Youth Enrichment Brands Franchisees Named 2026 IFA Franchisees of the Year Across Three Business Units

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 nation's leading youth activities platform, today announced that five of its franchise owners, representing three separate business units, have been named 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 honorees will be recognized at the IFA26 Advocacy Summit in Washington, D.C., September 14 to 16, alongside top franchisees from IFA member brands nationwide.

The IFA Franchisee of the Year award recognizes owners for excellence in entrepreneurship, community outreach, workforce development, and service to others. This year, Youth Enrichment Brands is the only company with IFA Franchisee of the Year winners representing three separate franchise systems.

"Having three franchisees recognized across three different brands says something about the caliber of owners in our system," said Rob Price, CEO of Youth Enrichment Brands. "Dan, Quinn, Jay, Danielle, and Amy each built something that outgrew their own four walls. They've strengthened their businesses, developed their teams, and made their peers better in the process. That's exactly the kind of ownership we want to build our brands around."

"Recognition like this is exactly what we point to when we're recruiting new franchisees," said Elliot Schiffer, Chief Development Officer of Youth Enrichment Brands. "Dan and Quinn turned around two struggling schools, Jay and Danielle built a market from the ground up, and Amy expanded from one location to three. That's the kind of operator we're building our growth around across every brand."

School of Rock Wexford and School of Rock South Hills: Dan Moore and Quinn Lukas

Dan Moore and Quinn Lukas own two School of Rock locations, Wexford and South Hills, and have both held nearly every role in the School of Rock system, from parent, instructor, music director, general manager, to franchise owners. Under their leadership, both schools moved from the lowest tier of School of Rock's internal performance benchmarking to its highest, earning Headliner status, an elite recognition School of Rock awards its top-performing schools, in 2025, and ranking among the system's top 10 schools.

Beyond their own schools, Moore and Lukas have hosted dozens of touring School of Rock locations and regularly share their operating practices with fellow franchisees across the system. Both schools also posted major gains 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 approach to game-day experience, customer service, and staff development has driven sustained registration growth and strong family retention in their market.

The Mechtlys have also become a resource for the broader i9 Sports system. Their programs are used 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 serving students from infants learning foundational water safety to competitive athletes. A former elite swimmer and 27-time All-American, Albiero has grown her business meaningfully in 2025, expanding from one school to three while improving performance at her original location.

Albiero also played a leading 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 gives families a clear pathway toward mastering essential water safety skills, and helped build peer support for the program across the franchise system. She also piloted Podium, a new communication platform for the brand, providing feedback that shaped its rollout systemwide. 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 mark the latest 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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