Flatiron Search Partners Assists Big Blue Swim School with CEO Search
June 25, 2025 – Flatiron Search Partners (FSP) has recruited Brandon Bean as the new CEO of Big Blue Swim School. Chris DeJong, founder and president of Big Blue Swim School, will continue to lead Big Blue’s brand and curriculum strategy, working closely alongside Mr. Bean to drive national expansion and elevate franchise support. “Brandon brings deep expertise in scaling high-growth franchise systems and empowering operators – making him the ideal leader to guide Big Blue through its next chapter,” Mr. DeJong said. “His values and desire to work with brands that create a lasting impact aligns with our mission to provide a life-saving skill to children across the. U.S., and we are excited to grow together.”
Mr. Bean brings over two decades of executive leadership in franchise and multi-unit operations, most recently serving as co-founder and CEO of Lumin Fitness, a tech-enabled boutique fitness concept. Before launching Lumin in 2019, he served as chairman and CEO of Gold’s Gym, where he led the iconic global fitness brand through modernization and global expansion. Mr. Bean later served as president and CFO of United Veterinary Care, a multi-unit veterinary services platform that scaled nationally and completed a successful private-equity backed exit. He provides Big Blue with a proven track record of guiding organizations through strategic growth and brand innovation.
As CEO, Mr. Bean will immediately focus on immersing into Big Blue’s culture and operations and developing strong relationships with its franchisees and partners. He plans to identify opportunities to expand the brand’s footprint and guide innovation efforts, such as advancing Big Blue’s proprietary LessonBuddy scheduling platform, while keeping the customer front and center.
“I’m honored to join the Big Blue family and am committed to building on the strong foundation already in place,” said Mr. Bean. “Together we have the opportunity to positively impact countless children’s lives, and I look forward to collaborating with the team to strengthen Big Blue’s reputation as the most trusted name in swim education – for families and franchisees alike.”
Mr. Bean’s career has centered around purpose-led franchise brands, expertise he will leverage to support Big Blue’s ambitious development goals. His leadership style emphasizes scalable systems, transparent communication and team alignment, all of which will play a critical role as Big Blue targets new markets for development in 2025 and beyond.
Big Blue Swim School is one of the nation’s fastest-growing swim school franchises, offering best-in-class swim lessons for kids ages three months to 12 years. The franchise was founded in 2009 by competitive swimmer Chris DeJong, and with support from Level 5 Capital Partners, now has 45 pools open across 14 states. Big Blue continues to grow through franchising and has 250 units sold.
Established in 2018, Flatiron Search Partners is a boutique executive search and growth advisory firm with offices in New York City and Denver. The firm leverages a cross-industry network to focus on key sectors: beauty, business services, consumer products/ services, consumer healthcare, education and training, experiential/ specialty retail, food and beverage/restaurants, franchising, health and wellness/active lifestyle, hospitality and nightlife, and technology and SaaS. Flatiron leads recruitment efforts for CEOs and presidents, as well as executives and functional leads overseeing operations, customer experience, sales/revenue, marketing, training, HR, finance, product, technology, and real estate/development.
Related: Flatiron Search Partners Assists Exaltare Capital Management with CEO Search
Bill Stauffer is co-founder and managing partner with Flatiron. He has spent the past 20 years scaling brands at various growth stages across the consumer, food and beverage, and healthcare sectors. Mr. Stauffer has experience working with founders, boards of directors, executive teams, and private equity/venture capital sponsors.
Joe Miller is also co-founder and managing partner with the firm. He has spent the last 10 years driving scalable business strategies for high-growth companies in the branded consumer space. Mr. Miller has a background in cross-functional management and financial analysis, and a track record of attracting and managing winning teams, driving operational execution, and achieving growth targets.
360 Behavioral Health Search
Flatiron Search Partners also recently assisted in the recruitment of Phil MacAllister as the new CFO of DW Healthcare Partners-backed, 360 Behavioral Health. “Congratulations to Phil MacAllister on his new role as CFO at 360 Behavioral Health, one of the original and most established authorities caring for individuals impacted by autism and developmental delays,” Flatiron Search Partners said in a LinkedIn post. “We’ve been fortunate to partner closely with Kate Sheldon Princi (CEO of 360 Behavioral Health) over the past year to build out an incredible leadership team for this mission-driven brand, helping a cause we deeply support.”
Mr. MacAllister previously served as CFO at Behavioral Health Works, Inc., where he played a pivotal role in the successful sale of the company. He led the due diligence process and collaborated closely with the investment bank, private equity investors, and the executive team.
Formed in 2002, DW Healthcare Partners is a healthcare-focused private equity firm with over $1.9 billion assets under management. They focus on the areas of healthcare investments, strategic growth planning and business value maximization. The firm invests in healthcare companies generating over $3 million in EBITDA, at the lower end of the middle market.
Related: Flatiron Search Partners Recruits Chief Marketing Officer for WorldSprings
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
