[FOCUS ON COMMUNITY SERVICE] Making Time

In today’s state of corporate mistrust, pest management professionals are doing their part to build trust in their communities through involvement in all kinds of benevolent activities.

Community involvement can be a way to break the glass wall of indifference and suspicion by showing that a corporation is really a group of people who care about people around them. Only where both the business and the community make progress through mutual understanding and respect can either side hope to succeed.

Community involvement positions your pest control company as an active and positive corporate citizen. Activities by employees promote team building within a company and help improve employee morale. Any community support helps to meet critical social needs and strengthens the community at the same time.

Many pest management companies have learned to listen to the needs of their local communities first and then engage in mutually beneficial partnerships where together they can become a greater force for positive community involvement. The individuals from pest control companies that are profiled in this story say they have found that serving those in their communities has far-reaching effects, not the least of which is keeping their company name in front of their potential customers. All company officials quoted are deeply committed to the causes they currently support but have not closed the door on other worthwhile activities for the future.

IN LIEU OF GIFTS. Owners of Rottler Pest Control in St. Louis understand the principle of saying “thanks” to all customers and use the holidays as an opportunity to do just that. Instead of sending gifts, Mike Rottler writes a warm letter to all their customers thanking them for their business throughout the year and explaining that in lieu of gifts, Rottler has made a cash contribution to a list of worthy charities in the name of their clients. The letter includes the list of charities.

Rottler also sponsors a series of soccer and baseball teams, donates to the Ronald McDonald House, and sends cash or auction items to school fundraisers. “We don’t turn away any worthwhile organization when we’re approached for support,” Rottler said. “We’re proud of anything we do for the community.”

AN INVESTMENT IN COMMUNITY. To ensure that the company supports the communities around each of its branches, Sprague Pest Solutions, Tacoma, Wash., allocates community service as a line item in their budgets.

“Allocating dollars in our budget means that we give more than lip service to community involvement,” says Larry Treleven, president of Sprague. “Each branch manager must know their community and what’s important there. They can then use their allocated community involvement budget to support those activities. Each of our senior management team is committed to making an investment in each of the communities where they live.”

Besides the budgeted allocations, Sprague supports a number of other worthwhile causes in their area — some with cash contributions and some through employee involvement. Last May, a Sprague employee team raised $9,000 for cancer research through several benefit runs in Tacoma, Seattle and Spokane.

Sprague also has made cash contributions to hospitals for capital campaigns, to schools and other charitable organizations, as well as donations of used office furniture. The company also contributes to its communities by making presentations on insects to elementary schools in their area.

GIFTS TO PROMOTE EDUCATION. Stuart Mitchell, technical director, Springer Pest Solutions, Des Moines, Iowa, says he is proud of the fact that the activities by his company in the community are varied, far-reaching and educationally based. The company participates in a program on public television and the Internet directed at elementary and junior high age children to educate them about real-world occupations. At the same time, this participation supports and promotes the pest management industry overall. In addition, company officials make presentations for Cub Scouts, 4-H, school systems and other community-based organizations.

Mitchell also maintains an active role in several municipal organizations such as the Botanical Center and the Zoo and Parks Board.

Owner Jeff Springer is both personally and professionally involved in Toys for Tots and, through Springer Pest Solutions, is the largest family-owned company contributor in Iowa to the organization each holiday season.

Batzner Pest Management, New Berlin, Wis., pays for two scholarships to train teachers for a program called “Trees for Tomorrow,” a northern Wisconsin chil-dren’s nature camp. In addition, Batzner is active in its community through cash contributions to various organizations, a float in the Fourth of July Parade supporting the Jr. Women’s Club, donation of services to a children’s daycare center, support of the soapbox derby and much more.

Steven Miller, a pest control consultant in Orlando, Fla., has worked with Boy Scouts for the last five years and says, “I hope that the contribution of my time to scouting will give some the vision of the world around them as something they are taking part in and can make better for themselves and others.”

BUG RODEO FROM ROSE. The Children’s Home of Detroit was the host of the first Bug Rodeo presented by Rose Exterminator, Troy, Mich. More than 160 needy children participated in the day-long entomological educational event. Gene White, Mark Sheperdigian (both technical director) and two University of Michigan entomologists conducted in-depth learning sessions about insects. The children then were sent into the field with bug nets, jars, vials and other insect collecting paraphernalia. After two hours, they returned to the group and learned how to pin, ID and display the insects they collected.

Participants received prizes for the biggest, most unusual insect display, smallest insect, most species, most orders and most classes of arthropods collected. The event was so successful that the Children’s Home has invited Rose back next year for a repeat performance. “Sometimes, there’s not a perception of ‘return’ on community involvement like this,” Gene White says, “but the experience of this type of activity is worthwhile in and of itself.”

The author owns Compelling Communications, a firm specializing in help pest management companies market their services. She can be reached at 800/779-0067 or via e-mail at jvanklaveren@pctonline.com.