Lightbridge Academy Announces New Development Team Members

Lightbridge Academy, one of the nation’s leading early education and child care providers, has experienced impressive franchise growth this year, expanding into both new and existing markets with a total of 68 locations to date. Building on that franchise development momentum and ensuring incoming franchisees have the support they need to thrive, Lightbridge Academy is expanding its development team with the addition of Andrew Miller and David Bailey as real estate managers. The two will leverage their experience to manage a repeatable, best-in-class real estate process that enables the Lightbridge Academy brand to scale responsibly.

Andrew Miller has worked for over 20 years in the real estate industry with experience in site selection, lease negotiations, development and acquisitions. He also has extensive experience with project management, asset management, construction and underwriting assets in commercial real estate markets throughout the country. He has managed national corporate accounts, portfolios and real estate/facility operations. 

Miller’s previous roles include as a broker for CB Richard Ellis, where he handled marketing and brokerage responsibilities. He also spent six years as a Director of Real Estate at DIRECTV, managing day-to-day operations and working with high-value real estate contracts. 

Miller explained, “I’m excited to be here and looking forward to the amazing growth that awaits within the organization and providing the best possible service to our franchisees and fellow employees!”

David Bailey has 17 years of experience in the real estate industry and a Master’s Degree in Real Estate. Most of Mr. Bailey’s real estate experience is on the brokerage side as a tenant representative for high-value retail brands. He also has experience in Real Estate Market Analysis (Demographic Analysis) and has spent the past nine years working as a commercial real estate broker for Real Property Experts, partnering with small and large organizations to strategically position businesses for success.

I am delighted to be here with such an amazing group of people. I love working within the real estate industry and now, I get to do what I love for an incredible growing organization, all while positively impacting the communities in which we serve,” said Bailey. “I could not have asked for a better opportunity than joining this team!”

As real estate managers with Lightbridge Academy, Miller and Bailey will utilize their thorough understanding of the development team resources to coordinate with the franchisees, commit to effective site selection and ensure a smooth process of real estate decision-making. In doing so, they will ensure the reputation of Lightbridge with real estate professionals is actively considered and in good standing, promoting the company’s vision with partners and evaluating future growth markets.  

The new hires also come as Lightbridge Academy continues to roll out its new “land banking” strategy in certain target markets. Even before signing a franchise agreement, the real estate team will find land with a developer, build the center and then market the opportunity to identify a franchisee who might want to take over ownership but doesn’t want to wait to build their own center. By proactively finding ideal sites, the team can significantly shorten the time to market and make it much faster for franchisees to become operational once they sign on.

By the end of 2022, the Lightbridge team hopes to add 6 new centers across the country and is targeting several markets primed for growth, including Texas, Virginia and Florida. 

"As one of the fastest-growing franchises, we are pushing full steam ahead with our franchise development plans, and bringing on experts like Andrew Miller and David Bailey will be an invaluable resource for Lightbridge Academy franchisees,” said CEO of Lightbridge Academy Gigi Schweikert. “We're looking forward to entering more communities with our Circle of Care® to make a difference for families in new markets across the East Coast and the South."

Learn more about franchise opportunities at https://lightbridgeacademyfranchise.com/.

About Lightbridge Academy: 

Established in 1997, the company was founded as a family business based on core values and a Circle of Care philosophy that places equal importance on the needs of children, their families, teachers, center owners and the community. Now celebrating its 25th anniversary, Lightbridge Academy provides quality early education and child care programs to children aged six weeks through kindergarten. The company currently has over 140 child care centers either open or in development throughout Florida, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. In response to COVID-19, Lightbridge Academy launched The Lightbridge Promise as the Gold Standard for health & safety in the child care industry. In 2020, the company was featured on the Inc. 5000 ranking, Franchise Times Top 200+ awards, and on Newsweek’s 2021 list of America’s Best Customer Service. In 2022, Lightbridge Academy was featured for the 7th year on Entrepreneur Magazine's Franchise 500 and for the 2nd year on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing private companies.