Owners from School of Rock, i9 Sports, and SafeSplash Swim School recognized by the International Franchise Association
SAN RAFAEL, CA, UNITED STATES, September 2, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — SAN RAFAEL, CA – Youth Enrichment Brands, the country's premier youth activities platform, revealed today that five of its franchise owners, representing three different business units, have been selected as 2026 Franchisees of the Year by the International Franchise Association (IFA): Dan Moore and Quinn Lukas of School of Rock Wexford and School of Rock South Hills, Jay and Danielle Mechtly of i9 Sports in Wilmington, North Carolina, and Amy Albiero of SafeSplash Swim School + SwimLabs in Louisville, Kentucky. The award recipients will be celebrated at the IFA26 Advocacy Summit in Washington, D.C., from September 14 to 16, together with top franchisees from IFA member brands across the country.
The IFA Franchisee of the Year award honors operators for excellence in entrepreneurship, community engagement, workforce development, and service to others. This year, Youth Enrichment Brands is the sole organization with IFA Franchisee of the Year winners representing three distinct franchise systems.
“Seeing three franchisees acknowledged across three different brands speaks volumes about the quality of operators within our network,” said Rob Price, CEO of Youth Enrichment Brands. “Dan, Quinn, Jay, Danielle, and Amy each built enterprises that expanded beyond their own locations. They strengthened their businesses, developed their teams, and elevated their fellow franchisees in the process. That is precisely the type of ownership we want to anchor our brands around.”
“Accolades like this are exactly what we highlight when we are seeking new franchisees,” said Elliot Schiffer, Chief Development Officer of Youth Enrichment Brands. “Dan and Quinn turned around two underperforming schools, Jay and Danielle built a market from scratch, and Amy grew from a single location to three. That is the kind of operator we are focusing our growth on across every brand.”
School of Rock Wexford and School of Rock South Hills: Dan Moore and Quinn Lukas
Dan Moore and Quinn Lukas operate two School of Rock locations—Wexford and South Hills—and have each held nearly every position within the School of Rock system, from parent and instructor to music director, general manager, and franchise owner. Under their guidance, both schools rose from the lowest tier of School of Rock's internal performance benchmarks to the highest, earning Headliner status—an elite designation School of Rock gives to its top-performing schools—in 2025, and placing among the system's top 10 schools.
In addition to their own schools, Moore and Lukas have hosted dozens of touring School of Rock locations and regularly share their operational methods with other franchisees throughout the system. Both schools also achieved significant increases in core program enrollment and adoption of the Method App, School of Rock's proprietary digital learning platform.
i9 Sports: Jay and Danielle Mechtly
Jay and Danielle Mechtly own an i9 Sports franchise in Wilmington, North Carolina, built on disciplined marketing execution and consistent operational standards. Their focus on game-day experience, customer service, and staff development has driven steady registration growth and strong family retention in their market.
The Mechtlys have also become a resource for the broader i9 Sports system. Their programs serve as a model for new franchisee training, helping set the standard for incoming owners early in their ownership journey.
SafeSplash + SwimLabs: Amy Albiero
Amy Albiero opened her first SafeSplash + SwimLabs location in Louisville in 2018 and has since built a swim school that serves students from infants learning foundational water safety to competitive athletes. A former elite swimmer and 27-time All-American, Albiero grew her business significantly in 2025, expanding from one school to three while improving performance at her original location.
Albiero also played a key role in two systemwide SafeSplash initiatives this year. She was an early adopter of the S.A.F.E.R. Swimmer Promise, an initiative that provides families with a clear pathway to mastering essential water safety skills, and helped build peer support for the program across the franchise network. She also piloted Podium, a new communication platform for the brand, offering feedback that shaped its systemwide rollout. Separately, Albiero founded Cardinal Aquatics, a year-round USA Swimming team that has produced state champions, national-level athletes, and Olympic Trials qualifiers.
This year's honors represent the most recent recognition for Youth Enrichment Brands franchisees, who continue to set the standard for ownership across the company's family of brands.
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About Youth Enrichment Brands
Youth Enrichment Brands is the nation's leading youth activities platform. Its mission is to help every kid discover and develop lifelong passions by connecting and serving a network of companies that deliver best-in-class youth camps, music education, swim classes, and sports leagues. Youth Enrichment Brands comprises US Sports Camps, the official provider of Nike Sports Camps; School of Rock, the leader in performance-based music education; SafeSplash Swim School, the world's largest operator and franchisor of swim schools; and i9 Sports, the nation's largest multi-provider and franchisor of youth sports leagues.
Through the Play Without Limits Project, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit initiative, Youth Enrichment Brands provides full-tuition scholarships to kids in need, ensuring that access to confidence-building, skill-developing enrichment programs is not limited by economic circumstance. Youth Enrichment Brands is also the founding organization behind the Generation Real Project, a campaign dedicated to rebuilding the real-world experiences, environments, and communities that help kids grow with confidence, resilience, and joy.
To learn more, visit youthenrichmentbrands.com.
Jacob Kingrey
Proof PR
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