For Chip Malley, a year-long favor turned into a 23 year-long business endeavor. Since he came onboard, one Little Red School House blossomed into 14 accredited campuses; and a handful of helpers grew into a robust staff of more than 350 teachers, aides and PM instructors.

Twenty-three years ago, Malley’s wife, Jan, asked for one year of his business expertise to build her then-modest preschool/kindergarten program, which she had started 13 years prior in 1975.

With a degree in Business Administration and Marketing, Chip previously worked for Ford Motor Company and then owned a Lincoln Mercury dealership in Troy, Ohio. While the academic and automotive worlds are drastically different, Chip knew he could offer valuable leadership and direction to Jan’s business.

“With my Ford Motor Company business background,” Chip says, “I was able to bring many of the concepts and business practices and incorporated them into our expanding company.”

For example, one of his responsibilities at Ford was reviewing and approving buy/sell agreements for Lincoln Mercury dealerships. Therefore, he had experience and expertise in land acquisition and capital requirements needed to expand a business. “Jan had put her blood, sweat and tears in creating this new academic preschool, kindergarten concept,” Chip explains, “She just needed someone to help launch this concept to other markets.”

Chip Malley has made Little Red School House one of the most successful preschool/kindergarten programs in the area

Jan started the business with the help of her parents who converted a building they owned into a school. “Jan was a public school teacher who was frustrated that her students lacked some basic learning skills,” Chip says. “This was the stimulus to create an academic orientated preschool/kindergarten to give students a head start when they entered elementary school.”

When Jan asked Chip to join her team, the business was just one school in Erlanger, Ky. “We began an aggressive campaign to identify potential locations that we considered value opportunities in high traffic residential locations,” Chip says.

He proceeded to lead the company to be the largest and most experienced preschool/kindergarten in the Tri-State area. Under his leadership, the company has expanded from one small school to 14 campuses with more than 350 employees. Its current enrollment exceeds more than 2,500 students that range in age from infant to school age.

His daily responsibilities include managing all financial aspects of the company as well as overseeing the payroll and enrollment objectives. He monitors the performances of all management staff as well as establishing vested relationships throughout the community.

Chip is very involved in several non-profits such as the Prichard Committee and the Humanitarian League, an organization that promotes kindness and respect to animals and children in need. He’s also involved in community outreach initiatives at each campus, as well as corporate partnerships with major companies, to fuel revenue growth strategies.

To further boost the bottom line, he developed cost controls and a budgeting process for major expenses. He also developed marketing strategies and enrollment goals to stimulate revenue growth.

To compete for and retain talented, degreed teachers, Chip installed employee retention strategies with competitive benefit packages, such as profit sharing programs. He also implemented a formal employee evaluation and career planning program for each employee.

While he does some television and billboard ads, Chip says the best advertising vehicles are happy clients. “The success of our business is due to the passion of its owners, management staff and its dedicated teachers who strive each day to make a positive difference in each student,” he says. “Our parents appreciate our dedication. They are our best means of advertising – word of mouth.”

As the ultimate compliment, public schools also contribute to the positive buzz about the business. “One of the best supporters of Little Red School House brand are the local public school systems,” says Chip. “They are very complimentary about how academically advanced and well prepared our students are when they enter their programs.”

What’s next on the horizon for this booming business? Chip says they’re actively pursuing additional locations to either purchase or build at this time. “The downturn in the economy has presented some buying opportunities which we are currently pursuing,” he says. “We are still searching for the optimum number of locations that corresponds with our corporate strategic plan.”

To learn more about the Little Red School House, visit www.lrshpreschool.com or call (859) 727-6148.