Makelle Kimball moved from Texas to Northern Virginia in 2024 with a decade of professional dog grooming experience and a high standard for pet care.

When she found a sea of high-volume “chop shops” where dogs were lost in the shuffle, however, she recognized a need in her new community. "I could not find a single grooming salon that really cared about the quality of the grooming and the care," Makelle said.

Refusing to compromise, she decided to build the kind of business she had in mind, one rooted in one-on-one attention and genuine care for every dog.

Laz E Hill Dog Wash opened in 2024 as a family-owned grooming business. In less than two years, it has expanded from a single trailer on a farm into a thriving operation with both a home-based salon and mobile grooming service inside a 2025 Ford Transit High Roof Cargo Van.

A Grooming Salon on a Working Cattle Farm

Laz E Hill’s home-base location is part of a working family farm, home to a herd of roughly 350 cattle, including a collection of Highland cows.

Makelle's husband and mother-in-law run the farm side, while Makelle leads the grooming business. Together, the family has intertwined the two into something unexpected: a destination where customers can drop off a dog for grooming, browse a farm store, and even pet some cute cows while they wait.

Why Makelle Chose a Ford Transit for Mobile Grooming

As demand for grooming grew, Makelle turned to Wag’n Tails, a Ford Pro upfitter she'd met years earlier at a grooming industry expo, to convert a van into a fully outfitted mobile grooming salon.

“For us, adding mobile grooming felt like a natural way to grow the business while also offering even more convenience to our clients,” Makelle said. “The mobile van allowed us to reach clients who may not want to make the drive to us or who really value having grooming come directly to their home.”

The 2025 Ford Transit High Roof Cargo Van functions as a complete grooming salon on wheels, with a bathing area, grooming table, dryers, a water system, climate control, and storage for tools and products — everything needed to complete a full groom from start to finish.

“Our groomers aren’t sacrificing the salon experience by working inside the van,” Makelle said. “They still have a professional, dedicated workspace designed specifically for grooming.”

One groomer and one dog work in the van at a time — a deliberate choice that shapes the client experience.

“There aren’t multiple dogs barking, people constantly coming in and out, or the distractions you typically find in a larger salon," Makelle said. "It allows our groomers to slow down and adjust the groom based on that dog’s comfort level and needs. That one-on-one environment is really at the heart of our business.”

Reliability, Drivability and a Ford Family

Reliability was central to Makelle's decision to go with a Transit. Her daily driver is a Ford Fusion with nearly 250,000 miles on it, and her family has driven Fords for as long as she can remember, including multiple F-150s and a recently added King Ranch for the farm.

That trust carried directly into the van decision. Compared to a competitor's mobile grooming van owned by a friend, Makelle found the Ford Transit easier to operate.

"It very much drives like I'm in a car," she said. "I don't feel like I'm in a huge van."

With Makelle and her four employees regularly alternating shifts behind the wheel, everyday drivability matters — as does the Transit's slightly narrower width, which makes navigating the region's tight, one-lane driveways far less stressful. The backup camera has become especially essential, since the interior salon conversion blocks the rear-view window entirely.

Employees who've previously driven other mobile grooming vans have consistently reported that the Transit feels easier and more confidence-inspiring to drive — a small but meaningful detail for a business that depends on different people sharing responsibility for operating the same vehicle on alternating schedules.

What's Next for Laz E Hill Dog Wash

Today, the mobile van serves around 4 to 5 dogs per day on top of the 8 to 10 served in their stationary farm location. If demand keeps following the same upward trajectory, Makelle says growing the fleet with more Ford Transit vans may be on the horizon.

Nick Bennett is Transit brand manager at Ford Motor Company.