John Bardis Interview: Transforming The Cooler into Pickleball Paradise
The Cooler has been a staple of Alpharetta since its opening in 1997. For almost 28 years, the facility has provided the Alpharetta community with a family-friendly environment that offers recreational skating, special events, and opportunities to learn and play hockey.
The owner of The Cooler, John Bardis, is a serial entrepreneur who sold his Alpharetta-based healthcare company, MedAssets, for $2.7 Billion. In addition to his business success, Bardis participates in numerous charitable endeavors. In 2006, John Bardis founded Hire Heroes USA, the nation’s largest non-profit veteran employment and training organization.
John Bardis was also an executive producer of Mully, a documentary about a Kenyan businessman named Charles Mulli who used his success to become the founder of the non-profit organization Mully Children’s Family USA. Throughout the years, Mully Children’s Family has adopted, housed, and educated over 26,000 Kenyan orphans. If you would like to learn more about Charles Mulli and explore the different ways to watch the Mully film, check out the Mully Children’s Family website.
We had the opportunity to sit down with John Bardis and learn about his career and the future plans for The Cooler.
What are some lessons you learned from wrestling that have helped you excel in business?
John Bardis credits much of his business success to wrestling. Throughout his wrestling career, Bardis became a wrestling champion, UFC coach, Team Leader of the U.S. Olympic Wrestling team, and a National Wrestling Hall of Fame Inductee as an Outstanding American.
Bardis shared one of the biggest lessons of his wrestling career: the importance of endurance. He also mentioned that, when combined with business experience, wrestlers make for great business leaders.
How has living and working in Alpharetta shaped your business career and personal life?
John Bardis shared several examples of how living in Alpharetta has shaped both his business career and personal life. While Bardis was CEO at TheraTx, the company moved from San Diego to Alpharetta due to Alpharetta being one of the most cost-effective cities for business in the country. After relocating, TheraTx grew its revenue from approximately $10 million to $500 million in 5 years, and the company was named the second fastest-growing public company in 1995.
Furthermore, Bardis mentioned various advantages for both employers and employees in Alpharetta when compared to San Diego including convenient retail and dining options and affordable housing, even after Alpharetta has experienced significant growth in recent years.
Outside of business, John Bardis and his wife, Judy, raised their three children here in Alpharetta. His daughter was one of the first volleyball players to join the A5 Volleyball Club, one of the highest-rated junior clubs in the country.
From your perspective, how has The Cooler continued to have such a positive impact on the Alpharetta community since opening 27 years ago?
Over the years, The Cooler has fostered a community-like environment that continues to attract visitors of all ages. Bardis credits the success of The Cooler to culture and excellent leadership. John Bardis also mentioned how Steve Jacobs, one of the executives at The Cooler, has done a tremendous job of handling operations and managing the 96,000-square-foot facility.
The Cooler also shares its space with local clubs and family-friendly entertainment franchises like Adventure Air Sports. For years, the A5 Volleyball Club shared space at The Cooler until the club opened its own facility, A5 Sportsplex. This new facility is located at the former Andretti Indoor Karting and Games location in Roswell, Georgia.
With the recent news of The Cooler converting into a pickleball facility, can you provide any updates about the transformation?
John Bardis shared with Alpharetta.com that The Cooler plans to shut down operations in sequence between the middle of March and April, and the new pickleball facility is estimated to be fully open by Labor Day 2025.