About Us
Sip + Serve
The Exchange is the only dedicated pickleball facility in the Gulf South that combines both indoor and outdoor courts with food, drinks, and live music. Bringing pickleball to New Orleans just made sense: what’s a better pair than sip + serve? We combined our love of sports and NOLA-style entertainment to create The Exchange.
We hope you come for the game and stay for the food, drinks, and new friends you’ll make along the way.
Meet Our Team
Ray Puglisi
General Manager
Meet Ray – the operations and fitness master with 20+ years of event operations, management, and fitness experience. From overseeing events at Daytona International Speedway and Chill Zone to managing Wellness and Fitness centers, Ray knows how to keep events going strong. With skills in HR consulting, supervisory roles, and running his own company for 17 years, Ray is well-versed in the business operations world. Ray’s also a seasoned football coach with over 25 years on the field. When not at work, he enjoys pickleball, cycling, tennis, music festivals and cooking up a storm!
Kaya Koban
Catering Sales Manager
A New Orleans native, Kaya has been in the hospitality industry since 2004 and is a graduate of the University of New Orleans’ hospitality program. She has extensive hospitality experience in Louisiana and internationally. Kaya brings a customer first attitude and fun event ideas to The Exchange. As the Catering Sales Manager for The Exchange, Kaya will focus on helping you create dill-icious events. She can help you make any corporate event, bachelor(ette) party, or birthday a night to savor.
Terri Lamperez
Pickleball Pro
Terri has played sports since the age of five including softball, volleyball, and tennis before finding pickleball in 2009. Terri is a 4.5 USAPA-rated tournament player and is one of the top 50 women’s players in the MidSouth Region. She is a Certified Professional with the PPR and has been teaching for many years at area clubs. She is one of the most sought-after teachers on the Gulf Coast. She is excited to bring her talent and love for the sport to The Exchange where she will
offer private lessons, clinics, leagues, ladders and spread her love of the game to beginners as well as those players looking to improve their game.
From Terri
“I am blessed to have found this amazing sport and have now turned my passion into a career. It brings me great happiness to introduce people from all backgrounds and skill levels, including those that have never played a sport before, to the intoxicating world we call Pickleball.”
Sasha Salk
Pickleball Pro
Our pickleball pro, Sasha Salk, is a 7+ year New Orleans resident and Tulane University graduate. Sasha grew up playing tennis competitively and ping pong recreationally. In 2020, Sasha transitioned to pickleball with ease, and is still undefeated in tournaments. Sasha is patient, kind, enthusiastic, and encouraging, but also has the ability to turn on the jets and get competitive when necessary. Sasha is an excellent instructor for all age levels, has lots of experience working with kids, and has a working knowledge of Spanish. When not on the pickleball courts, Sasha enjoys writing and playing music, riding his bike, frisbee golf, and watching sports. Sasha has helped many take their game to the next level and is eager to help you improve!
For Dedicated Dinkers
If you love pickleball as much as we do then grab your friends and sign up for a league at The Exchange, or make pickleball into your workout for the day with our cardio pickleball sessions. If you’re brand new to pickleball, or really want to up your game, we have lessons you can take with pickleball pros.
But I’m Just Here For The Fun!
If you’d rather cheer from the sidelines you won’t be bored (or hungry, or thirsty!) at The Exchange. Bring your dog to keep you company in our outdoor lounge, or catch the big game on one of our big screen TVs. Our live music line up and fantastic food schedule can be found on our events page. Speaking of events, ask us about private event rentals.
Why Pickleball?
Try it and you’ll know! There’s a reason why pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the United States. Pickleball is a great sport for everyone – it’s easy to learn for newbies, and it’s as friendly or competitive as you want. You don’t need to come with a pickleball kit – we offer paddle and ball rentals so anyone can play.