Richard Huffman began his journey to one of the top entrepreneurs in Maryland back in 1994 when he opened his first preschool in Ellicott City, Maryland. Richie exploded his brand from one school and one brand in Maryland to an entire footprint in early childhood education that spans across 17 states and includes four companies that are all included in his overarching company, the Huffman Family Brands. Being Maryland’s largest early childhood education provider was not enough to fulfill Richie’s business and thought leadership passions, so he decided to begin franchising the Celebree School model in 2019 which allowed families, existing entrepreneurs looking to expand their portfolio, and unfilled individuals looking to leave the corporate world to begin their entrepreneurial endeavors. In that short time, we have awarded an astounding 92 franchise agreements with an additional 72 development agreements in the pipeline. This has led to over 50 schools now operating across the United States and 164 in development, Richie and his brands are set to join the ranks of Primrose, Goddard, and other competitors who have been franchising for over 30 years. Along with all this unprecedented growth in his business endeavors, Richie also joined the board for the Ronald McDonald House of Maryland and introduced his Huffman Family Foundation in 2023 to fuel and house his philanthropic passions! The foundation is dedicated to finding organizations that support and provide a better future for children weather that be through physical health, mental health, or providing education! Not only that, but the final piece of the Huffman Family Brands puzzle lies with Celebree Property Investments. This company allows for Richie to expand his investment portfolio into private real estate funds while also creating more real estate opportunities for Celebree franchise partners! Richie and The Huffman Family Brands are slated for unprecedented growth in 2024 and beyond while the Huffman Family Foundation will become a thought leader not only in the Maryland philanthropy scene, but across the United States. Good morning! I am Sam Commodari with Celebree School. We are a preschool franchise based out of Baltimore, Maryland. We recently starting working with the RMHC in Baltimore, and are looking to partner with different houses across the country as we expand out locations into Houston and beyond. Our CEO will be in market next week, and I was curious if you had anytime for a tour of the facilities next week on April 18th or 19th! We are also having groundbreakings for some schools on those days and would love to invite some members of RMHC to attend! talk soon!