Franchisee Spotlight: Granger and Mary Ann McLaughlin of ARCpoint Labs

As a local Newark, Ohio, couple, both born and raised, Granger and Mary Ann McLaughlin are excited to open their own business where they are able to positively impact the people who have been friends and neighbors for their entire lives.

On April 17, Mary Ann McLaughlin opened their doors to ARCpoint Labs, a national leader in drug and alcohol testing, in their hometown. Mary Ann is excited to provide her community and its employers the access and support to supreme and confidential testing, as drug and alcohol abuse remains prevalent in Licking County.

I was born and raised in Newark. I graduated from Mount Vernon Nazarene University and spent the past 13 years at State Farm Insurance, working as an insurance adjuster. Granger is also from Newark and has worked in the medical supply chain field his entire life.

My husband and I have always wanted to open our own business, and had previously looked into other franchise opportunities. After talking with the team at ARCpoint Labs, we knew the business model, offerings, and support system made this option the perfect fit for us. With my husband’s background in supply chain management paired with my experience in insurance and business management, the opportunity with ARCpoint provided the offerings that would tie in with our backgrounds.

I didn’t really know a lot about franchising other than how you hear and see places starting throughout the community. We were unfamiliar with what was all involved until we actually started the process of researching franchises. ARCpoint Labs helped tremendously with the structure they provided. The work they do for their franchisees, training and marketing them, along several other aspects, really helps franchisees like us get started.

What are you most excited about this new stage in your lives?

We are really excited to give back to the local community. We had an opportunity to open a territory in Columbus and other surrounding areas, but we chose Newark because that is where we are from. Our main priority is to give back to the community that I grew up with, the local employers, and school systems. I want to make sure people are staying healthy and safe from doing things that might impact their careers negatively.

I would ask that they do their due diligence as far as researching the company and its competitors. Make sure you are comfortable with the business model and really saturating yourself within the community with that model.

We have talked about expanding and different opportunities in surrounding areas, like Columbus, but we're focused on getting our Newark site up and running beforehand.

I am on the board for the Licking County Coalition for Housing that provide housing for community families and veterans that are in need of housing assistance.

Sydney Creagh is a Senior Account Manager at No Limit Agency. She graduated from the the University of Iowa with a Journalism and Creative Writing major. Sydney has lived in Chicago for the last 5 years, but still loves walking the city and exploring new neighborhoods - especially during the summer months.