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Tutoring Club Getting Results

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By DEREK MAUL, Tribune correspondent

Published: February 9, 2008

Updated: 02/07/2008 04:44 pm

VALRICO - Susan Prestridge has long been a mover and shaker.

A former top-rated pharmaceutical sales rep - Prestridge sold diabetic and respiratory medication for MP TotalCare - she said she wanted her own business.

"The Tutoring Club was the perfect solution," Prestridge said. "I've always been home-room mom, on the PTA board, involved with schools. I like how this business works: the process, the results and the success."

Prestridge Education Services is the third Tutoring Club in Florida and consistently places in the top 15 successful franchises of 174 nationally.

"Tutoring Club is big in California," Prestridge said. "The service was designed to facilitate a faster turnaround at a more reasonable cost."

March 1 will mark two years since Prestridge opened. So far, she is satisfied.

"We don't have long-term contracts," she said. "Students pay month-to-month. Our job is to fix problems, so we address fundamentals with a diagnostic skill assessment."

Another of her services, "Tutor-Up" provides individual instruction with school text books.

"We work to get to the next grade level in a 32-hour time frame," Prestridge said. "If not, we keep working at no additional cost.

"I have 10 instructors," she said. "Great, great people. I've been really blessed."

Prestridge is confident and enthusiastic but quick to point out that the program depends on students' individual commitment.

"There is no magic pill," she said. "It takes practice. We're having great success here, but it's a partnership."

Born in Illinois in 1964, Prestridge moved to Florida in the fifth grade, when both parents took teaching jobs in Wauchula.

"I graduated from the University of South Florida in 1987 with a degree in communications," Prestridge said. "I married John Prestridge in 1985."

Since then, she has been busy, to say the least.

"I worked as area coordinator for State Sen. Sandra Murman for eight years," Prestridge said. "I loved it. She's a great person. I taught early childhood at Bell Shoals Academy three years. I did outside sales for a building company, and I did pharmaceutical sales."

During the late 1990s, John Prestridge's work with IMC-Agrico took the family to Chicago.

"Now he's national marketing director for Citric Technology," Prestridge said.

But the family decided to return to Florida.

"We love being in Brandon. This is why we came back."

Prestridge has maintained a high-energy presence in the community, especially through school organizations. She served as president of the Mother's Group at Bell Shoals Academy, a member of the PTA board at Lithia Springs Elementary and Randall Middle schools and is a former volunteer of the year at Newsome High School.

"We have to come together," she said. "It really does take a village. We could all do a little bit more."

The Tutoring Club is a natural extension of Prestridge's priorities and is a thriving enterprise.

"We have an over 90 percent success rate with kids hitting the SAT scores they need to get into the schools they want," Prestridge said.

She is excited about the new "School Tools" study skills curriculum.

Her real joy, she said, is seeing success.

"When they make honor roll the first time," Prestridge said, "it's very rewarding. For us, it's about making an impact on students' lives. We run SAT classes on Saturdays. They get instant feedback - that's a big part of the program.

"Generally, we'll offer an SAT review the day before a test. If they don't have the success I want, we'll bring them back in without charging. I'm more concerned about the kids than anything other than paying the rent and breaking even."

For fun, Prestrige hardly lets up.

"Oddly enough, I help with the marching band at Newsome," she said. "I love to help the kids."

MEET THE OWNER

WHO: Susan Prestridge, owner, Prestridge Education Services Tutoring Club
WHERE: 4385 Lynx Paw Trail, Valrico

BORN: Illinois, 1964

MOVED TO FLORIDA: 1974

EDUCATION: Wauchula High School,1982; University of South Florida, 1987

MARRIED: John Prestridge, 1985

CHILDREN: Brandon, 18; Brooke, 16

MOVED TO BRANDON: 1985

CONTACT: (813) 681-9900

Derek Maul can be reached by visiting www.derekmaul.net and clicking on "contact."

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