We had the good fortune of connecting with Tuyen Van and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tuyen, how does your business help the community?
At a time when many of us are more sedentary and socially isolated, we offer a venue where people can be active in a very fun way and make connections to others who share common interests. We are a fitness facility that people actually look forward to going to. Our members consider our facility to be a second home and spend many hours during the week to play and meet up with friends.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I had a 20-yr career in finance with large corporations (Shell and Kinder Morgan). My professional background provided a lot of the tools that I used to build the Houston Badminton Center and Houston Pickleball Center. For about a decade, I worked my corporate job while running the business. It took a lot of grit and I sacrificed a lot of family and social time. Fortunately, I was able to retire from my finance career in May 2025. Now I can focus on growing the businesses and live a more balanced life. I spend more time with family and can actually play badminton and pickleball more regularly. I make more of an effort to reconnect with friends/family and make new connections. Recently, I picked up making soy milk to give away to family and friends. It gives me a lot of joy to make the soy.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
POST Houston near downtown is one of my favorite spots to bring visitors. There are a lot of great restaurants to try and the rooftop has a fantastic view of the city, especially at night. I also think that Houston has one of the best Chinatowns in the U.S. It’s very vibrant and continues to grow. Lastly, Houston has a wonderful museum district, especially the Museum of Fine Arts and the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Yvonne Chern of the Boston Badminton has been my mentor for over a decade. She gave me the support and confidence that I needed to jump into business with both feet. My business partner, Kenneth Goh, and general manager, Mo Hakim, have been working by my side to keep the facility running in tip top shape and our customers happy. My investor team of over 30 friends and family members have been very supportive and share my vision of providing a facility that is welcoming to all players of all skill levels, shapes and sizes. Our staff members wear a lot of different hats and provide great service that has earned us strong Google reviews.

Website: www.HoustonBadminton.com and www.HoustonPickleballCenter.com

Instagram: houstonbadmintoncenter and houstonpickleballcenter

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HoustonBadmintonCenter and https://www.facebook.com/HoustonPickleballCenter/

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutHTX is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.