Click here to subscribe today or Login.
The reputation Hildebrandt Learning Centers earned in the industry opened doors to some of the best schools in the country.
Bill Grant, who found the company in 1991, said clients came to them. The company located child-care centers on the campuses of Princeton, Penn State and West Virginia universities and King’s College in Wilkes-Barre. They differ from day-care centers in that they provide custom-tailored programs for each contract and combine classroom time with play which Grant stressed was also a learning time for kids.
The company grew to 40 learning centers in Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic area and competed against the Watertown, Massachusetts-based Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. In May, Bright Horizons, which trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the BFAM ticker symbol, acquired Hildebrandt for an undisclosed price.
Grant saw it as the right move. “They will be able to provide the children, families, and clients that we serve with additional resources and support that will only serve to enhance what we have built over the years,” he said.
Where did you go to college?
Indiana University of Pennsylvania (BS). Wilkes University (MBA)
What was your major?
Accounting/Economics – Masters in Business Administration
What was your first job out of college?
Public accounting firm as an associate accountant.
What has been the best advice you received in business?
In our business, early childhood education centers, I have always followed the advice someone passed on to me about 30 years ago. If you make a decision that is in the best interest of children … you have made the right decision.
What are our area’s biggest strengths and weaknesses?
Strengths: Great place to raise a family, great colleges and universities, proximity to major metropolitan areas.
Weakness: We need to develop lasting opportunities for our college graduates, so we will stop the “brain drain” from our area.
Where did you grow up?
Plains Township, PA.
Tell us about your family.
Married for 33 years to Mary Lou. Have three children, Lauren (two grandchildren and one son-in-law), Alison, about to be married in October and Madeline, a senior at Holy Redeemer High School and the last family member on the payroll.
What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?
Thank God that I have another day and turn the coffee on.
What’s the last thing you do at night before you fall asleep?
Say good night to all of my family and make sure I have coffee ready to be turned on in the morning.
Where’s your favorite place to go on vacation?
Any place warm.
What’s your favorite restaurant and/or meal?
Guasto’s at the Jazz in Plains.
What’s your biggest fear?
Any type of prolonged illness that would take a toll on my family.
What do you want to do when you retire?
Do I need to officially retire or can I use General MacArthur’s words to Congress, “Old soldiers never die they just fade away.”