Chris DeJong’s mother always reminded him, “Never underestimate the power of a handwritten note.”
The founder of Big Blue Swim School is taking that advice since his five Chicago-area locations temporarily closed because of Illinois’ stay-at-home order.
DeJong, 36, and two colleagues have been working their way down a list of more than 1,000 customers, writing to thank them for their support and patience while they wait for swimming instruction to restart. And he has the hand cramps to show it, he said.
“If they have any questions, I tell them to call my cellphone,” DeJong said. “I know I’m giving out my cellphone, but that’s our philosophy.”
Despite a pandemic not being an ideal climate to expand a business, DeJong has no plans to slow down and is seeking to grow the business through corporate-owned schools and franchises. Locations are scheduled to open in Connecticut, Georgia and Washington, D.C.
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The company has 81 franchise deals and is using the temporary shutdown as an opportunity to court more. He sees the company growing to 400 locations.
“We think swim schools are an incredibly underserved market,” he said.
DeJong’s plan is ambitious: Teaching one-third of the kids in the United States how to swim.
A competitive swimmer who was on a U.S. National Swim Team, DeJong started teaching swim lessons in 2009 in a church pool.
“The best business ideas are hiding in plain sight,” he said. “I realized so many kids out there, as I did, learned to swim in freezing cold pools, where a lot of activities are going on at the same time.”
Since the pandemic temporarily shuttered his swim schools, DeJong said he has retained his 165 full-time employees with their benefits. He’s also applied for the Paycheck Protection Program administered by the Small Business Administration.
Strip malls are Big Blue’s preferred location because of the plentiful parking and visibility, and DeJong said the feedback he’s getting from potential landlords is positive. “We have been hearing back from landlords that see a need for our recession-resistant, experience-based service.”
Still, with a murky summer ahead as social distancing rules are loosened but people remain wary of getting too physically close, DeJong will face some new challenges. How do you maintain a safe distance in a swimming pool?
DeJong said it’s a matter of educating customers on both the virus and the school’s water filtration and sanitizing systems. “As we get to the other side of this, parents will be looking for safe activities for their children,” he said.
The coronavirus pandemic is forcing Chicago-area companies and workers to face harsh realities about their paychecks and their place in the local economy. The Tribune is reaching out to hear, and share, their stories.
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