Beyond Business as Usual: Three Airdrie Franchises Built on Heart and Grit

It started with a van, a vacuum and a refusal to settle for the status quo.

For the founders of Dental Hygiene Express, The Pink Wand and Lathered Cleaning Company, the goal wasn't just to build a bottom line - it was to build a better way to live. Over the last 20 years, these Airdrie entrepreneurs have transformed personal necessity into explosive growth, creating hundreds of jobs and expanding their footprints across Canada.

They prove that in today’s economy, the most scalable asset isn't just a business system - it’s the courage to care for your community and your team first.

Dental Hygiene Express – Transforming Dental Care

Brittany Lalonde is reshaping how Canadians receive dental hygiene services by bringing fully mobile care directly to people’s homes across Alberta, Newfoundland and Nova Scotia.

As owner of Dental Hygiene Express, Lalonde has built a business model focused on convenience, flexibility and accessibility - breaking down barriers that prevent many individuals from receiving essential preventive care. The business operates out of fully equipped mobile dental units, offering appointments seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. These flexible hours allow families to book outside traditional clinic hours and receive care without leaving home.

“Patients love the convenience,” said Lalonde. “They come home from work, book an evening appointment and never have to leave the house again or take time off of work or school for appointments.”

Since launching in Fort McMurray in 2017, the company has expanded with Lalonde owning franchises in Airdrie, Calgary and rural Alberta communities. She has a licensing agreement for Newfoundland and owns 50 per cent of the Cape Breton franchise with a hygienist colleague who returned to the island.

In communities like Airdrie - home to many commuters and young families - the mobile model has been especially successful for patients and staff.

“A lot of our moms choose to work when their husbands are home,” Lalonde said. “It gives them the opportunity to continue their careers without the typical Monday to Friday clinic structure.”

The service is particularly impactful for seniors, wheelchair users, individuals with mobility challenges and families in remote rural areas. The Airdrie location includes a wheelchair-accessible unit with a lift, allowing patients to enter the mobile clinic safely.

“Accessibility shouldn’t be a barrier to oral health,” she said. “Our mobile clinics allow us to care for patients who may not otherwise receive routine dental hygiene services.”

Airdrie resident Lalonde bought out her original business partner and has grown the concept by targeting communities where convenience matters most. Looking ahead, Lalonde plans to expand into additional provinces, introduce more wheelchair-accessible units and increase outreach in rural and underserved communities.

“Our goal is simple: make preventive dental care easier to access, no matter where someone lives or what mobility challenges they face,” said Lalonde.

Learn more at dentalhygieneexpress.ca

The Pink Wand Cleaning Services – Building a Business, One Clean Space at a Time

Jacqui Jepson’s focus hasn’t just been on the bottom line as she’s grown The Pink Wand Cleaning Services.

Jacqui’s goal is to lift people up and has created a company that employs over 100 team members across southern Alberta and operates multiple franchises from Olds to Okotoks, with explosive growth in Calgary and area. Headquarters owns 18 locations and franchisees own seven locations.

As The Pink Wand has grown beyond a single franchise and established its corporate headquarters in Airdrie, Jepson has prioritized people first, shaping the company around employees’ and franchisees’ needs for schedules that fit their lives.

"I want other people to be successful, not just me,” said Jepson. “To be changing lives with some of the franchisees is literally a dream come true. It’s heartwarming when I see how far they've come, because that was what I was meant to be here for on this earth."

Nearly two decades ago, armed with little more than a vacuum and determination, the Airdrie entrepreneur founded The Pink Wand.

"I come from a very driven family of entrepreneurs," Jepson said. "I was taught to work hard and not expect things to be handed to you and never give up."

The company's unconventional name reflects Jepson's approach – magically transforming spaces. But there's nothing magical about the grit required to build her business. Working with mentors, Jepson transformed her operation from a profitable, one-location cleaning company into a highly profitable enterprise, tripling profits while maintaining her commitment to her team.

What sets The Pink Wand apart is Jepson's rigorous vetting process for franchisees. Prospective owners must work as cleaners first, sometimes for months, understanding every aspect of the operation before purchasing a franchise. She understands that being hands-on in the daily operations of a cleaning business builds stronger, more capable businesswomen like herself.

"Every time the world seemed to be crumbling down on me, instead of giving up, I fought harder," Jepson said of her journey. "The lessons that I've taken from challenges have turned out to be my biggest blessings."

Learn more at thepinkwand.com

Lathered Cleaning Company – From Basement Startup to Multi-province Franchise

Meghan Peters and Kristin Verbeek were tired of missing their children's lives.
Working in the dental industry with expanding hours and weekend shifts, the two Airdrie friends realized they needed a change. In 2013, Verbeek called Peters with an idea: start a cleaning business together.

"I was a single mom and Kristin had a new little one, and we were just tired of missing out on our children's lives,” said Peters. “We wanted something more."

Peters had her hesitations.

"I told her she was crazy and absolutely not," Peters said. "And then I showed up at her house that afternoon and she had already thought of our business name, logo and website."

Twelve years later, Lathered Cleaning Company has grown to seven franchises across Alberta and Ontario, employing dozens of team members and serving communities throughout the province, with an expansion reaching Niagara Falls. The Airdrie headquarters alone has 45 staff members serving the area allowing the founders to now focus most of their time on setting goals for growth as a company and coaching their franchise owners.

The company's foundation rests on two principles: eco-friendly products and flexible scheduling built around employees' lives. Both values emerged from personal necessity.

"Our kids all have allergies to everything," Verbeek said, explaining why they began developing their own cleaning products. "We were soaking orange peels in vinegar and just trying to figure out something that could work."

When COVID-19 forced them to close temporarily, they used the time to work on their Lathered Essentials cleaner, which they now manufacture and sell and franchise owners use exclusively. They have been expanding the product line to include three more offerings by early 2026.

The partners are now developing software to help scale their franchise model, with plans to reach 20 locations within three years and expand their product line through Amazon.

Learn more at lathered.ca