--- title: "Lightbridge Academy® to Exhibit at The Franchise Show in Raleigh on Nov. 20 and 21" url: https://burnaze.com/article/597f8923-5463-4da2-9704-c5fc1f0398e2 source: "1851 Franchise" original_url: https://1851franchise.com/lightbridge-academy-to-exhibit-at-the-franchise-show-in-raleigh-on-nov-20-and-21-2717178 category: "Childcare & early learning" industry: "Education & Childcare" segment: "Childcare & early learning" published: 2021-11-12T17:12:00.000Z modified: 2026-11-01T02:12:55.327Z image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/190576b9f3527af9eb9f87cbe71ac5d14571.jpg --- # Lightbridge Academy® to Exhibit at The Franchise Show in Raleigh on Nov. 20 and 21 **TL;DR:** Lightbridge Academy will exhibit at The Franchise Show in Raleigh to expand its presence in the North Carolina market. The brand plans to open six new locations in the area, generating over 200 jobs. *originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2021-11-12. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/lightbridge-academy-to-exhibit-at-the-franchise-show-in-raleigh-on-nov-20-and-21-2717178).* ## Story Leading early education and child care franchise Lightbridge Academy will be exhibiting at The Franchise Show in Raleigh, North Carolina this November to jump start the brand’s plans to open six new locations in the area. Lightbridge Academy senior leadership team will be attending the show and meeting with prospective franchisees at the North Carolina State Fair Expo Center on November 20th and 21st. Lightbridge Academy has been franchising since 2011 and now has more than 60 open locations with 60 additional franchises sold or in development across the U.S. The child care brand is working to expand its presence in North Carolina and looks to establish locations in Raleigh that will generate over 200 jobs in the market. “We’re looking forward to finding strong franchisees to help us expand in the Raleigh market,” said Lightbridge Academy founder and chairman Guy Falzarano. “At The Franchise Show, we will be meeting with local entrepreneurs and business owners in the area. We’re excited to show them how a Lightbridge Academy child care franchise is truly differentiated as The Solution for Working Parents**®** and well-positioned to make a positive impact in their community. Raleigh is such a diverse city with a growing but still tight-knit community that cares about its children and families. Lightbridge Academy provides unparalleled support for parents as well as a high quality early educational program for their children. Our Franchise Show exhibit gives us a chance to share our proven business model and find the ideal franchisees that are a fit for our high care services and culture.” Raleigh is the fastest-growing city in North Carolina and was recently named one of the country’s top relocation destinations. Between 2010 and 2020, the population grew 25.6% and is expected to increase by another 600,000 people by 2030. Such a jump in population requires an increase in educational resources to serve incoming families and young children. Rebecca and Brian Grovenstein, Lightbridge Academy franchisees who own both the Holly Springs and Apex, North Carolina locations, can attest to the state’s overall growth, opening two locations in under six months and already planning for a third. Both of their locations opened to record enrollment numbers, the highest the franchise brand has ever seen. Just 30 minutes away from Raleigh, the Grovensteins have experienced the growing need for early education and child care resources in the area. “The Raleigh area is perfect for Lightbridge Academy’s North Carolina expansion,” said Lightbridge Academy CEO Gigi Schweikert. “Lightbridge Academy delivers a trusted child care service along with a solid educational curriculum for all children. We understand the challenges working parents face and their real need to be supported, it is why we developed industry-leading programs like ParentView® Internet Monitoring, a parent eCommunication app, extended hours and state-of-the-art security systems. Last year, we also introduced The Lightbridge Promise®, which is the Gold Standard in health and safety for child care, including the installation of an enhanced air purification and filtration system along with heightened cleaning and sanitation processes.” Lightbridge Academy is hoping to use Raleigh’s Franchise Show to identify qualified franchise candidates who are a good fit with the company’s values to build on the city’s first two franchises. “The operations at Lightbridge Academy are so well-designed that owners don’t need to have a career in education or child care to run it,” Falzarano said. “We’re looking for solid business people with a passion for children and education, who understand the need to support parents and are committed to following the Lightbridge Academy model.” The brand is fully committed to North Carolina expansion and CEO Gigi Schweikert, SVP of Franchise Sales, Jim DiRugeris and founder and chairman Guy Falzarano will be on hand at the North Carolina State Fair Expo Center to meet prospective franchisees, provide information on the brand’s franchise opportunity and answer questions about its large-scale development plans in the Raleigh area. ## Entities - 1851 Franchise (publication) - unit expansion (topic) - Education & Childcare (sector) - north carolina (location) - Raleigh (location) - child care (topic) - Gigi Schweikert (person) - north carolina market (topic) - franchise show (topic) --- Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/lightbridge-academy-to-exhibit-at-the-franchise-show-in-raleigh-on-nov-20-and-21-2717178). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/597f8923-5463-4da2-9704-c5fc1f0398e2).