Couple Empowers Clients With Drug, Alcohol and DNA Testing Services
Dave and Rachel George were seeking a new business venture after Dave retired from a 26-year military career. They liked the idea of owning their own business, particularly a franchise with established systems and a successful track record. When Dave discovered Fastest Labs, a drug, alcohol and DNA testing franchise, “it just spoke to me,” he says. Dave had performed drug and alcohol testing as part of his military duties.
As a young soldier, he was aware of a pilot who crashed a helicopter after being awake on methamphetamines for 38 hours. “Ever since then, I’ve been very, very passionate about drug testing,” he says. The couple opened their first Fastest Labs in 2020 in Tacoma, Wash., and a second in 2022 in Renton, Wash. Since then, they have purchased locations in Seattle and Olympia, Wash., scheduled to open early this year.
Fastest Labs provides drug, alcohol and DNA testing for individuals, businesses, schools, government agencies and others. Alcohol or drug tests may be required for employment or when there’s suspicion of substance abuse in an accident, for example. DNA tests may be needed to help establish paternity and family relationships for personal, legal and immigration purposes.
Making a Positive Impact
“Our work is important because we are helping employers avoid hiring bad employees. We’re helping employees who deserve to be hired to get hired,” Dave says. “And we’re helping the community stay safe because we’re trying our best to help keep those people off the roads who shouldn’t be driving because they’re impaired.”
The Georges initially did all the testing, sales and invoicing themselves, but the workload picked up quickly. Today, they have six employees between the two open locations. Dave and Rachel split their time between both clinics, travel to various businesses for mobile collections and have the flexibility to manage administrative tasks from the comfort of their home. They also take time to provide education, meeting with employers, educators, parent groups and court personnel. They agree that Fastest Labs’ training, support and adoption of new technology has been exceptional, “better than I ever could’ve expected,” Dave says. Other franchise owners also provide support, and the Georges reciprocate, especially with mentorship for new franchisees.
“It’s so good to see the growth other franchisees have experienced, and to be supportive and know we can help and be a part of that,” he says.
A Personal Mission
Both Dave and Rachel have had close relatives with substance abuse issues. They recall clients who shared their own addiction struggles and whose recoveries — as evidenced by repeated lab tests — have been especially rewarding.
Rachel remembers a woman required to get random drug tests to regain visitation rights with her children. “She was so scared of what her daughters would think of her and how they would continue to treat her. And I told her, ‘I wish that my mom had done what you’re doing, but she never did.’ The woman continued to come to us throughout her testing period, and once she got those overnight visits with her daughters, she came back to share the news.”
Dave recalls a client who had been sober for 12 years before relapsing briefly after his mother died. Meantime, the man received a dream job offer and wanted to be sure he would pass the employer’s mandatory drug test, so he went to Fastest Labs on his own first. “We tested him almost every day for two weeks, doing the lowest level of detection so he could take the company test with confidence,” Dave says. “And we were his first stop after he got the job. He was like, ‘I owe it all to you!’ and we said, ‘No, you did what you needed to do. You stumbled, you fell, you got back up.’ And the fact that he thought of us just warms the heart.”
For more information, visit Fastest Labs‘ franchise website.
