About Us

In 1989, Kim and Stew Leonard, Jr. lost their 21-month old son, Stewie, in a drowning accident. Since then, they have dedicated their lives to preventing this tragedy from striking other families. This includes founding the Stew Leonard III Water Safety Foundation, which has provided millions of dollars in funding for swim lesson scholarships for children in need and writing two Stewie the Duck children’s books on water safety.
In 2023, they opened first Stewie the Duck Swim School in Norwalk, Connecticut, across the street from the flagship Stew Leonard’s farm fresh food store. Stewie the Duck Swim School’s mission is to save a life one swim lesson at a time. All profits from the school will be used to fund swim lessons for children in need.

The Stewie the Duck Swim School opened in June 2023 as a premier, best-in-class learn-to-swim facility. It makes learning to swim fun while incorporating the Stew Leonard’s store’s passionate approach to customer service, world-class employee training, and professional growth. Stew Leonard’s has been named on Fortune’s list of “100 Best Companies to Work for in America.”

Our Company Culture: S.T.E.W.I.E.
S
SATISFY
the Customer
T
TEAMWORK
gets it done
E
EXCELLENCE
makes it better
W
WOW
makes it fun
I
INDEPENDENT
in the water
E
EXTRA
We go the extra mile