Franchisee Spotlight: Hitesh and Neha Shah

For married couple Hitesh and Neha Shah, engineering is in their blood. So when they heard about Engineering for Kids from CNN, something really clicked. Working in the IT industry, Hitesh has the industry ingrained in his profession, but for Neha, the curriculum focusing on the different activities and her enthusiasm for teaching, helped shape their desire to start the location.

Hitesh completed his bachelors and masters in computer science and Neha was looking for something which would bring enrichment to kids’ lives, something more than the regular math and science teaching, but do it in a fun way.

Deciding to pursue, Hitesh and Neha are currently looking for a place to conduct summer camp activities and learn a lot about teaching at the same time.

How did you learn about the brand?

We read about Engineering for Kids on CNN Money – and thought, “This is something we can do.” I then went to the website and began looking at all the programs.

Why did you choose an opportunity with Engineering for Kids?

We chose the opportunity because it’s all about the programs. We’re in the corner of three counties, so we have room for growth. We wanted something we could work into our lifestyle but getting something out of it ourselves.

Where will you conduct the summer camps?

We’re starting in community centers for July and August timing. We are in the process of figuring out the schedule.

What challenges have you overcome to get where you are now?

Getting into franchising, finding the right brand for us, finding about QuickBooks, and the best way to approach community centers, have all been pretty challenging to figure out the most efficient manner possible.

Who will teach classes?

Neha: I will teach the classes with another teacher who we signed up to volunteer for the summer camps. We may hire more, but I need to know the curriculum to teach the curriculum first, before we hire. That’s all part of this learning process for us.

Right now, we want to go for aerospace and Lego-Robotics or Mechanical as another option.

What are your expansion or development plans? What is your end goal with Engineering for Kids?

Right now, we want to go into our county and see how it goes with summer camps, and then schools after. We want to open an actual learning center with a physical address a couple years down the line.

Do you have any other interesting hobbies or passions?

Hitesh is passionate about photography and he is a freelance photographer, and Neha likes to listen to music and likes to be with nature. We like going for walks and doing outdoors activities with our kids.

Franchisee Spotlight: Javier Garay

Javier Garay, 34 years old, was born in Puerto Rico and moved to New Orleans when he was seven and had to go through the first part of his schooling without speaking English, something he recalls vividly. His father was a chemical engineer at Dow Chemical and he also has an older brother and younger sister. Javier went to Harvard University majoring in economics (older brother also went to Harvard and younger sister went to Yale) and took a job with Merrill Lynch as a hedge fund trader. After six years, Javier decided to go to business school and went to the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, earning an MBA in entrepreneurship. Most recently, Javier worked with Stevens Capital Management until the fourth quarter of 2012 before deciding to make a move to pursue something on his own. Despite his great successes, he wanted to cultivate his passion for children and learning, so he reached out to Dori Roberts, owner of Engineering For Kids.

The idea to start an Engineering for Kids franchise came to him in 2011 when his oldest son turned two and received a flashlight for his birthday. As his son played with the flashlight, discovering all of its parts, the link between engineering and education dawned on him. He fondly calls this the “flashlight incident.” Javier understands that children are natural born engineers who have unlimited imaginations and unbridled enthusiasm. He is passionate about helping children tap into their potential by exposing them to the role that engineers play in our daily lives. Javier speaks fluent Spanish, has been married for nine years and has three children.

How did you learn about the brand? I was looking online for entrepreneurial ideas that I could do with my son and came across the organization.

Why did you choose an opportunity with Engineering For Kids? It really was the flashlight incident. It was a moment that made me think, “Alright let’s go find something.” And when I found EFK and discovered it was a franchise, it was a good fit for me.

I am currently teaching at The Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, PA and have secured space there in July for summer camps.  I will also be holding camps this summer at the Horsham Township Community Center in July and August. Long-term, I am planning to place registration on my EFK website and expand to other schools, libraries and community centers in my territory. There are well over 200 schools in my area and I hope to be able to service all of them. I currently teach on Mondays and Thursdays and I am making the preparations for summer camps this summer.

Are you involved with any charities or do any community outreach with your business? I am just getting underway, but I did meet with the head of the local township chamber of commerce.  I also hope to get involved with the local rotary club and was invited over there for weekly meetings. Getting more involved with the community is one of my next goals.

