---
title: "Big Blue Swim Signs Its First Lease in Pennsylvania"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/6e4d1deb-cd38-4375-a01e-2d490d7bf95b
source: "Franchising.com"
original_url: https://www.franchising.com/news/20220420_big_blue_swim_signs_its_first_lease_in_pennsylvania.html
category: "Swim"
industry: "Education & Childcare"
segment: "Swim"
published: 2022-04-20T12:00:00.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T22:33:06.365Z
image: https://imgs.franchising.com/brands/social/bigblueswimschool.jpg
---

# Big Blue Swim Signs Its First Lease in Pennsylvania

**TL;DR:** Big Blue Swim School has signed a lease for a new location in Pennsylvania, its first in the state, and plans to open in early 2023. The location will be operated by Chelsea Dukovich, who was inspired to develop three locations after experiencing the challenge of finding quality swim lessons in the market.

*originally published in Franchising.com on 2022-04-20. [Read the original](https://www.franchising.com/news/20220420_big_blue_swim_signs_its_first_lease_in_pennsylvania.html).*

## Story

Big Blue Swim School has signed a lease for a new swim school, securing its first location in Pennsylvania.

The prime location at 20406 US-19 in Cranberry Township, PA, in the Streets of Cranberry Shopping Center is set to open in early 2023. The new location will be opened and operated by Pennsylvania-based Chelsea Dukovich, who said she was inspired to develop three locations after experiencing first-hand the challenge of finding quality swim lessons in their market.

“We have three young children and had been searching for good swim lessons in Pittsburgh,” Dukovich said. “It was extremely challenging to find the right fit because there was nothing quite like Big Blue in our market. As customers, that was a challenge, but as entrepreneurs, we realized that was an opportunity.”

Big Blue’s data-driven real estate selection process incorporates a number of critical criteria during site selection. The franchise puts the customer at the center of its real estate strategy. By making locations easy to find and access, Big Blue makes itself accessible and appealing to parents while also increasing brand awareness.

“The team has worked hard to seek out locations and create an experience that makes it easy for parents and families to add swim lessons into their schedule,” said Chris DeJong, Big Blue’s founder and president. “We build our schools with comfort and accessibility in mind, and we are looking forward to making a difference in the lives of Cranberry Township children by living up to our company mission of showing them they can do anything by unlocking their full potential in the water.”

The buildout will be supervised by Big Blue’s in-house construction management team, which has a consistent record of building pools on time and within budget. The approach allows former retail space to be reborn as modern, comfortable facilities, setting Big Blue apart from its competition and adding value to the property.

“The landlord community likes what we’re bringing to their properties because we're not dependent upon making goods and selling them,” said Big Blue CEO Scott Sanders. “We are a unique service model that can’t be replicated at home or be replaced by technology. What we do simply can’t be delivered on someone’s doorstep.”

Big Blue Swim School focuses on creating Big Moments for children ages six months to 12 years old.

## Entities

- Franchising.com (publication)
- franchise growth (topic)
- location expansion (topic)
- Education & Childcare (sector)
- Pennsylvania (location)
- Big Blue Swim School (company)
- Chris DeJong (person)
- swim lessons (topic)
- lease signing (topic)
- Streets of Cranberry Shopping Center (location)

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Originally reported by Franchising.com (https://www.franchising.com/news/20220420_big_blue_swim_signs_its_first_lease_in_pennsylvania.html). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/6e4d1deb-cd38-4375-a01e-2d490d7bf95b).