Franchise Spotlight with Katherine LeBlanc

Steven and Jason Parker have been in the pet care industry since 1999 and franchising K9 Resorts since 2011. In this conversation, they walk Katherine through the disciplined, long-view philosophy that's gotten them to 50 open locations — and what it actually means to award franchises instead of selling them.

In this episode:
  • Why they turned down one of their earliest franchise candidates — and how it shaped their development process
  • The leadership model they use as co-CEO brothers, and how they built a C-suite that complements rather than replicates
  • The pet care industry's next evolution: mental enrichment, smaller group sizes, and what "humanization" looks like in 2026
Guest: Steven and Jason Parker, Co-Founders and Co-CEOs, K9 Resorts 
Host: Katherine LeBlanc, Fractional CMO | Apollo CMO
Are you a franchise brand leader working on a growth challenge? Katherine works with franchise brands as a Fractional CMO. Learn more at apollocmo.com

What is Franchise Spotlight with Katherine LeBlanc?

Conversations with the leaders who are actually building franchising - from the executive suite to the field. Each season explores what success looks like right now, what franchise leaders should be paying attention to, and how the best brands are delivering real returns for their franchisees. Because at the end of the day, franchisee profitability isn't just a metric; it's the whole point.

Your host, Katherine LeBlanc, brings 13 years inside franchise systems, having led marketing across six brands spanning food, wellness, beauty, and experience. She's been in the room where these decisions get made. These conversations reflect that: direct, practitioner-level, and built for franchise leaders who don't have time for surface-level takes.