What challenges have you overcome to get where you are now? The biggest hurdle for me has been taking that leap and being self-employed after having a successful career on Wall Street for so many years. With a relatively young family it was definitely a tough decision, but luckily my wife and I have been able to make it work as she remains employed as well.

Do you have any other interesting hobbies or passions? All of my waking hours are spent being a dad, but I love spending time with my family. I’m also an avid traveler and have been to over 35 countries in my life, not near as high as my wife who has been to over 50 countries.

Engineering for Kids featured in the Anne Arundel Patch.

Engineering for Kids was recently featured in the Anne Arundel Patch in an article titled, "Young Engineers Building Sky-High Futures".

The article details Lauren Rakvic’s new Engineering for Kids business in Anne Arundel County, the brands concept, and how it helps and effects local students in the STEM fields. The article also features a video in which Rakvic discusses the weekly activities of the classes. The children talk about what they've been learning and the careers they've been inspired to reach for. 

Click HERE for the full article or begin reading below:

Young Engineers Building Sky-High Futures

By: Brian Hooks

A program called Engineering for Kids is helping young people apply their math and science knowledge to fun educational projects.

Abby Reed is wrapping up second grade this week, but she already has hopes to get into the same line of work as her dad.

When asked about where she might like to work, she smiled at her dad.

"Um, maybe NASA," she said.

Engineering for Kids Featured in The Capital Gazette

Engineering for Kids was recently featured in The Capital Gazette in an article titled, "Young engineers: New Anne Arundel businesses target math, science education". 

Lauren Rakvic discussed her background, and why she specifically wanted to bring the brand to the area. She also discussed how her new business is focusing on getting students in the science, technology and engineering fields, and her development plans for the Anne Arundel County area. Engineering for Kids founder Dori Roberts also discussed her background, the Engineering for Kids concept, and the development plans for the Anne Arundel County area.

Click HERE for the full article or begin reading below:

Young engineers: New Anne Arundel businesses target math, science education

By: Shantee Woodards

Julie Grignon noticed her sons’ early interest in building things, and she hoped it would lead to a career in engineering.

But her boys are 9 and 5, so she thought he best thing she could do was sign them up for a program that banked on these skills. So the older Matteo and younger Luca will spend the summer playing with LEGOs at a new business that offers summer camps and programs geared toward Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

“Both of them love LEGOs and love building,” said Grignon, an Arnold resident. “This is a great opportunity for them to explore and explore the scientific concepts around building.”

Franchisee Spotlight: Neeti Agarwal

Neeti Agarwal and her husband are both engineers by trade, so when they heard about Engineeringfor Kids, they knew they could utilize their background to transition to this opportunity.

Neeti came to the United States 15 years ago with her husband to work in the engineering profession. Her husband is an industrial engineer and Neeti an electrical engineer who has been in the digital analytics business for Comscore for the past eight years. Before that, partly as a need to stay home to raise her kid, Neeti worked as a freelancer and consultant in the analytics business.

What do you have coming up to launch your Engineering for Kids business?

We have an open house planned for May 11 showcasing activities from our curriculum. We have hands-on activities planned for children such as designing and constructing rockets, roller coasters to robotics, and much more! 

How did you learn about the brand?

I have a 12-year-old daughter and was looking for after-school programs that can teach her Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics concepts through hands-on activities. I found EFK doing a Google search. Once I looked into the curriculum and program I knew it was a right fit for me.

Why did you choose an opportunity with Engineering for Kids?

I came to this country 15 years ago. This country has given me so much; I was looking for a way to give back to the community. I found the perfect opportunity through EFK. I love the curriculum. EFK makes learning fun.

Are you involved with any charities or do any community outreach with your business?

I recently worked with the middle Tennessee Girl Scouts on STEM stimulus day. I was there to talk about electrical engineers and did a small workshop on building a circuit from the EFK curriculum. I am looking forward to doing more outreach activities like this.

What will your staff be like when you offer the summer camps?

Right now, I have six part-time teachers and they’re going to teach the summer camps, but I’ll be there to supervise the EFK curriculum. Our teachers have a higher education background, whether currently in school, recently graduated, or seasoned educator; some are even Engineers! Each instructor goes through a national background check and complete training on our curriculum and classroom management. Our student teacher ratios are the lowest! 

