---
title: "Jacksonville Business Journal: Lightbridge Academy Identifies Jacksonville, Florida as Key Development Market"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/e64d72f9-b73a-4306-a40f-1fd140a30874
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/jacksonville-business-journal-lightbridge-academy-identifies-jacksonville-florida-as-key-development-market-2703268
category: "Childcare & early learning"
industry: "Education & Childcare"
segment: "Childcare & early learning"
published: 2017-07-07T15:10:33.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T04:12:23.250Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/ef4c5b85886af53ba75b4fc7b77e6b036398.jpg
---

# Jacksonville Business Journal: Lightbridge Academy Identifies Jacksonville, Florida as Key Development Market

**TL;DR:** Lightbridge Academy has identified Jacksonville, Florida as a key development market, with a focus on serving working parents in the area. Florida is projected to be one of the top states for franchise growth this year.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2017-07-07. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/jacksonville-business-journal-lightbridge-academy-identifies-jacksonville-florida-as-key-development-market-2703268).*

## Story

Florida was projected this year to be one of the top states for franchise growth, and the Jacksonville Business Journal recently spoke with Lightbridge Academy senior vice president of franchise sales Mark Mele about the brand and their plans for the area.

According to the article, Jacksonville's population and presence of working parents make the market a great fit for Lightbridge Academy. The article also discusses why franchising can be a great model for new business owners.

Said Mele, “Franchising is for the most part a proven track to run on. If you’re starting a brand it would be smart to look at franchising and see if you could buy into a brand that already has a presence. And it’s easy to replicate, that’s why people are attracted to it. They would rather pay royalty fees than be out there on their own.”

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- franchise growth (topic)
- Education & Childcare (sector)
- education (topic)
- Lightbridge Academy (company)
- Jacksonville, Florida (location)
- Mark Mele (person)
- market development (topic)

---
Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/jacksonville-business-journal-lightbridge-academy-identifies-jacksonville-florida-as-key-development-market-2703268). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/e64d72f9-b73a-4306-a40f-1fd140a30874).