[2007 Leadership Profiles] Charles Dixon

Dixon Exterminating resides in a non-descript office near the end of an industrial park in Thomasville, Ga., a modest, unassuming town in southwestern Georgia that is not unlike the family-owned pest control business that has called the city home for nearly 45 years.

“There’s no place like Thomasville,” according to President Charles Dixon, who was born and raised in the town of 20,000, just a stone’s throw from the Florida state line. “It’s a nice place to raise a family. The people are kind, the economy is good and you can’t beat the hunting and fishing. What more could you ask for?”

It’s an unbeatable combination, one which prompted Charles’ father, Tommy Dixon, also to yearn for a return to Thomasville after leaving his hometown as a young man to join the military. Like so many pest control businesses throughout Georgia — and throughout the United States for that matter — Dixon Exterminating has its roots at Orkin Pest Control. That’s where Tommy Dixon, a U.S. Army veteran and 46-year member of the industry, got his start, working as a termite salesperson in the metro Atlanta area in the late 1950s.

“I always had starting my own business in the back of my mind, but I needed to learn the industry first,” he recalled, “so I spent as much time as I could with the servicemen in the field. I learned a lot about the bug business from them.”

ON HIS OWN

With a growing family to feed and valuable experience working for Orkin under his belt, Tommy decided to go into business for himself, returning to Thomasville and opening an office out of his home in 1963. Wife Mary was responsible for billing and collections, while sister, Edith, served as the company’s part-time bookkeeper.

“We started the business on a shoestring,” Tommy said. “Our main motivation was to find a way to get back to Thomasville so we could raise our family the way we had been raised. We wanted to get back to our home.”

The first month, the company generated $26 in revenue. “My wife thought I was out of my mind,” Tommy said, shaking his head while recalling those early days. Fortunately, she had a full-time job as a teacher, so Mary was able to cover their household bills while the business got off the ground.

Growth was slow but steady as Tommy built a reputation in Thomasville and the surrounding area as a man of integrity, a PCO who wasn’t satisfied until the job was done right. “I’d get up early in the morning and do the service work; then sell in the afternoon. Any service I wasn’t able to perform during the week, I did on weekends, so I was working seven days a week. I’d sell a termite job in the morning, treat a home in the afternoon, and start all over the next day. I didn’t have anyone to fetch for me. I had to do it all myself.”

Charles remembers those early days fondly. “Thomasville is insulated to some degree. There’s not a whole lot of trouble you can get into unless you want to,” he said. “When I was nine or 10 years old my dad used to let me go out on some termite calls with him. I used to help trench the foundation or rake debris from underneath a house that was being treated. I probably spent as much time aggravating him as helping him out, but he didn’t seem to mind.”

What Charles remembers most about those days is the ease with which his dad could talk to people, a key factor in the company’s early success. “My dad’s able to carry on a conversation with anybody,” he said. “Very few people in this area don’t know him personally or know of him. That’s because in those early years — as he still does today — he took the time to talk to everybody.”

Once Charles entered high school and secured a driver’s license, his father let him earn extra spending money by working a residential route after school. “It was hard work, but good money for a young person,” he recalled. “My father always told me he would rather pay someone in his family than someone else. It was a nice way to make some pocket change.”

As he approached graduation, however, Charles’ affection for the pest control industry began to wane. “As I prepared for college, I thought to myself, ‘I’ll never get in another crawlspace in my life.’” Although somewhat surprised, his father understood. “I said to myself, ‘He’ll be back; just give him a few years,’” Tommy recalled. “It’s not always as green as it looks on the other side, and I had three other children to educate, so I didn’t give it too much thought. I was too busy running the business.” The elder Dixon would eventually be correct in his assessment, however.

After graduating from Presbyterian College in Clinton, S.C., with a bachelor’s degree in history, Charles went to work for Davis Water & Waste, a distributor to the water works industry. “They were great people to work with, but I was on the road constantly,” including regular stops in Pensacola, Tallahassee, Jacksonville and Fort Lauderdale, as well as Kennesaw, Ga. “I was living in hotels.” It was at this point that Charles began to think the “grass wasn’t necessarily greener” on the other side of the hill, something his father picked up on during conversations with his son, so Tommy invited Charles to rejoin the business. “At that point, I graciously accepted his offer,” Charles says with a laugh.
 
