[2009 Leadership Profiles] David Pomfret

Florida PMP follows in his father’s footsteps, while making his own mark at both the state and national level of the pest management industry.

It seemed a natural consequence of working in the pest control industry since childhood that David Pomfret would purchase and manage the pest control firm his dad ran for many years. Fahey Pest Management has served the Florida Suncoast for the past 66 years. Once owned by T.A. Fahey, Pomfret’s father purchased the company when Fahey retired.

“My first job at eight years old was to fill rodent throw packs with bait pellets so there was enough supply for the winter. Each year I would go out with the experienced technicians and learn from them. Eventually, I did my first termite treatment when I was 14 — with supervision,” explains Pomfret.

Those early industry experiences, like so many in the industry, proved to be a precursor of what was to come, although at the time Pomfret didn’t give it much thought. “I didn’t realize that pest control was getting into my blood,” he said.

THE EARLY YEARS. Born in Mt. Kisco, N.Y., the Pomfrets lived in a small Connecticut town during David’s childhood. He was involved in sports from grade school throughout high school, excelling at football where he won all-conference honors. “I enjoyed playing and I was pretty good,” he said. “I’m a competitive person.”

After high school, Pomfret enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and served as a military policeman. “They must have seen something in me. During basic training, I was selected as one of the squad leaders. I thought it was great being responsible for myself as well as other people at age 18,” Pomfret says.

After his military career (1975-1979), he attended college while working for Fahey Pest Management. He started at the bottom and worked his way through all areas of service. Tent fumigation proved to be rewarding for the athletic young Pomfret. “It was hard work and kept me in shape, but it also showed the results of our hard work. When finished, a building was like an oversized present. We took pride in how our fumigations looked.”

In 1984 Pomfret was given the opportunity to manage a Fahey branch office with five employees in Venice, Fla. Since his father owned the company, overseeing his own branch allowed him to gain experience and confidence away from the watchful eye of his mentor. “I enjoyed being my own boss,” Pomfret recalls. “It was a hectic time, but I learned a lot. He left me alone and let me learn. If I asked for advice, my father would provide it, but he didn’t give me a lot of unsolicited advice. But he was always there to give me support.”

Pomfret managed the branch for three years before becoming manager of the home office, working side-by-side with his father. “We became better friends through the process of working together,” he recalls. “He guided me through those early years in the business. I got to know the business side of my father, which gave me a more well-rounded understanding of him as a person.”

That’s when David Sr. and his son worked out a plan to eventually pass the company from father to son. Pomfret became president and owner of Fahey Pest Management on January 1, 1993. “My father never pushed me into the business. He let me make that decision when I was ready,” Pomfret explains. And they made it together.

Pomfret Sr. passed away in 2007 but Pomfret recalls his dad telling him how proud he was of him before he died. “When we did the sale of the company, I was leveraged to the hilt,” Pomfret recalls. “I had a ‘big nut’ each month to pay…so I needed to grow the business. It was a great motivator. He was proud I was able to grow the company and meet my obligations to him and the employees.”

However, one of Pomfret’s biggest professional disappointments is that his father never got to see him being sworn in as FPMA president. “He was too ill to attend, but he was proud of what I had accomplished.”

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON. The ideals held by Pomfret’s father continue to resonate with him today. “My father was my role model because he had the ultimate integrity as a person and as a businessman,” says Pomfret. “He always told me to treat others with respect and to deal honestly with all that I do business with. He reminded me that it’s better to do the right thing for your customer at all times. If you’re an honest businessman, you will always have a business that you can count on and be proud of. I watched him walk the talk throughout his life and saw the respect he had gained in return.”

Steve Lum, president of Slug-A-Bug in Melbourne, Fla., says Pomfret mirrors those traits. “David is dedicated to his company, to professionalism, [and is] sincere and hardworking. He is great with sharing information with his colleagues.”

Pomfret also finds inspiration in living by the values his father imparted. For example, he finds it especially rewarding when a client takes the time to personally call about an employee’s exceptional service. He enjoys thanking the customer for taking time to call and the employee for providing outstanding service. “We work very hard at creating a culture where all of us at Fahey provide exceptional service to our clients,” Pomfret said.

Pomfret’s vision for the future of the company is clear. He wants Fahey Pest Management to be positioned to emerge from the recession a leaner, more efficient, profitable company that is also more competitive. As a result of evaluating systems and procedures, the company has eliminated unnecessary expenses and waste. And Pomfret believes employees are subsequently more productive and happier. Building denser routes is also an objective as Fahey plans to sell more accounts around its current accounts so technicians have less drive time and are more productive.

In his free time, Pomfret plays racquetball, works out, gardens, snow skis, scuba dives and golfs. For relaxation, he and wife Terry also enjoy getting on their Harley-Davidson motorcycles and taking off for a day of riding.

When not spending time with her husband, Terry keeps the company’s books and manages Fahey’s main office, among other duties for the company. “She’s very good at customer service and is very detail-oriented,” observes Pomfret. “She scrutinizes everything.”

CONCLUSION. David Pomfret has come a long way since those early days in Mt. Kisco, N.Y., but throughout the journey there has been one constant — the voice of his father urging him to lead a life of integrity, a life embodied by the business principles of Fahey Pest Management. 

*****

A CULTURE OF SERVICE
The concept of “giving back to the community” is a familiar one with David Pomfret, president of Fahey Pest Management, Sarasota, Fla. Both the Shriners and Rotary clubs benefit from his membership. Locally, both he and wife Terry are involved in supporting Meals on Wheels. Terry has been on that organization’s Board of Directors for many years and Fahey Pest Management provides pest control free of charge for all its facilities in the area. “That’s money saved that they can use to benefit those who really need it,” Pomfret explains.

Roger Lewis, of Lewis-Cobb in Orlando, is a colleague of Pomfret and says, “David is hardworking, honest and forthright.” Former Fahey manager, Ron Nobile, Nobile Pest Solutions in Bradenton points out, “David is well-liked in his company and in the community. I can’t say enough good things about him and Terry.”

David also is heavily involved with the Florida Pest Management Association and the National Pest Management Association, as well as the Associated Pest Control Services organization, a small group of PMPs operating privately held businesses that meet throughout the year to share their expertise and professional insights with one another.

*****

UP CLOSE: David Pomfret
Title: Owner and President
Company/Affiliation: Fahey Pest Management
Location: Sarasota, Fla.
Personal: Married to wife Terry since 1986; son Kyle recently earned his MBA and works in the Orlando area; enjoys gardening, scuba diving, skiing, golf and riding his motorcycle; active in Shriners, Rotary Club and Meals on Wheels.
Career Highlights:

• U.S. Air Force veteran (1975-1979)
• Named president of Fahey Pest Management in 1993
• Member of Associated Pest Control Services group
• Active in National Pest Management Association
  Florida Pest Management Association President, 2008/2009