Our Story

Combined 80 Years of Composites Expertise 

Devon Hammett (CEO) has been in the composite business since 1981. During most of that time he has built aerospace laminates using carbon fiber prepregs.  He started at Nordam then moved on to Texas where he made helicopter rotor blades and, flight control surfaces, and radomes.  Devon then started Advanced Composites Materials making laminates for aerospace.  He has specifications he developed for Northrup Grumman for the F16 & F35 fixed wing fighter jets.

Neil Friedenberg (Director of Sales & Marketing/Product Development) At a young age Neil first learned the sport from his father, Mark, AKA "Yoda" Friedenberg.  Mark was the founder of the United States Pickleball Association (USAPA), Prolite, a Hall of Fame inductee, and a national Champion.  In 2011, Neil assumed ownership of Prolite from his father.  Under Neil's guidance, Prolite experienced significant growth and led the industry with new innovations.  During his tenure, Prolite launched over 40 distinct paddle models.   He launched the Prolite grip division and expanded into apparel, accessories, and other pickleball related items.  With decades of experience in the sport, he is now bringing his extensive knowledge to Quiet Play.  His vast experience and vision for the sport lead him to Quiet Play because of their dedication to innovation and addressing the prevalent noise issue in pickleball.  Neil is also a pickleball ambassador and his belief of the broader benefits of pickleball.  "Pickleball can shape lives for the greater good."  He emphasizes the sports ability to extend life and cultivate a vibrant social environment.

Dan Alter (Engineering) has been in the composite business since 1985.  The first 11 years he ran a manufacturing plant for composite parts for automobiles, trucks and RV’s. He later went into technical sales at Neste gelcoats and has now spent the past 26 years at Composites One as Advanced Composites Applications Manager.

Steg Boyer (Public Relations & Product Testing) Steg is Florida born and grown just like Quiet Play Paddles.  He started playing tennis, racquetball and ping pong in high School.  He attended college on a tennis scholarship and taught tennis throughout his life.  He clearly has a passion for paddle and racket sports.  This passion lead him to pickleball and he plays daily.  He spent his last 18 years working as an aerospace engineer.  His engineering backgroud is what lead him to Quiet Play once he played it he was thrilled with the performance.  His unique skill set made him a perfect addition to the team.

At the beginning, we didn't know much about pickleball other than hearing constantly about noise complaints, especially on outdoor courts. Advanced Composites Materials was approached to see if their advanced technologies could benefit the sport of pickleball. Several brands had been looking for new innovations for their pickleball paddles. We were asked to create made in America laminates using the old tried and true polypropylene honeycomb core. 

What we realized was there has been very little innovation with paddles.  Most companies copy laminates and shapes and then look to drive cost out by having them built in Asia or other low labor cost countries. We looked at what the customers asked us to produce and wondered why they used an inferior laminate.

It was then decided we would make the best paddles on the market based on engineered scientific data. We relied on our cumulative composite experience of 80 years building laminates in the transportation, aerospace and marine industries.

Easier on the Players and Greater Control

Several senior pros commented after an hour of play.“I have tennis elbow and I had zero pain with this paddle.” “The paddles have incredible control, it's like the ball is Velcro to the paddle.”These attributes are due to the damping layer along with the maximum allowable surface roughness. The damping allowed absorbs just enough energy to provide longer dwell on the paddle. Because our paddles have higher stiffness “modulus” they play just as fast as other brands while absorbing sound which is energy.