A TIME OF CHANGE

The year was 1990 and Charles and his younger brother, Thomas, who also had joined the business, brought a fresh perspective and youthful enthusiasm to the company, although Dixon Exterminating was still a rather modest operation run out of the family’s home. “We saved a pile of money by doing that,” Tommy said. “It’s nice to have an office, but you don’t have to have one to be successful.”

The addition of Charles and Thomas to the payroll, as well as their aggressive growth plans, resulted in family tension. “I wasn’t always very eager to try something new,” admitted Tommy, 74. “When Charles came into the business he wanted to expand, but I was happy where I was at. I had plenty of money in my pocket and I was doing what I wanted to do, but Charles had some other ideas. We had some knockdown, drag out fights. It’s hard to change. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but we worked out our differences.”

Ultimately, their father agreed to implement some new business practices — including computerizing the company’s customer records and expanding its market reach — and the company grew. “I was terrified of computers,” the elder Dixon confided. “I felt I was too old to start learning.” Fortunately, Charles persisted, but it wasn’t easy. The turning point came when Charles was on the phone with an old friend of his father’s — a successful businessman — who asked, “‘How’s the business going?’” “I said, ‘I’m ready to enter the computer age, but dad isn’t so sure’ and he said, ‘It’s time you quit running your business on matchbook covers.’ Two weeks later we had a new computer and operating system and we haven’t looked back,” Charles said. “That’s when we started to really grow.” 

In 1990, the company experienced another growth spurt as it entered the acquisition market with the purchase of Sonshine Pest Control, followed by the purchase of Conradi Pest Control in 1997. In 2000, the company opened a second office in Monticello, Fla., expanding its market reach into northern Florida, a rapidly growing market for pest control services.

Another turning point for the company came when Dixon Exterminating decided to re-enter the termite business in the late 1990s. “We had been in and out of the business because we were skeptical of the chemicals used for termite control in the early 1990s,” Tommy said. “Following the loss of chlordane, it was our feeling the chemicals just weren’t as effective and liability was a concern, so we got out of the business.

“We did the right thing by pulling out of the market,” he added. “I’d rather lose business than lose friends by providing a service that didn’t work. It was a rough time, but it was the right decision.”

However, as new, more effective technology was introduced to the marketplace, the company re-entered the field in the late 1990s. The only problem was they needed someone to run the business full time, someone with a strong work ethic and solid customer service skills. That’s when fate stepped in. Benny Bufford was a friend of Charles’ who owned and operated a local grocery store popular among area residents, but a business that took an enormous personal commitment to operate, including long hours on both weekdays and weekends. “He was at the store from eight in the morning to eight at night,” Charles said, “seven days a week. He was married to that store.” Charles offered Bufford the termite manager job, and weary from the long hours at the store, he accepted the position.

“Our termite business has grown rapidly thanks to the commitment of Benny and our technicians,” Charles said. “Hiring Benny is one of the best decisions we ever made.”

As a result of these and other initiatives, Dixon Exterminating boasts 19 employees, including two certified operators and 16 registered technicians, servicing a 100-mile radius around Thomasville, Ga. “We’ve got a great team in place that has allowed us to succeed as a company,” Charles said. “I wouldn’t be able to do all the things I’ve been able to do on behalf of the industry if not for their support.”

The company specializes in offering IPM services to both its residential and commercial accounts. “We’re interested in correcting the root cause of pest problems, providing our customers with a longer term IPM solution to their pest problems in the least intrusive manner possible,” Charles said. “Our knowledge of pests and our experiences managing them allows us to develop effective IPM programs, but we also educate our customers about what they can do to supplement our efforts. By creating a cooperative working relationship we ensure that our IPM programs successfully rid their home of pests in the most environmentally responsible way possible.”

The company is so committed to IPM that it highlights its philosophy in its mission statement, which appears on Dixon’s website — www.dixonext.com — and in its printed materials, stating, “Dixon Exterminating is committed to bringing our marketplace an IPM service that exceeds client expectations.”
The company is now on firm footing, thanks to this impressive father/sons team. But Charles, 45, has no plans to rest on his laurels. “You better grow or you’re going to stagnate, so we’re going to continue to grow,” he said.  The company is continuing to expand its commercial pest control business by focusing on food plant pest control, as well as offering mosquito control services. “I don’t mind going out there and taking a chance if it has a chance to work,” he said, something his father has gotten more comfortable with over time.

