Aquatics International: Champion Swimmers Find Success Running Swim Schools

Big Blue Swim School, a swim school franchise founded by U.S. National Swim Team member Chris DeJong and competitive swimmer John Lonergan, is opening its fifth Chicagoland location.

Gone are the days of bland colors and old-school swim schools. Dejong describes his facilities as the “Apple Store” of swim schools, meaning that each location is unique in its own way, with a parent-friendly aesthetic and modern, open spaces to provide room for families outside of the pool. The schools will also have an app for parents, which will allow them to track their children’s progress and schedule classes at the same time.

As for development, Big Blue Swim School is using franchising opportunities as their key tool for expansion, planning to open 150 locations by 2020. The franchise will be opening five locations in Denver later this year.