Today we’d like to introduce you to Ellis Raymond.
Ellis, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I grew up in Dallas, TX and each summer in High School and college I was a lifeguard at the University Park Pool. One day one of our swim coaches needed help in the water and he called me over to assist his lessons. From there I really started to love getting in with the kids and helping them develop a love of the water. In hindsight, I really never saw myself working in aquatics as my full -time job when I “grew up”. Funny how things come full circle.
I grew up in the pool but I never was a competitive swimmer. This shocks almost everyone who meets me since my Dad was in the 1976 Olympics for swimming. My focus has always been working with kids and I knew that was going to be a part of my life from a very young age. I went to Texas Tech University and studied Early Childhood Development which I apply in all of our levels here at the swim school. After college, I went on to earn my teaching certifications and taught Kindergarten.
My Dad has always talked about opening a swim school in the Dallas area. I can remember so many conversations growing up where he would be on the fence and just decided it was not the right time. I am so happy that when the time did finally present itself he asked me to join him on this journey.
My Dad and I co-founded the Jim Montgomery Swim School in January of 2016 and we had a goal of becoming one of the best swim schools in the Dallas area. We spent so much time cultivating our curriculum and focusing on creating a fun, friendly and safe swim environment for our students. I really found my passion in water safety while opening this facility and I try to talk to as many people as possible about how to be safer in and around the water. We are incredibly fortunate to have the support of so many here at JMSS.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I have a quote I told my Dad before we even had a facility to call our own and it goes, “If your dreams don’t scare you then they are not big enough”. With big dreams and aspirations, there are always challenges and the beauty is always found in the journey. When we opened our doors we grew so fast that I was worried we would not be able to keep up with the demand.
The goal has always been quality and not quantity for us. We had to really take a step back and dig deep and find the things that were most important to us as a business and that number one priority will always be safety. Our goal is not to make Olympic swimmers (although that would be such a bonus!) but it is to create swimmers of all ages and abilities who are safer in and around water. The process of opening and running a business was very new to me and I have grown more in the past two years than I knew possible.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Jim Montgomery Swim School – what should we know?
The Jim Montgomery swim school aims to be a place for all ages and abilities to learn to swim. We specialize in an all areas of swimming from babies who are three months old to senior swimmers. We really want to be a place where kids can grow in their love of swimming with us. I would say that the ability to start kids as babies and keep them growing in skill and endurance because of our pool setup is huge!
We are most proud of all of our amazing swimmers and the amazing staff that makes JMSS so great. Our goal is to make this a fun place to be for both the kids and the employees and we strive to get everyone involved. On Fridays, we have the ability to incorporate some one-on-one classes for our kids with special abilities and that program has been such a joy for me personally to watch grow. I love seeing our students walk through that door on their first day and as they get comfortable and confident their independence grows which is huge!
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I would definitely say that Jim Montgomery deserves some credit for the success of the business! I am totally kidding, he has really had a vision from day one and it has been phenomenal working with him on this swim school.
Each and every day I walk through those doors it feels like a second home and nothing like work. My mom, Jim’s wife, was a big part of the process as well. She was up here countless hours planning the layout of the remodel with us and she completely handled all of the design aesthetics in the facility. She has cheered us on before there was even a physical swim school and without her none of this would be possible. I feel like a huge part of our success is that we are a family owned business and it really has been a whole team effort.
I can remember times my husband would bring our kids up here and assemble furniture, times he came to the front desk (although he had no idea what he was doing) to help me out because we were growing so fast and we needed assistance, and a time he helped with a water safety talk I did at a preschool and he took it upon himself to learn all of the lines and be my puppeteer so I could speak to the kids about the importance of water safety.
Our staff, holy cow I cannot tell you how incredibly lucky I am to be a boss to the most amazing staff in the world. They are hard working and they care so much about each and every student in this building. We could not do this without them! One of the biggest supporters we have had, I can say without a doubt, is our client base here at JMSS.
When we opened our doors and our first swim school families joined they really were our biggest advocates and they were and still continue to be one of the biggest contributing factors to our success. I want to personally thank each and every family that has gone out and recommended us or spoke of our program to others. Thank you!
Lastly, the United States Swim School Association has been a dream to be a part of. So many seasoned swim school owners, managers, instructors and staff have answered our questions and cheered us on. We have learned so much from our peers!
Contact Info:
- Address: 14902 Preston Road Suite 1000E Dallas TX 75254
- Website: www.jmswim.com
- Phone: 469-345-7946
- Email: booking@jmswim.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/jmswimschool
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jmswimming/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/jim-montgomery-swim-school-dallas
Image Credit:
Jen Hughes Photography
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