Sylvan Experiences Impressive Growth in Q1; Sets Sights on Continued Development for 2017
BALTIMORE, MD (PRWEB) May 05, 2017 -- For Sylvan Learning, the nation’s leading supplemental education resource and enrichment program provider, 2016 was a year of growth—both internally and externally. The list of the brand’s accolades last year is expansive, and according to Sylvan CEO John McAuliffe, it set the Sylvan system up for even bigger things to come in 2017. And with 15 agreements already signed during the first quarter alone, the brand is well on its way to achieving another momentous year.
This development comes after Sylvan ended 2016 with 55 franchise sales.
"Twenty-seventeen has been off to a phenomenal start for Sylvan Learning, with the sale of 15 franchise agreements, including locations for some of our top development markets such as Virginia, New York and California," said Georgia Chasen, senior director of franchise development at Sylvan. "We're looking forward to matching or surpassing last year's franchise deals of 55 sales."
Backed by over 750 locations, Sylvan introduced its services to four new territories during the first quarter—Leesburg, Virginia; Reston, Virginia; Minneola-Garden City, New York; and Tustin Foothills, California. Other notable openings from 2017 include a new center in Fort Worth, Texas and three new locations in Vietnam.
Much of Sylvan’s ongoing development is being fueled by a growing demand for its unique suite of services. In 2015, Sylvan entered the STEM arena by launching its EDGE program, with innovative courses in coding, robotics, engineering and advanced math. Looking to take its offerings even further, Sylvan added 19 additional courses in 2016, including an enhanced math program. That dedication to offering cutting-edge courses is paying off in a big way for the brand—Sylvan’s Math Edge saw 36 percent growth in program enrollment; Sylvan EDGE saw a 17 percent growth in program enrollment; and college prep saw 8 percent growth.
"Now that our Sylvan EDGE programs are rolled out nationally, I'm pleased to see our enrollment and satisfaction rates climbing," said John McAuliffe, CEO of Sylvan. "As a franchise system, it is important to me to provide the best business solutions for franchisees and educational solutions for our students across the U.S. and internationally. The importance of STEM is something that can’t be overstated, and we’re perfectly positioned to be at the forefront of that increasingly popular segment.”
Internally, Sylvan also rolled out a handful of changes to enhance its growing corporate team. Susan Valverde, who joined Sylvan’s corporate team a year ago after spending 15 years as a successful franchisee, was named the new chief franchisee operations officer.
“Susan has brought us instant credibility in the eyes of the franchisees and has transformed how we support our system. She has doubled the number of franchise business consultants, aligned the local marketing specialists with the franchise business consultants, turned our in-bound help desk into an outbound targeted support center, streamlined our new owner on-boarding process and instituted regional trainings that are focused on key growth areas,” McAuliffe said. “She will now be taking on the additional responsibility of franchisee training and institutional support, and we couldn’t be more excited to have her in this important role.”
Sylvan also promoted Georgia Chasen to senior director of franchise development. Chasen, who has been on staff since 2006, has helped to transform Sylvan’s franchise development team.
“Last year we focused on strengthening our foundation and core. Now, we’re reaping the rewards of those efforts. We believe we’ve set ourselves up very well for a new year, and we’re very excited to see what big things are on the horizon in 2017,” McAuliffe said.
ABOUT SYLVAN LEARNING, LLC
With more than 35 years of experience and more than 750 locations throughout North America, Sylvan Learning is the leading provider of personal learning for students in grades K-12. Sylvan is transforming how students learn, inspiring them to succeed in school and in life. Sylvan’s proven tutoring approach blends amazing teachers with SylvanSync™ technology on the iPad® for an engaging learning experience. Sylvan also leads the way with Sylvan EDGE—STEM and accelerated courses and Sylvan Prep —college and test prep courses. Sylvan supports families through every stage of the academic journey. For more information, visit http://www.SylvanLearning.com or SylvanLearning.com/blog.
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Troy Kehoe, No Limit Agency, http://www.nolimitagency.com, +1 (312) 526-3996, [email protected]
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