Goldfish Swim School - 2022 Owner's Celebration Award Announcements

Leading Swim School Franchise Brand Celebrates Franchisees for Outstanding Performance in Different Categories

TROY, Mich., Nov. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Goldfish Swim School Franchising, LLC, the premier learn-to-swim franchise concept, recently recognized extraordinary Goldfish Swim School performers across North America at its highly anticipated conference in Phoenix, Arizona. The 2022 Goldfish Owners Celebration recognized seven franchisee award winners, celebrated this year's accomplishments, and reconnected and energized the system after being remote in 2020 and 2021.

With five core values – Going Above and Beyond to Create a Golden Experience, Providing Wow! Customer Service, Treating People with Integrity, Compassion & Trust, Meeting & Exceeding Expectations so you see Extraordinary Results, and Making a Big Deal out of Life's Accomplishments by Remembering to Celebrate – solidifying the foundation of the Goldfish Swim School franchise, the brand looks to franchisees to incorporate these guiding principles into the daily operations of their swim schools, as well as in their communities. The Franchise Team awarded five Goldfish Swim School teams that best represented and encompassed each individual core value:

• Golden Experience Winner – Goldfish Swim School North Canton, OH
• Wow! Customer Service Winner – Goldfish Swim School South Jordan, UT
• Integrity, Compassion & Trust Winner – Goldfish Swim school Chapel Hill, NC
• Extraordinary Results Winner – Goldfish Swim School Oakville Ontario, Canada and Goldfish Swim School Burlington Ontario, Canada
• Celebrate Winner – Goldfish Swim School Norwood, MA

Awards were also given to "School of the Year" and "Rookie of the Year" schools that exemplify all core values:

• School of the Year Winner – Owner Jake Atchoo and General Manager Zachary Healy of Goldfish Swim School Gaithersburg, MD, exemplify every one of the Goldfish Core Values and go above and beyond to provide members a Golden Experience. Zachary is involved with the Marketing Brain Trust and consistently finds ways to provide feedback on marketing projects, programs and initiatives. The Gaithersburg team piloted and adopted the Golden Learners* program locally to make swimming more accessible to their community and regularly advocate for diversity and inclusion within the school and community.  
• Rookie of the Year Winner – Owner Dave Handley and General Manager Melissa Sewick of Goldfish Swim School Eagan, MN have been passionate about Goldfish from day one and were recognized for their determination to executing a successful grand opening, meeting every milestone to exceed member expectations, and being eager to jump into any opportunity to spread awareness of water safety, swim lessons and Goldfish with their community. They have gone out of their way to spread awareness by hosting Water Safety Presentations at local schools and providing a safe encouraging learning environment in their schools.

"We were thrilled to have the opportunity to celebrate each winner in person this year in Arizona – it was apparent our core values and culture continues to unify our franchise system and inspire accountability, creativity and resiliency leading to successful franchisees and remarkable results," said Chris McCuiston, CEO & Co-Founder of Goldfish Swim School. "This is a testament to our incredible franchisees who work hard to bring our mission and vision to life each and every day. As a result of their hard work, paired with our exceptional Franchise Support Team, we have been able to teach 250,000+ children how to be safer in and around the water, while growing our brand footprint to 135+ schools. These are incredible milestones that push the limit in terms of what's next for our brand as we as we continue to actualize our company purpose."

The awards ceremony also recognized Goldfish Swim School's overall accomplishments this year, including now having taught over 1 million swimmers since first opening their doors in 2006. This year Goldfish Swim School ranked No. 271 on the Franchise Times Top 500 Franchises List, and No. 53 on Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 list achieving the number one spot in their category for the sixth year in a row. Additionally, Goldfish Swim School received two Franchise Innovation Awards for "Best PR Campaign" and "Most Innovative Employee Hiring" from Franchise Update Media and the International Franchise Association recognized four Goldfish Swim School franchisees as Franchisees of the Year. 

Goldfish Swim School provides swim lessons and water safety instruction to infants and children ages four months to 12 years, teaching children how to be safer in and around the water. Each school offers swim lessons and programs using a proprietary philosophy, The Science of SwimPlay^®, to build life skills both in and out of the water using play-based learning in a fun and safe environment. Each school's number one focus and main priority is always the same – educating children on water safety while teaching them how to swim and respect the water.

For more information on Goldfish Swim School, please visit https://www.goldfishswimschool.com/.

*The Golden Learners Program is available at participating, specially-trained locations only.

Founded by husband and wife team Chris and Jenny McCuiston, Goldfish Swim School provides swim lessons and water safety instruction to infants and children ages four months to 12 years. Classes are offered by specially trained instructors in a safe, child-friendly and fun environment using their research-based philosophy called The Science of SwimPlay®. Headquartered in Troy, Michigan, Goldfish Swim School was established in Birmingham, Michigan in 2006, and opened its first franchise location in 2009. Recently, the brand was recognized by Entrepreneur in its Franchise 500^® ranking, Franchise Times' 2020 Fast & Serious List, and Inc. Magazine's 2019 Top 5000. Goldfish Swim School is currently in the process of expanding franchise opportunities throughout North America, with more than 135+ schools open, and an additional 130 in development in more than 30 states and Canada.

Media Contact: Maddie LaPorta, Fishman Public Relations – (847)945-1300, [email protected]

SOURCE Goldfish Swim School