Ivybrook Academy & Mindful Elevation Cut North Tampa Bay Chamber Ribbons!

Ivybrook Academy 

Congratulations go out to Jade and Duran Thompson (with scissors in photo above), the owners of the new Ivybrook Academy in the Tampa Palms Professional Center at 5392 Primrose Lake Cir., who hosted a North Tampa Bay Chamber (NTBC) ribbon-cutting event on Sept. 10. 

Neither Jade, who is a Doctor of Pharmacy, nor Duran, an Army veteran who has a Master’s degree in Finance, had any experience in education when they started their journey “about two years ago,” Jade said at the ribbon-cutting event, “with our son Jaden After looking at every preschool from Wesley Chapel to Lutz for him, we finally found one we liked, but there was a rift between the ownership and the local administration and the entire administration left overnight. I remember I said to Duran, ‘I think I can do this better.’” 

So, Jade went back to school to earn her teaching credentials and they started looking to buy an existing school that was already profitable. “But, we just couldn’t find the right school to renovate or location, until this school, which was owned by another family, but got taken over by the Ivybrook franchise, which was looking for local ownership and listed it for sale — nine months before it had ever opened. 

“So, even after our bad experience with that other franchised school, this was so similar to what I had in my business plan I said, ‘Let’s do it!,’ even though it was just dirt at the time.” 

Jade also liked that Ivybrook combines two popular curricula — Montessori and Reggio Emilia. “We have Montessori, which stresses individualized, independent learning groups, for our reading and math curricula, and Reggio Emilia, which promotes collaborative, project-based learning, for a more creative aspect.

Not a lot of pre-schools combine them.” 

There are about 50 Ivybrook Academies currently open in six states. Tampa Palms is number five in Florida, with the closest other Ivybrook being in Sarasota. “but there are about 150 more in development,” Jade said. 

She added, “It’s been really heartwarming to open the doors for the first time two weeks ago and actually see families that had agreed to trust me with their child when I didn’t even have a building for their child to attend. It’s been really exciting.” 

For more info about Ivybrook Academy, visit IvybrookAcademy.com/tampa-palms or call (813) 603-1609. 

Mindful Elevation 

We also congratulate business coach Jacqueline Nelms (at far right in left photo) of Mindful Elevation, which is located in the former location of this publication, at 2604 Cypress Ridge Blvd., Suite 102D. Jacqueline, who hosted her NTBC ribbon-cutting event on Sept. 11, has had a 25-year professional career in the health care field, but has been an executive for the past 12 years, “where I’ve led large teams, built operational strategies, and focused on organizational growth and resilience. She has a Doctorate in Health Sciences with a concentration in Leadership & Organizational Behavior, as well as a Master’s degree in Strategic Leadership. She also is a certified professional life coach and mental health first aider. 

“This combination informs my coaching of academic research, practical leadership experience and a deep commitment to helping individuals and organizations grow in purposeful, ethical and sustainable ways,” she said. 

During her ribbon-cutting event, Jacqueline thanked her husband Ross, “who has been absolutely amazing and supported me through every crazy idea I’ve had over the years,” as well as her kids, Dominick and Nicholas, and all of the Chamber members on hand to support her. 

For more info about how Jacqueline and Mindful Elevation can help you, call (813) 943-4560 or visit MindfulElevate.com. — GN