Mocksville Celebrates Six New Pickleball Courts Donated by SBA Group

Six new pickleball courts at Rich Park already had players on them before the ribbon was even cut. That detail, offered by Mocksville Mayor Will Marklin at the Feb. 24 grand opening, says everything about how quickly the community embraced the gift from SBA Home North Carolina, the Lithuanian furniture manufacturer that began operations in Mocksville just four months earlier.

The courts, built on blue and green surfaces and designed to meet modern recreational standards, feature a durable playing surface and marked lines providing a safe and accessible space for players of all ages and skill levels. Davie County, Town of Mocksville, and SBA Home North Carolina officials gathered at Rich Park to mark the occasion with a ribbon-cutting using oversized scissors and a green ribbon, followed by a ceremony that turned decidedly pickleball-specific: Marklin and SBA Home North Carolina CEO Angelika Matczak served the symbolic first pickleball serve together, then exchanged signed paddles to mark the partnership between the town and the company.

Marklin did not mince words about how unusual the arrangement has been from the start. "Before they even opened their manufacturing facility here in town, they asked town leaders what they could do for our community," he said. "We look forward to our ongoing relationship with SBA Home and wish them success as they produce furniture here in Davie County."

Matczak framed the courts as a deliberate statement of intent. "We wanted to show that we are not just another business operating in the area," she said. "Our goal is to become a meaningful part of the community and to build long-term relationships based on openness and partnership."

SBA Home North Carolina opened its Mocksville manufacturing facility in October 2025, backed by approximately $70 million in total investment, a figure described as the largest Lithuanian business investment in the United States to date. The company plans to gradually expand production by adding additional shifts and increasing its workforce to approximately 250 jobs.

The courts are open to the public with no reservation barrier reported. A table at the ceremony displayed gift bags, green ribbons, and paddles beside a sign marking court number 5, and attendees gathered near the chain-link fence while company representatives worked the crowd from an SBA Group table stocked with giveaways. Three people were photographed in front of a "Pickleball Courts by sba home NC" sign holding paddles, the surrounding trees and blue-green courts framing what the company called not just sports infrastructure, but a long-term commitment to the town they moved into.