4 minute read
This business delivers
STORY BY STACIE GAETZ | PHOTO BY JACEY CONWAY Entrepreneur delivering affordability to residents
Thomas O’Brien understands the saying “You can’t have a rainbow without rain” better than most.
The tragic loss of the Airdrie dad’s wife was a devastating blow that inadvertently led to the idea of his now successful delivery business.
After losing his wife to acute myeloid leukemia on Feb. 6, 2018, O’Brien was struggling to come up with dinner ideas and did not have the energy to make dinner for himself and his one-year-old son.
However, after a few negative experiences with Skip the Dishes, O’Brien thought there had to be a better option.
“I was shocked to find that most of the original delivery services had disappeared,” he says.
“The ones I did find, unfortunately, did not deliver from the restaurants I wanted and did not have great recommendations.”
Not willing to sit idly by and continue to pay high delivery fees for less-than-ideal service, O’Brien took matters into his own hands and by December 2018, Airdrie Dash Delivery Ltd. was a registered corporation.
O’Brien has combined his former experience in the fast food and pizza delivery industry with his college training in graphic design and marketing into an increasingly successful delivery business with 43 independent drivers.
“We are always hiring as our volume of orders continues to increase daily,” he says.
Airdrie Dash Delivery currently delivers food, liquor and convenience items. During non-peak hours, O’Brien says, they try to
make their services available for special runs such as grocery and prescription pickup.
“Once we secure more partnerships with some of these local businesses, we will move them onto our platform and make them regularly available to all of our customers,” he says.
He adds his fees for both businesses and customers that use Airdrie Dash are priced to be affordable.
“As a member of this community, we are always looking to help strengthen our local economy, not tear it down,” he says.
“We are here to make convenience affordable by providing a premium service at an affordable price. Whether it’s for our customers, business partners, or helping provide our drivers with an income, we are here to help our community.”
Airdrie Dash currently has 20 businesses available on their platform with more signing on every day.
“There is a lot of interest within the business community to support local,” says O’Brien.
“Airdrie has responded extremely well to our presence here and welcomed us with open arms. Right from the time we did our first order ... we have seen a perpetual increase in support from Airdrie.”
In fact, the company has been so successful that they expanded their delivery range to other local communities that rely on Airdrie for goods and services, such as Crossfield and Balzac.
The demand for the service in communities outside of Airdrie is so high, the company has decided to rebrand with a new name, “Hungry Canadian.”
“With our new name, we will be able to share our values and premium delivery service with other communities that need our support,” says O’Brien.
“When we make these expansions, everyone will know that our company originated in Airdrie, Alberta, and it will allow us to show the rest of the province, and possibly the country, the type of hospitality, love and support that Airdrie has to offer.”
O’Brien says unlike many local businesses, the COVID-19 pandemic brought a huge increase in demand for his service.
“In a time where delivery has been needed more than ever, Airdrie turned to Airdrie Dash Delivery to provide them with the food and other goods they needed during the pandemic for themselves, family members and even friends,” he says.
From March 1 to May 13, Airdrie Dash Delivery saw a 400 per cent rise in deliveries.
“Airdrie Dash Delivery was already becoming a popular option in Airdrie before COVID-19, but since COVID-19’s arrival, it has become even more so,” says O’Brien.
“Airdrie has continued to show trust and faith in Airdrie Dash Delivery, and although we may have not been ready to become an essential service so quickly, our drivers did not cower from this pandemic. They rose to the challenge and dedicated themselves to ensuring our customers had what they needed and that they got it as fast as possible, safely.” life
Like all other businesses, the City Airdrie has had to get creative in finding ways to serve customers during COVID 19. From virtual home inspections to deferring payments, the City has found ways to help our residents and businesses during these challenging times.
