1851

<a href="https://www.bigblueswimschool.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=austin-c-smith-to-open-21-big-blue-swim-schools-across-3-states-in-mountain-west-region-2717472" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Big Blue Swim School</a>, one of the nation’s fastest-growing swim school franchises, is expanding in Utah and coming to two new states across the Mountain West region — Arizona and Nevada — through an agreement for 21 pools with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-c-smith-a1755548?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=austin-c-smith-to-open-21-big-blue-swim-schools-across-3-states-in-mountain-west-region-2717472" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Austin C. Smith</a>, of Salt Lake City. Smith is an experienced investor most recently tied to the Savory Restaurant Fund, a value-add management company that focuses on delivering outsized returns through strategic growth and a unique value-add strategy . Now, he’s ready to dive into a new investment as a franchise partner with Big Blue Swim School.“Between these three markets, we feel like there's immense opportunity, especially with 21 locations identified as tier-one sites,” Smith said. “And within those geographies, we see a lack of competition from other national, established swim schools. In Nevada, we don’t have any national competitors currently, and in Utah and Arizona, we have few. So Big Blue has a real opportunity to come in and be the market leader in these geographies fairly quickly and capitalize on the existing whitespace.”Smith plans to open his first Big Blue Swim School in Utah by summer 2022, with goals to complete all 21 openings over the next seven years. Smith said he signed on as a franchise partner after learning about the high-quality investment opportunity and best-in-class consumer offerings provided by Big Blue.&nbsp;“About a year ago, I first learned about the opportunity with Big Blue, and from the very initial conversations I had with them, it was apparent that they were focused on the right things and that they understood the market and what it takes to scale a concept successfully,” Smith said. “As an investor, that's something that I'm always looking for: the right team. At the end of the day, the concept can be great, but if you don’t have the right people involved, it doesn't matter how good the concept actually is.”Since opening in 2009, Big Blue has changed the way swim lessons are taught. One of the ways the brand stands out is by training its swim associates to become expert instructors, helping provide consistency for a child to build trust with them and differentiating them from most kids’ concepts.“What makes Big Blue so special is that we are teaching children a vital life skill and we’re helping them build confidence along the way. Our mission is to show kids that they can do anything by unlocking their full potential in the water,” Big Blue’s founder and president Chris DeJong said. “With Austin’s passion for the Utah community and his expertise in the Mountain West region as a whole, we know he will dive in and make a significant difference in the lives of thousands of children.”&nbsp;Smith’s pools will also make life easier for parents by offering Big Blue’s ultimate flexibility in scheduling with its proprietary LessonBuddy™ app and advanced pool configurations.“All of our pools have room for progress move-ups immediately when kids are ready, and families can schedule multiple kids of various levels and ages to swim all at the same time,” DeJong said. “Our online software eliminates the challenges families can have when scheduling lessons for their family. And rescheduling lessons, when necessary, is always easy.”&nbsp;&nbsp;For franchise partners, LessonBuddy also allows them to manage the business remotely, maintaining efficiencies at the store. Additional top-tier franchisor support includes data-driven site selection, construction, technology, and marketing led by a team of experts.With an aggressive growth plan in place, Big Blue has already signed 161 units in 22 states across the country. With a goal of reaching 170 units by the end of 2021, the brand is uniquely positioned to be the leader in the $3 billion learn-to-swim industry.“The swim school industry as a whole is set to grow tremendously over the next five to 10 years, and I think we're right on the cusp of that,” Smith said. “There's so much opportunity out there, and there are so many kids that need to have access to swimming lessons.”The total investment to start a new Big Blue Swim School is $2,334,223 to $3,641,998. To learn more about Big Blue Swim School franchise opportunities, visit <a href="https://bigblueswimschool.com/franchising/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=austin-c-smith-to-open-21-big-blue-swim-schools-across-3-states-in-mountain-west-region-2717472" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">https://bigblueswimschool.com/franchising/</a>.&nbsp;ABOUT BIG BLUE SWIM SCHOOLBig 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, and pools are now open in Chicago, Atlanta, Denver and Northern Virginia. Big Blue is currently growing through franchising with plans to have a minimum of 170 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 <a href="http://yourbigmomentstartshere.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=austin-c-smith-to-open-21-big-blue-swim-schools-across-3-states-in-mountain-west-region-2717472" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://YourBigMomentStartsHere.com</a>.

Austin C. Smith to Open 21 Big Blue Swim Schools Across 3 States in Mountain West Region

1851 Franchise

The experienced investor has plans to roll out all 21 Big Blue Swim School locations across Utah, Arizona, and Nevada over a span of seven years, outpacing growth goals for the rapidly expanding franchise. 

