Should anyone be surprised the sport that’s ever-increasing in popularity has made its way to the office? Pickleball is, truly, everywhere — including right here at Kenvue.
At Kenvue’s Skillman location, Kenvuer Jose Hernandez was behind the efforts. Hernandez has been playing for a few years and figured a pickleball club would be a great way to encourage Kenvue team members to get active together.
“I’m really happy and excited that I was able to create this club because I had the support of my leadership and Kenvue to say, yes, we want you to be healthy, we want you to engage with other team members and collaborate with them,” Hernandez says.
It didn’t take much to build a following, Hernandez says: “The minute you say, ‘I know how to play pickleball,’ everybody lights up and says, ‘Me too! Let’s come and play!’”
The club meets every Wednesday after work for matches, camaraderie and plenty of healthy competition.
Kristen Cantillon, who joined Kenvue this year, said the Kenvue pickleball club has been a great way to meet follow Kenvuers.
“I love pickleball,” Cantillon says. “It’s fun. It’s competitive. And I learn so much about people playing pickleball with them. Those calm people you work with? Get them on a pickleball court, and you see a whole different side! We pretend like we just want to have fun, but we all want to win.”
Hernandez encourages any Kenvuer interested in pickleball to come give it a try — and says the group will happily teach you the ropes, including all the fun pickleball lingo, like “dinking,” “the kitchen” and “getting pickled.”
He’s hoping once the club has a substantial number of members they’ll have a tournament against that other Kenvue pickleball team — the pickleball group that’s assembled at the Fort Washington, Pa. campus.
“This is another way Kenvue allows us, as employees, to say, I’m not just doing my work,” Hernandez says. “I’m also trying to stay fit, and I’m also trying to stay mentally fit.”
