May 8, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports in America, and Grand Rapids Community College alum James Grochowalski is all in on the new craze.
In fact, he is one of the owners of the aptly named All In Pickleball Gym which just opened at 76th Street and 131 in Grand Rapids.
Grochowalski said the new facility, an old Safelite AutoGlass shop, includes five full-sized, dedicated pickleball courts, plus dinking and skinny singles courts, with 16-foot-high containment nets around all the courts and industry-leading lighting.
It’s open from 4 am to midnight seven days a week, year-round and offers an easy booking app to make reservations without a phone call.
Interestingly, Grochowalski did not pursue a business degree at GRCC or afterwards. After four years at Byron Center High School, where he played tennis and bowled, he decided to attend his hometown community college because it struck him as an affordable way to get some of the prerequisite courses, he’d need for an eventual transfer to Grand Valley State University.
In his first year, he took English and science and a number of other courses he knew he’d need at GVSU, but then he decided to go in a different direction. He transferred instead to Compass College of Cinematic Arts, now Compass College of Film and Media.
That decision launched his current career as the owner of James Grocho LLC.
“We’re a post-production company,” he said. “That includes editing and motion graphics.
We serve multiple organizations throughout the country by editing and animating videos for concerts, webinars, online conferences, churches and social media companies.”
He has zero regrets about his decision to pivot from his original path to Compass and is grateful not just for what GRCC gave him academically but also for the contagious, can-do spirit that he said is part of the DNA at GRCC.
And he is grateful now to have two passion projects to keep him busy.
“I oversee all of the creative marketing and media for All In, so what I do at my day job and what I'm doing for All In is a perfect fit,” he said. ““Media is my passion, and I love telling stories and making videos that help companies grow.”
All In opened in April 2023, and the run-up from turning an old Safelite into a state-of-the-art pickleball facility meant some long days, nights and weekends for him and majority owner and founder Dan McConnon and fellow owners Scott McAllister and Mike Davis.
He estimates that he has been spending 30 to 40 hours per week beyond his day job getting ready for the All In launch. He smiled as he recalled the first steps he took to becoming a pickleball gym owner.
“I saw a post by Dan on Facebook, so I messaged him online asking to meet with him,” Grochowalski said. “And a few short months later, it has blossomed into a meaningful relationship and our partnership at the pickleball gym.”
Despite the extra hours, and the many details involved in starting a new business, Grochowalski said he wouldn’t change a thing. As he grows older, he added, he is realizing more and more that life is short. And he hearkens back to lessons he learned at GRCC.
“Take the leap of faith and follow your passion,” he said. “You’ll find happiness and fulfillment.”
This story was reported by Phil de Haan.