“I won’t be here too many more years,” Tommy said. “It’s about time I sit down, but I’ve enjoyed working with my sons while building the business.”
Regardless of what the future holds, Charles says his dad is always welcome in the business. “We’ve had our differences, but we always talk it out,” Charles said. “I respect my father so much; I would never want to do anything that would hurt the reputation of the Dixon name.”

Fortunately, there’s no threat of that. After all, Charles has had the best kind of role model, a man named Tommy Dixon.

QualityPro Proponent

Charles Dixon is a big fan of the National Pest Management Association’s QualityPro program, so much so that Dixon Exterminating was one of the first pest control companies to earn the group’s QualityPro designation.

“Becoming QualityPro was important to us because we constantly strive to deliver superior service to our customers in an environmentally sensitive and caring manner,” said Dixon, president of Dixon Exterminating. “This designation, like the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval®, offers consumers solid proof of the thoroughness and quality of our business practices.”

As a QualityPro-approved company, Dixon Exterminating has taken specific steps to ensure a higher level of customer satisfaction. Dixon Exterminating has met or exceeded qualifications including employing only highly trained, credentialed employees; practicing an integrated pest management (IPM) philosophy; offering clear, easy-to-understand warranties and service agreements; maintaining a drug-free workplace; advertising truthfully and ethically; and maintaining an up-to-date insurance policy.

“Dixon Exterminating led the way for the few, elite companies nationwide that have successfully completed the QualityPro approval process,” said Andrew Architect, executive director of QualityPro. “This accomplishment demonstrates their commitment to provide consumers with quality professional pest management services.”

QualityPro is the mark of excellence in pest management, according to the NPMA. The program is increasing the professionalism of the industry through self-regulation; stimulating consumer demand through increased confidence and a higher public perception of industry professionalism; and providing marketing opportunities to participating companies by recognizing their commitment to excellence and higher performance standards. For more information, visit www.npmaqualitypro.org.

A Man of Integrity

Charles Dixon, while a well known figure in the Georgia pest control market, isn’t into self promotion. “He is not a braggart,” observed Georgia Pest Control Association (GPCA) President Cliff Nipper.

“He’s a good team leader. Whenever he tells you something you know it’s going to be honest and true,” Nipper said. “You can count on him to get the job done.”

“Charles has that rare blend of integrity, character and friendliness,” according to longtime friend Rick Bell, vice president, Arrow Exterminators. “In my 30 years of association with GPCA and Dixon Exterminating I have never heard any disparaging remarks about Charles or his company. That speaks volumes in a competitive industry where everyone loves to talk.”

Bell was particularly impressed with Dixon’s commitment to the state association during his term as president. “Many people didn’t realize Charles lived four and a half hours away from this office (GPCA headquarters) and spent four years of his life on I-75,” he said. “The time he and his family gave are impossible to gauge, but will never be forgotten. I value Charles’ counsel and I am proud to have him as a friend,” a comment echoed by Dr. Brian Forschler of the University of Georgia.

“Charles is the epitome of the conscientious PMP,” Forschler said. “He uses all the resources available to a business owner to gather opinions and consider his options before making a move. Whether it’s a pricing decision or a technical question he always seems to do the right thing. He’s one of the last born and bred Southern gentlemen.”

The Dixon File:

Company: Dixon Exterminating Co.

Headquarters: Thomasville, Ga.

Position: President

Career highlights: Graduate of Presbyterian College, majoring in history; incoming board member, National Pest Management Association; president-elect, Rotary Club of Thomasville; earned NPMA QualityPro designation; member of the Georgia Pest Control Association and Florida Pest Management Association; member of PestOne.

Community: President-elect of the Thomasville Rotary Club.

Personal: Married to wife Suzanne for 11 years; two daughters, Mary Katherine, 6, and Martha Grace, 8; enjoys duck hunting, fishing, watching sports and spending time with his daughters.