This brand page has been paid for by 1851. Content within this page that is paid will showcase a Sponsored icon. This means the brand has engaged 1851 FRANCHISE to write the content. Content without the Sponsored Icon is aggregated media placements the brand earned. Questions can be sent to editorial@1851franchise.com

austin-c-smith-to-open-21-big-blue-swim-schools-across-3-states-in-mountain-west-region

Crust Pizza Co.

Crust Pizza Co. Provides Multiple Streams of Revenue in the Pizza Industry

crust-pizza-franchise-revenue-streams

Image Studios

Kansas City Franchise Owner Turns Real Estate Know-How Into a Thriving IMAGE Studios Business

image-studios-purposeful-careers

BooXkeeping

BooXkeeping Founder Max Emma on the Future of Bookkeeping, Franchising and Freedom

booxkeeping-max-emma-interview

Jollibee

Design with Peter Wright headshot and photo of Jollibee fries

Peter Wright Joins Jollibee as Vice President of Franchising to Lead U.S. Expansion

franchise-growth-peter-wright

HomeTeam Inspection Service

Photo of home inspectors speaking with another person outside of HomeTeam Inspection Service vehicle

From Inquiry to Ownership: How HomeTeam Inspection Service Paves a Clear Path to Franchising

hometeam-franchise-path-to-ownership

Buying a Franchise Masterclass

 Franchise Opportunities

Get Support Buying a Franchise

How to Buy a Franchise White Paper

How to Buy a Franchise

How to Sell Franchises

How to Grow a Franchise

Find a Franchise Supplier

1851 Franchise Opportunities

Franchisor News

Franchisor Power Rankings

FranCamp Mastermind Summit

Franchise Development Website Builder

Franchise Resources

What ALEC-Laffer's Report Means for Franchising

Website Awards

Power Rankings

About 1851

Advertise on 1851

Contact 1851 Editorial

Terms of Use

1851 Login

GROWTH CLUB LOGIN

facebook

instagram

twitter

linkedin

youtube

Authority Brands Enters Q4 with Record Momentum

Authority Brands Enters Q4 with Record Momentum, Surpassing 200 New Franchise Owners in the First 10 Months of 2025

authority-brands-enters-q4-with-record-momentum-surpassing-200-new-franchise-owners-in-the-first-10-months-of-2025

Franchises, work-life balance, millennials in franchising, millennials work-life balance

The Best Franchises for Millennials Wanting Work-Life Balance

best-franchises-millennials-work-life-balance

Photo of Papa Murphy's Take 'N' Bake Pizza franchisee Lily Wilford

Entrepreneur: This 18-Year-Old Saves Babysitting Money for College — Then Decided to Buy a Business Instead

18-year-old-franchise-owner-lily-wilford

Amazon outage, AWS outage, Amazon AWS logo

The Day the Cloud Stalled: How Amazon's Outage Impacted Franchise Economy

amazon-aws-outage-franchise-impact-travel-dining-failure

Thursday 1851 Franchise Agg - NASAA’s Noncompete Push

NASAA’s Noncompete Push Puts Franchise Growth on Uncertain Ground

franchise-noncompete-nasaa-advisory-reasonableness-standard

image of jerome hanway from right at home Las Cruces, New Mexico 1851 franchise franchisee spotlight

Jerome Hanway Is Building His Right at Home Franchise Around His Mission To Serve

right-at-home-franchise-las-cruces-jerome-hanway

image of michael panos and michel panos, owners of mellow mushroom in Atlanta

The Panos Family’s Role in Preserving Mellow Mushroom’s Character — and Expanding in Atlanta

mellow-mushroom-franchise-panos-restaurant-group-metro-atlanta

photo-of-laynes-chicken-fingers-dalton-dennis-southern-oregon

23-Year-Old Entrepreneur Brings Soon to Be Famous Chicken™ to Southern Oregon With 3-Unit Layne’s Chicken Fingers Franchise Signing

laynes-chicken-fingers-dalton-dennis-southern-oregon

1851 Franchisee Spotlight graphic with photo of Ron Taylor and SweatHouz logo

From Edible Arrangements Leader to Wellness Entrepreneur: Ron Taylor's $53 Million Franchise Journey

ron-taylor-edible-arrangements-sweathouz-franchise-journey

A Practical Playbook: Who To Call First When Franchising Your Business

franchising-your-business-who-to-call-first

NJCAR v. Ford - New Jersey Supreme Court Limits Standing Under Franchise Practices Act

New Jersey Supreme Court Limits Standing Under Franchise Practices Act

new-jersey-franchise-practices-act-njcar-v-ford

image of franchise deep dive from 1851 franchise on doody calls franchise authority brands

DoodyCalls Franchise Costs, Fees, Profit and Data for 2025

doodycalls-franchise-deep-dive

Graphic with arm, holding graduation cap, coming out of stack of books

Austin C. Smith to Open 21 Big Blue Swim Schools Across 3 States in Mountain West Region

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS