Franchisee Spotlight: Andy and Darcie Lubalin

Born and raised in Long Island, New York, Andy Lubalin went to Penn State University earning a degree in economics, with a minor in business administration in 1995. He met his wife Darcie at college and they relocated back to New Jersey. He worked at Hertz Equipment Rental for two years. Andy then worked for 15 years as a consultant at CSC Corporation as a Software Developer, and ended up as a Business Manager assigned to a major brokerage firm. His job duties required a lot of travel, to the point where he would be gone weeks at a time and missed the first moments of his kids’ lives. 

Having known K-9 Resorts’ founders Steven and Jason Parker when they were neighborhood dog sitters back in the day, Andy’s passion led him to K-9 and is the first franchisee in the network. As the #1 rated pet care service in all of New Jersey, Andy couldn’t be happier. Andy and Darcie live about a mile from the original K-9 store and became owners because of their high admiration of the franchise and its genuine line of work.

How did you learn about the brand?

Andy: It’s been three years in the making. I knew I wanted to work with dogs when I was going through my career transition and came back to K-9 when I made the decision to make a change.  I signed in the summer of 2011 and it took a full year to find the best location when we found it in the summer of 2012.

Jason Parker: Andy is our first franchisee, so this is very much our first rodeo working out the kinks to find the right location. We went through a bit of a challenge at first, but found a really good location advisor. Working with Larry Barto has been great. We have 13 locations including this one. This will be the first franchise location, with the original corporate location opening in 2005.

Why did you choose an opportunity with K-9 Resorts?

I’ve known the Parkers since they were in high school. We moved into the area, and they were our dog walkers, so I had the history with them. Their level of customer service was through the roof, especially for kids that age. They understood the value of relationships so I always had a positive opinion of them.

Five years went by and I knew they had since opened K-9 Resorts but had yet to take a tour. After doing the tour, I went in to meet with them and knew it was the right fit for me. It was immaculate. I didn't smell anything, didn't hear anything. Plus, I feel we saw eye-to-eye on life and the big picture, so the corporate culture was the icing on the cake.

Describe the location and demographics of the area.

The location is in a high income, densely populated area with a high pet index. The national average is a score of 100, but in this area, it’s nearly 300. In addition, the location on Bloomfield Avenue happens to be next to the only 24-hour animal emergency hospital in the area.

Are you involved with any charities or do any community outreach with your business?

We just served as the largest sponsor for the Dress for Success's Ad Journal, an organization that helps women in difficult situations get back on their feet.

Jason: We reserve a certain portion of money per year for philanthropy and support in the community; that is something the brand as a whole believes in.

What challenges have you overcome to get where you are now?

There’s a certain stigma that boarding rooms are loud, smelly and dirty. On some level, this is true, so part of our job is to educate people on great places such as K-9 that do have state-of-the-art materials and are really clean.

How many employees will you have when you start out?

We will have four up-front and four in the back.

What are your expansion or development plans? What is your end goal with K-9 Resorts?

It’s not beyond the realm of possibility that we will expand. We have a location, but I can’t think about that until at least after this summer because I have to show this is going to be a money maker.

Do you have any other interesting hobbies or passions?

I have two kids so enjoy coaching my kids’ and being with my family. I enjoy playing sports myself.