Silver Bear Swim School is dedicated to providing communities with safe and engaging learn-to-swim lessons for children 6 months to 14 years. All franchise units are owned by families who successfully have embraced a proven model that has been fine-tuned since 2006. By providing custom-designed facilities, a proprietary curriculum, a robust LMS like Silver Bear Swim University, and highly trained teams of leaders and instructors, Silver Bear Swim School fosters a collaborative culture for franchisees, staff and clients. By Erika Ortega
FAMILY AFFAIR
A Franchise That Prioritizes Family and Community
Silver Bear Swim School is dedicated to providing communities with safe and engaging learn-to-swim lessons for children 6 months to 14 years. All franchise units are owned by families who successfully have embraced a proven model that has been fine-tuned since 2006. By providing custom-designed facilities, a proprietary curriculum, a robust LMS like Silver Bear Swim University, and highly trained teams of leaders and instructors, Silver Bear Swim School fosters a collaborative culture for franchisees, staff and clients.
Power couple Katie and Tim Hall founded the Silver Bear Swim School franchise and currently own and run the two flagship locations in Nevada. Tim has a background in advertising and comes from a long line of entrepreneurs, and Katie has excelled in journalism, public relations and business development.
“Katie and I fell in love at the swimming pool, and aquatics has always been our shared passion,” said Tim. “When we moved to Reno, we recognized a need for our learn-to-swim concept.”
Katie started offering swimming lessons when she was 13 and continued to coach throughout her college career. With a mutual love for swimming and a shared entrepreneurial spirit, they started their own business.
“Reno was ripe for entrepreneurship. We fell in love with the community and wanted to have an impact,” explained Katie.
With their newborn son, Jack, the Halls wanted their business concept to support quality family time.
“Our student body naturally and quickly became our Reno surrogate family,” said Tim. “This theme of family was the reason why we started our first franchise.”
The CDC 2024 Vital Signs report states that “Drowning is the number one cause of death for children 1-4 years old in the U.S.” It takes a village to keep students safe, and Silver Bear Swim School is committed to working with families to protect children when they’re having fun in the water.
“Teaching a child how to swim decreases the chance of drowning by 88%,” explained Katie. “We teach children a critical, lifesaving skill while providing a fun space for families to connect with one another.”
Erika Ortega