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Multi-unit franchisees Kent Kolbow and Sarah Miller agreed to take over three Sylvan Learning territories in Florida. The pair will operate locations in Doctor Phillips, Kissimme, and Ocoee.
Prior to his franchising journey with Sylvan, Kolbow obtained multiple degrees and fully intended to work for NASA. While working as a substitute teacher with Sylvan in 1991, his career goals shifted after witnessing the direct impact he was having on students’ academic journeys.
“I remember receiving a letter from a student one day saying that he passed his first math test ever,” Kolbow said. “At that moment I thought, ‘This is what I want to do. This is how I want to feel for the rest of my life.’”
Kolbow began franchising with Sylvan in 1998 with two centers in South Bend and Elkhart, Indiana. After Miller joined as a director in 2010, they teamed up as co-franchise owners to grow the brand to 11 centers in the state and one in Florida.
“It’s been such a rewarding experience to serve so many students across our centers, and now we get to replicate that influence across Florida,” Kolbow said. “Over the years, Sarah and I have created well-oiled systems and processes that, in conjunction with Sylvan’s support, have made it possible to scale our operations at this current pace. Our goal is to have success with every student, and there is no shortage of demand in this educational climate.”
Miller came to Sylvan from the nonprofit sector where she focused on serving at-risk youth. To her, Sylvan was a way to continue working toward this overarching mission in a slightly different way.
“We have the rare opportunity to reach a wide variety of students across Indiana and Florida—from elementary students who are new to the English language all the way up to high school students about to graduate who need extra support for college applications,” Miller said. “These three territories in Florida have laid the foundation for us to be a strong partner for the local school districts and families seeking additional support for their school-age children.”