What are your expansion or development plans? What is your end goal with Engineering for Kids?

My end goal will be to collaborate with schools within Davidson and Williamson counties and offer the programs in partnership with them. I am considering adding more counties too.

What are some of the publications you read? Local? National? What is your goal publication with your business?

The Tennessean and other local papers in Nashville and surrounding areas would be good to be in. The Nashville Parent already covered a press release on me, and I advertised there.

Do you have any other interesting hobbies or passions?

I like to teach kids math and I also paint and cook a lot.

Engineering for Kids Reaches System-Wide Sales Increase of 124 Percent in Q1

Growing STEM Educator Begins 2013 Strong and Maintaining Goal of Adding 50-60 Locations This Year

Engineering for Kids, a 50-plus-unit Fredericksburg, Va.-based franchise offering a range of learning-based classes including after school programs, camps, evening classes, in-school field trips, workshops and even birthday parties, today announced a 124 percent system-wide sales increase in the first quarter of 2013. With expansion, the company has seven new openings in areas of the country including Tennessee, Maryland, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Texas and California.

Sales strength has allowed them to complete a total of 15 signings in the first quarter, further demonstrating the rate of growth the company has experienced thus far and helping to maintain the aggressive goal of adding 50 to 60 locations by the end of the year.

“As we have now had some time to get Engineering for Kids up and running, I am very encouraged by the rate of growth and actual expansion we have experienced to-date,” said Dori Roberts, Engineering for Kids’ founder and CEO. “What is interesting is although we are a relatively new company, our emphasis helps show strategic STEM-focused curriculum is a strong and lucrative topic for education. We started out on the East Coast, but are now really starting to expand. For anyone with a true passion for teaching the sciences, Engineering for Kids offers a great niche option.”

Engineering for Kids highlights not only the importance of learning engineering skills at a young age, but also the potential success children can have in engineering fields in the future, while not forgetting one of the most important features of learning – fun.

With 5,300 children enrolled across the network to-date, enrollment has never been higher and offers a suite of programs for children ages four to 14 that introduce them to science, technology, engineering and math through a variety of workshops all aimed at developing problem-solving skills.

In areas of the country where STEM education is particularly emphasized and where there is a strong base of IT and science-based jobs, success has been very high. For example, Juanita Leung, who runs the San Francisco Engineering for Kids, experienced 10 times the sales revenue for her first month compared to others’ first-month sales in the network.

“While Juanita’s story is only one example and cannot be assumed in all cases, we do see a correlation between the demand for engineering-based positions and stressing the importance of teaching the curriculum properly, and enthusiastically, at a young age,” Roberts added. “Time will tell as we continue to grow, but we are excited to see what developments come as we head into the next portion of 2013.”

With a franchising fee of $17,500 and a typical home-based franchise cost of $25,000 to $30,000, Engineering for Kids currently has over 56 locations spread throughout the United States that are in various forms of completion.

As a low-barrier opportunity with room to grow, Engineering for Kids franchisees have the option of taking their home-based franchise and eventually open a learning center, which are typically 1,200 square feet in size. An ideal franchisee is someone who is well connected in their community, a parent or an individual who has a passion for educating children.

“Our most successful franchisees are those who truly understand the need for supplemental education to elevate kids beyond the standards taught in public education,” explained Roberts. “These people see funding cuts and the gaps in curriculum at their own children’s schools and want to fill that need.”

Engineering for Kids also retains an active and engaging Facebook page featuring fun and informative information on engineering. ‘Like’ the page at www.facebook.com/engineeringforkids. 

Engineering for Kids Featured on WTVF News Channel 5

Engineering for Kids was recently featured on WTVF News Channel 5 in a segment titled, "Local Kids Get Big Lesson In Math and Science".

WTVF News Channel 5, Nashville’s CBS affiliate, came out for EFK's open house at the Brentwood Library. The segment showed video of the open house at the Brentwood Library, kids getting excited and enjoying the engineering activities, and the Engineering For Kids logo. The clip included a quote from Nashville EFK owner Neeti Agarwal saying, "The fun part of it, you know, not being in a classroom. Having fun and learning at the same time without knowing you're learning something.”

Click HERE to view the segment on the WTVF News Channel 5 website or view below:




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