Varsity Tutors Expands Operations to San Francisco, Seeking 100 Tutors

Premier tutoring service offering 1-on-1 personalized academic support for K-12 and college students in the Bay Area

St. Louis, MO, June 24, 2013 – Varsity Tutors, the leading private, in-home tutoring service with 25 metropolitan locations, is expanding its operations to another major metro area. As of June 2013, the company has started offering private tutoring services in the San Francisco Bay Area and is seeking 100 talented tutors for part-time roles.

The academic tutoring and test prep provider operates in many large markets including Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Houston, and Atlanta. As college admissions has become increasingly competitive, the demand for top tutoring and test prep services, particularly for ACT tutoring, has increased. Varsity Tutors is responding to this demand by further expanding its geographic footprint. In addition to San Francisco, other expansion plans are in the works for the summer of 2013.

The new San Francisco tutoring location will cover the entire greater metropolitan area, including San Jose and Oakland. Expanding to the Bay Area had been on the company’s roadmap for several years as it grew into one of the largest private tutoring companies from its headquarters in St. Louis, Mo. Founder and CEO Chuck Cohn said he expects the Bay Area market to be one of Varsity Tutors’ largest centers of operation with 18 months.

“San Francisco was one of the last major U.S. cities left for us to enter. We are launching in three other major metro areas this summer, but my expectation is that San Francisco will be the largest of those markets for us,” says Cohn. “Expansion into locations where we can match the best tutors with students is key to our growth. We believe that we can offer a higher quality service at a lower cost than the existing tutoring companies in the San Francisco market.”

Varsity Tutors was started in 2007 by Cohn while an undergraduate at Washington University in St. Louis. The small, college-based business quickly grew into a market leader with 2,000 tutors and 80 employees nationwide. The company’s tutors specialize in a wide selection of subjects including all academic areas of PreK-12, college, and graduate school courses, as well as test prep for entrance exams (SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT). Tutors are chosen not just based on grades and test scores, but also on how effectively they are able to communicate challenging material.

Varsity Tutors’ San Francisco operations is open for business and taking inquiries.

About Varsity Tutors:
Varsity Tutors is a premier private academic tutoring and test prep provider designed to help students at all levels of education achieve academic excellence. Varsity Tutors delivers in-home, personalized, one-on-one instruction in any subject from STEM to the humanities and customized preparation for all standardized exams, including ISEE, SSAT, SAT, ACT and graduate exams such as the GRE, LSAT, MCAT and GMAT. Students from elementary to graduate school are expertly matched with an exceptional tutor who is best able to address their unique needs and goals. To ensure satisfaction and safety, only the highest caliber tutors are selected to join Varsity Tutors following a rigorous screening process. Varsity Tutors currently serves 25 cities nationwide and offers a variety of tutoring packages. Students and their families interested in learning more about Varsity Tutors should visit varsitytutors.com.

Contact:
Cathryn Sloane
Marketing Coordinator
Varsity Tutors LLC
St. Louis, MO
314-740-6075
press@varsitytutors.com
http://www.varsitytutors.com

Universal Companies Expands Operations to Milwaukee & announces Appointment of Ronn Johnson to Executive vice President of Education for Midwest Region

Universal Companies (Universal), founded by music mogul Kenneth Gamble, is a national non-profit community and housing development and education management organization which is headquartered in the city of Philadelphia, expands its operations to the city of Milwaukee and Midwest region.

Philadelphia, PA, Septemeber 08, 2012 - Universal Companies (Universal), founded by music mogul Kenneth Gamble, is a national non-profit community and housing development and education management organization which is headquartered in the city of Philadelphia, expands its operations to the city of Milwaukee and Midwest region.

In July 2012, Universal’s President/CEO, Rahim Islam, appointed Ronn Johnson to the position of Executive Vice President of Education for the Midwest Region. In this role, Johnson will provide the necessary leadership to expand Universal Family of Schools’ educational footprint in the cities of Milwaukee, Chicago, St. Louis, and Detroit. Working with the Milwaukee Public School District, Universal has begun the approval process and hopes to open its first charter school in Milwaukee in September 2013.

“We chose Milwaukee because it feels like home. It is similar in many ways to the neighborhoods where we currently achieve promising results in Philadelphia – neighborhoods characterized by disinvestment, unacceptably high rates of crime and poverty. Ronn’s track record of achievement, educational prowess and exemplary leadership is exactly what we need to expand our community services throughout urban centers in the Midwest,” stated Rahim Islam.

Johnson was formerly the Vice President of Education for the YMCA and founder of the YMCA Young Leaders Academy Charter School for the College Bound, one of the highest achieving Milwaukee area schools. Johnson is currently completing his dissertation for a doctoral degree in Urban Education from Columbia University’s Teacher’s College in New York City. Ronn Johnson brings over 25 years of experience to Universal Companies.

Universal Expands to Milwaukee & Midwest
“I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to lead a cutting edge educational program within the YMCA. The experience was priceless! As I look forward to the final 20 years ahead of me in education, I am honored to have a new opportunity to expand quality education opportunities for more young people in urban areas. This is really not an ending or a beginning for me – it’s merely a continuation of shaping the lives of our future”, said Johnson.

To learn more about Universal Companies and its expansion to the city of Milwaukee and Midwest region, feel free to visit the official website www.universalcompanies.org or call (215) 732-6518 or 414-233-8173.

Contact:
Devon M Allen, 267-258-6861, Devon.Allen@verizon.net

About Universal:
Universal Companies is a not-for-profit community and housing development and education management corporation formed under the direction of one of the city of Philadelphia’s greatest talents, world-renowned lyricist, composer, producer, and philanthropist, Mr. Kenneth Gamble – who continues to serve as Chairman. Since 1993, under the leadership of its President and CEO Rahim Islam, Universal has been building the organizational capacity to challenge and reverse the effects of urban decline and has become one of the largest and most successful community revitalization movements in the history of the city of Philadelphia.

Working in several Philadelphia neighborhoods and neighborhood in several other cities, Universal has built more than 1,500 units of affordable and market rate housing and currently manages six K-12 charter schools, with nearly 4,000 students enrolled. Universal operates five school based Family and Student Resource Centers and has begun its launch of a "comprehensive" wellness initiative that will not only deliver quality health services, but also addresses the inferior health infrastructure (i.e. proper health education, access to healthy foods, etc.) that exists in our community. Since its inception, Universal has been a conduit for over $1.3 billion of urban investment and employs nearly 500 professionals with expertise in education, real estate, urban planning, finance, social services and preventative health.

Contact:
Devon M Allen
Universal Companies
800 South 15th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19146
215-732-6518
Devon.Allen@verizon.net
http://www.universalcompanies.org