For Northbrook, Illinois resident Cheri Reid, tutoring goes beyond test results and college acceptance letters; it’s about building students up and teaching them to believe in themselves.
“I receive great joy from helping students reach their goals and solidify their dreams,” Cheri said.
As a natural learner and proud educator, Cheri’s path to becoming a Huntington Learning Center franchisee was almost second nature. Her journey is one that’s near and dear to our hearts.
A Heart for Education
With undergraduate degrees in math and engineering and an MBA in finance, Cheri was passionate about numbers, which later led her to work in corporate finance for 15 years.
While she enjoyed her years working in finance and even moved up to vice president of finance for AT&T, she was eager for a change. She searched for an opportunity that would allow her to utilize her passions for educating and for helping others.
Cheri was first introduced to Huntington Learning Center after enrolling her son and daughter in the center back in 2001. After having a great experience as an HLC parent and seeing other students succeed, Cheri looked into our franchise opportunity.
When she learned of our learning model, franchisee support and growth opportunities, she was ready for her next venture and never looked back.
Cheri opened her Huntington Learning Center located in Skokie, Illinois in February 2003.
The Proof Is in the Pudding
After becoming a franchisee, Cheri later enrolled her son and daughter in her center. Cheri’s children were tutored at HLC on and off for 10 years, from elementary school through high school.
“I made sure to take advantage of every service we offered,” Cheri said. “I have immense pride in our services, and my children benefited tremendously from our programs.”
The work paid off, and Cheri’s children later graduated with master’s degrees from Stanford and Vanderbilt universities.
Cheri’s children showcase just a glimpse of Huntington’s success. Since becoming a franchisee, Cheri’s Huntington Learning Center has been a top 10 revenue-producing location for 17 years, though one year, they placed #11.
“My team and I have worked extremely hard over the years. We pride ourselves on doing the best we can for the students we serve,” Cheri explained.
On average, Cheri and her motivated staff tutor about 200 students (about 150 families) at any given time.
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
With nearly two decades of experience and hundreds of success stories to show for it, Cheri credits her center’s results to her hardworking and devoted team.
“We have an extremely professional staff who are passionate about helping students,” she explained.
While college degrees and teaching certification are prerequisites to working at the tutoring center, the main thing she searches for when hiring new staff members is heart.
“They have to have heart,” she added. The teachers must care about the student’s growth.”
Cheri and her staff go beyond educating students; they empower them.
“We help students work on their self-esteem and teach them to believe in themselves. We teach them that learning is all about trying new things and taking risks.”
18 Years and Counting
Since opening, Cheri has continued to see success as a franchisee. In September 2018, she relocated to a larger center to cater to her growing number of students.
Despite being in the business for almost two decades, Cheri is just as passionate now as she was back in 2003.
Even now, Cheri still looks forward to going to work every day. “I still find myself putting in 12-hour days from time to time,” Cheri explained. Though now, she’s able to “relax and enjoy the journey” thanks to her established work boundaries and having 100% confidence in her team.
“I practice what I tell my staff– to work hard and be committed, but figure out what’s important and make the balance work.”
The “feel-good” aspect of the business keeps her motivated to come to work each day.
“It never gets old,” she said. “If you do right by the students, everything else will fall into place.”
Ready to Join a Mission-Driven Franchise?
As the nation’s leading K-12 tutoring and test prep tutoring franchise that builds skills and confidence for students since 1977, our mission is to give every student the best education possible. Are you interested in helping students see results? Schedule a call with us today!