ORLANDO, Fla. (PRWEB) April 27, 2021
Big Blue Swim School, one of the nation’s fastest-growing swim school franchises, is coming to Orlando, Florida through a franchise agreement with local resident Kumar Vuddharaju, his wife Hima, and business partners Jay and Cristina Breitlow.
The team plans to open five Big Blue Swim Schools in the Orlando area over the next five years. They signed on as franchise partners after learning about the high-quality investment opportunity and best-in-class consumer offerings provided by Big Blue Swim School.
“What makes Big Blue so special is that we are teaching children a vital life skill,” said Chris DeJong, Big Blue’s founder and president. “With Kumar and his team’s passion for the Orlando community, we know they will dive in and make a significant difference in the lives of thousands of children.”
Kumar is the father of two daughters, ages 11 and 6. Before joining Big Blue, Kumar was the head of IT strategy at CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, where he provided oversight for the company’s annual budget. Before that, Kumar worked as an assistant CIO at L3Harris and as a chief enterprise architect at Deloitte, both multi-billion dollar companies. He also founded a boutique IT consulting business.
By partnering with Big Blue Swim School, Kumar is looking forward to providing a valuable service to families in his community.
“We got into franchising because we wanted a proven business model that allows us to build equity as semi-absentee owners,” Kumar said. “Still, there are plenty of franchise opportunities out there, so it is important to pick a concept that is well-aligned with your life philosophy. For us, it was all about being involved with our community while promoting healthy lifestyles for children, and Big Blue Swim School is a mission-driven business focused on creating big, life-changing moments for children and families.”
After completing their due diligence, the Vuddharajus attended Big Blue Swim School’s discovery day, known as Dive-in Day, where they met Jay and Cristina Breitlow. The two couples connected immediately and shared a similar philosophical approach and passion for their community. They decided to team up as franchise partners to develop Big Blue in Orlando.
“With our combined experience in corporate America, we know it is important to have well-defined processes and technology in place before starting a business,” Kumar said. “Big Blue isn’t just a swim school, it is a tech company.”
Big Blue’s proprietary enterprise system, LessonBuddy™, is technologically superior to the competition and makes it easier for parents to sign up for swim lessons, reschedule classes, get progress reports, and more.
Kumar also notes that his experience as a parent of multiple children helped him see the value of Big Blue’s consumer offering. The larger-than-average size of Big Blue pools have room for progress move-ups immediately when children are ready, and families can schedule multiple children of various levels and ages to swim at the same time.
“I have children of different ages and the local swim school is challenging because we have to take them at two different times,” said Kumar. “These differentiators were important to me and it’s part of what makes Big Blue stand out in the swim lesson industry.”
Since opening in 2009, Big Blue has changed the way swim lessons are taught. “Everything we do is focused on showing children they can achieve anything through the magic of weekly swim lessons,” said DeJong. “This mission drives every operation at Big Blue and we think the Vuddharajus and Breitlows will deliver that mission with passion and enthusiasm.”
With an aggressive growth plan in place, Big Blue has already signed 122 units in 20 states across the country. With a goal of reaching 150 signed units by the end of 2021, the brand is uniquely positioned to be the leader in the $3 billion learn-to-swim industry.
For franchise partners, Big Blue delivers numerous differentiators including the ability to manage the business remotely through LessonBuddy. Other top-tier franchisor support services include data-driven site selection, construction, technology, and marketing.
Big Blue Swim School franchise opportunities are still available in key markets across the country. To learn more, visit http://YourBigMomentStartsHere.com.
ABOUT BIG BLUE SWIM SCHOOL
Big Blue Swim School was founded in 2009 by competitive swimmer Chris DeJong. The first location opened in Wilmette, Illinois, followed by four additional Chicagoland schools. In 2017, Level 5 Capital Partners acquired a stake in the brand. In 2020, the brand expanded its presence to Atlanta. Big Blue is currently growing through franchising with plans to have a minimum of 150 pools sold by the end of 2021. Big Blue Swim School's real estate expertise, strong brand, proprietary technology, and leadership support, coupled with its best-in-class consumer offerings, position its franchise partners for long-term success. To learn more about franchise opportunities with Big Blue Swim School, visit http://YourBigMomentStartsHere.com