Chief Technology Officer, Rob Pless. Will serves as co-Founder and CEO and Denise is the co-Founder and COO of the company.

“Our vision has always been to spread the joy of pickleball and now with our franchising launch we are thrilled to see it come to life,” remarked Will Richards, Founder and CEO. “After forming an experienced team equipped with business acumen and an undeniable love for the sport, we are thrilled to see our collective passion and expertise producing a strong alliance and effective results. We look forward to welcoming our franchise partners on board throughout the year.”

Details on the specific backgrounds of each executive team member are listed below:

Dr. Benjamin C. Litalien, CFE

A recognized global expert in franchising, Ben architected the franchise strategy for Dill Dinkers as he has for several other successful concepts over the past two decades, featuring the regional developer model also teaches franchising at Georgetown University and the Liniger Center on Franchising at the University of Denver and is an associate professor at the University of Maryland Global Campus. Ben will serve as the Chief Development Officer responsible for leading the franchise efforts for Dill Dinkers.

Brian Lloyd, Chief Pickleball Officer

Brian has spent 25+ years in business & executive leadership, leading different organizations in their expansion efforts. He has held various leadership positions supporting business operations, strategy, corporate marketing, and international business development. Most recently, Brian joined Dill Dinkers as the brand’s first employee, and has led all Pickleball operations, court programming and offerings, Pro shop & corporate partnerships, as well as executive team expansion efforts. He will support regional developers in attracting their Director of Pickleball, a required position for all Dill Dinkers franchisees.

Erika C. Spalding, Chief Marketing Officer

Erika brings over 24 years of experience to her role at Dill Dinkers. She previously served as the CEO of a marketing and public relations consulting firm. She currently handles all marketing and public relations efforts including reputation management, brand value, internal, investor, and franchisee communications for Dill Dinkers and will support franchisees in all aspects of marketing.

Roy Tarash, Chief Financial Officer

Roy is a skilled finance and accounting professional with over 30 years of experience. He started his career at one of the world’s largest public accounting firms, Grant Thornton. He then transitioned to a private industry, working with successful companies in manufacturing, distribution, software services, construction, and retail. Roy will support franchisees with financial insights and guidance as they develop their regions.

Rob Pless, Chief Technology Officer

Rob’s experience in Corporate I/T consulting and management spans 30 years. As Vice President at a national computer sales and services firm, he managed a staff of 80+ consultants and engineers on engagements with Fortune 500 companies. With a focus on Business Process Re-engineering, Pless’ team worked to apply technology to streamline and shorten business cycles while creating competitive advantages. As a tech-forward franchise concept, Rob will support franchisees with a proprietary franchise management system that integrates required platforms into a mobile-enabled business dashboard to run the business “from the palm of your hand”.

SOURCE Dill Dinkers Pickleball

###