From Employee to Owner: British Swim School Greater Toronto Changes Hands

Lifelong Swim Safety Advocate Dives into Franchise Ownership with the Premier ‘Learn to Swim’ Provider

British Swim School, the nation’s leading “learn to swim” franchise company, welcomes its newest franchise owner, Kalaine Uddenberg, to the family.

Uddenberg recently purchased a majority share of the British Swim School franchise in Mississauga, which has been serving the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) for the past five years. Prior to becoming the owner, Uddenberg was the company’s aquatics director.

An elementary school teacher for more than a decade, Uddenberg is also a lifelong swim safety advocate. She has been a nationally licensed lifeguard for more than 17 years and is thrilled to combine her passion for teaching people how to swim with her desire to own a business.

“I always thought about opening a British Swim School one day, so when the opportunity to buy into the existing business presented itself, I jumped at the chance,” says Uddenberg. “Our area is filled with beautiful lakes and rivers, as well as public and backyard pools – which provide plenty of risk if someone does not know how to swim.

There are approximately 500 drowning incidents (both fatal and non-fatal) each year in Canada, according to the Lifesaving Society. 92% of the drowning deaths that involve children three years and younger are attributed to a lack of adult supervision.

“As a mom myself, I get how challenging it is to be a parent. We need to give our children survival skills so when they sneak out of our line of sight around a pool or other body of water, they will have a fighting chance should they fall in. I am thrilled to be part of the British Swim School mission – survival of the littlest.”

British Swim School, a premier swim school franchise, was launched in England in 1981. It was then brought to the United States and Canada and eventually grew to more than 200 locations.

“We fell in love with Kalaine Uddenberg when she joined us as an Aquatics Lead. Now to have her as one of our franchise owners is an even bigger thrill. She has such incredible skills and knowledge when it comes to swim instruction. We could say we are lucky to have her in the British Swim School family, but it is the families in the Greater Toronto area that will benefit the most” said Ashley Gundlach, British Swim School President.

British Swim School of Greater Toronto has several schools in Mississauga and Brampton. For more information about locations and class times, visit britishswimschool.com/greater-toronto.