North American Professional Pickleball Tour,

Charity Christianson

My name is Charity Christianson.  I am 46 years old, married with no children and have been actively pursuing my 4.0 rating in Pickleball since I started playing about 18 months ago.  Never someone to do anything “half-way”; I jumped into Pickleball head first! So much so that in March, I partnered with a local pickleball company and have been working hard to continue to develop the Churco brand and grow the company.  It is with this same partner that we have created the North American Professional Pickleball Tour.

In my professional career, I have been fortunate to have built the company from the ground up.  In 2000, we started our business with a partner from the US out of our home in Sherwood Park.  Last year, we divested from our US based partner and our Canadian group of companies is the largest Master Distributor and Manufacturer of steel flanges, fittings and pipe in Canada.  Back in 2000, I was working in an administrative role with a general focus on supporting sales.  One year later, we moved into our first office with staff and inventory on the ground.   I have never been the kind of person who is afraid to learn something new, take on a job that is outside of my “responsibility”, help someone or tackle the work no one else wants to do.  It was during this time that the Canadian company started to take responsibility for our own sales, HR/Payroll, inventory management, billing and accounting – all of which I had the good fortune to be involved with.

In 2008, I made my first solo trip overseas to China to meet with manufacturers.  After this first, independent travel opportunity – I spent the next 10 years traveling around the world sourcing products, working with existing manufacturers and developing new relationships.  I have travelled extensively around all of Europe, South East Asia, India, China, Japan, Korea and Russia.

Since 2015, I have held the position of President of The Allied Group – Canada.  In this role, I am responsible for the daily operation of our 5 Canadian locations, 150+ employees, $100 Million dollars of inventory and an average yearly revenue of $250 Million dollars overly the last 5 years.  It has always been my mission to mentor and support the growth of young women and “underdogs”  within our company and I am thrilled to have 4 of our 9 middle management positions held by individuals who have started their careers with our company.

Before finding Pickleball, I had been a competitive equestrian throughout my life and having this close relationship with horses has helped me to develop patience, compassion and a quiet fortitude that has served me extremely well in both my professional and personal lives.  I have found that I am good at “reading” people because of my many years of partnership with horses.

Additionally, I hold the position of Vice Presdient on the Pickleball Alberta Board of Directors.

I am confident that the attention to detail, project & people management and my ability to multitask will serve me well as I work with my partner to develop NAPP.  I have excellent organizational skills and I am not afraid of putting in the time.  Additionally, I have a profound drive to ensure decisions are made that are in the best interest of the greater community.  It has always been my personal mandate to fight for justice for all, even when that isn’t necessarily the easiest path forward.