“The loan helped us purchase some breathalyzers and other equipment, rent office space, and get additional training and certifications. Northern Initiatives also showed us how to optimize our website through an SEO strategy and I used their online portal for some marketing and sales help.”
– Kristine Card, Great Lakes Mobile Drug Testing Owner
Convenience is the critical advantage that distinguishes Great Lakes Mobile Drug Testing in Clare from similar businesses in central Michigan. By providing onsite, 24/7 drug and alcohol testing for companies striving for a safer and more productive work environment, GLMDT reduces the hassles associated with travel to the nearest clinical site and lost time/productivity for employers and employees.
“If a company wants a reasonable suspicion test of an employee, they can’t tell that employee to drive to a clinic; a supervisor would have to accompany the person,” said owner Kristine Card. “So that’s two employees out of commission for an extended period. We can show up and complete a test in about 15 minutes without impacting the manager’s work and only minimally impacting the employees. If we’re doing random testing at a big company, we can get through 100 people in three hours, taking each person off the floor for only 10-15 minutes. It’s a real-time saver compared with sending people offsite, especially since we’re located in a rural area.”
Card received funding and business coaching from Northern Initiatives a couple of years after starting the business.
“The loan helped us purchase some breathalyzers and other equipment, rent office space, and get additional training and certifications,” Card said. “Northern Initiatives also showed us how to optimize our website through an SEO strategy and I used their online portal for some marketing and sales help.”
Great Lakes Mobile Drug Testing (GLMDT) has created 1.5 jobs and contracts out some of its testing. The card is assisted by a few part-time employees and plans to add another full-time employee in January 2019. In addition to onsite services for businesses, the company offers court-ordered drug testing at its offices for individuals who require it as terms of their bond or probation. Fueled by that new venture, GLMDT moved to a bigger office in Clare and opened two branches in Harrison and Gladwin.
Card said she is conscious of balancing growth and expansion with the high level of personal service her clients expect. It was Northern Initiatives’ personal attention that made the greatest impact on her in becoming a first-time business owner.
“They were very helpful at the beginning when I almost didn’t know what direction to go and what to tackle first,” Card said. “They helped me line up the tasks I needed to do and kept us moving in the right direction. The best thing was when Chris Wendell from Northern Initiatives was in the area and would stop in to check on our progress. That personal touch and encouragement was huge.”
GLMDT helps employers develop and administer a Drug-Free Workplace program, which not only enhances safety and retention but may reduce health care and workers’ compensation costs.