History

MISSION

Farber Swim School offers swim lessons and programs to people of all ages and abilities in the Portland Metro area so that participants will develop an appreciation and an affinity for water. 

PHILOSOPHY

Farber Swim School:

1. Is dedicated to teaching life long swim skills and enjoyment of water.
2. Believes anyone can learn, no matter what their background or age.
3. Encourages competition, but does not make it the main emphasis.

HISTORY

Adam Farber grew up swimming under the warm Arizona sun. He started competing at a young age, and his passion for the sport grew over the years and eventually led him to teaching and coaching professionally. For many years he worked as team coach, instructor, and coordinator of numerous swim programs in Arizona and later in Nevada and Oregon.

In January of 2007, Adam founded the Penguins, a low-pressure competitive swim team, here in Portland. Starting with just 13 swimmers, the Penguins, though small in size, were a great success. This led Adam to teaching privately for a few local families. He created his own lesson program, with each lesson tailored specifically to each individual swimmer’s needs and abilities. Thanks to word-of-mouth, demand for Adam’s unique teaching approach boosted business, and in a matter of months his clientele had grown to 30 families. Adam began looking into the possibility of opening his own swim school.

 In April 2010, Adam and wife Kristin (who specializes in recreation administration) opened up Farber Swim School at the PDX SportsCenter (previously the Portland Soccerplex). The business started out very small: Adam in the water teaching and Kristin in the office doing the admin work, finances and marketing. 

The program grew quickly, and in just three years they had more than 10 employees and a roster of over 400 weekly swimmers! In June 2013 they outgrew their original location and moved down the road to their current Beaverton Location and its two pools. In July 2015, demand for the one-of-a-kind swim lessons that Farber Swim School offered spiked again, and they expanded to open up a second location (first at the Portland Athletic Club, and then returning once again to the PDX SportsCenter).

Farber Swim School now has a staff of 30 and services over 700 swimmers weekly. In addition, the school offers special events, baby classes, open swims, a swim team, birthday parties, and more!