[PCT Leadership Winner] Danny Myers

Danny Myers has always been determined to get what he wants. His drive and his ambition resonate with everyone he meets, and he subscribes to the simple belief that no matter what you want, if "you just do what you have to do," then you’ll get it. What’s even more impressive is that Myers has the unique ability to be aggressive without alienating people. In fact, it’s quite the opposite: everyone who meets him loves him.

"There’s no fake in him. That’s pretty refreshing," says Rick Rogers, vice president of operations, Myers Pest & Termite Services, Inc., Euless, Texas. "You don’t see that so much. He’s still the small Louisiana country boy. His beliefs are just sometimes…boyish."

Myers grew up as a Louisiana country boy, and was the middle child in a big family (five kids including him). A lot of his youth was spent pumping gas at his dad’s service station and hustling self-important men in pool halls. He moved from pool halls to owning Myers Pest & Termite Services, a company that has 70 employees, has grown 33 percent this year and is expected to gross more than $5 million in 2004. And he did it all the old-fashioned way.

A LONG ROAD. Born and raised in a little northern Louisiana sawmill town called Castor, Myers and his siblings worked for their dad from young ages. His parents were down-to-earth country people to whom Myers says he owes his work ethic. They were poor by many people’s standards, but didn’t know it because almost everyone in the town was poor, he said.

Myers worked hard for his dad, six or seven days a week, even when he was young. At the time he didn’t enjoy it, but he realizes now that it helped him to get where he is today. He’s continued to be a hard worker throughout his life. It’s all he knows. "It without a doubt gave me the work ethic I have today," Myers said. "No question about it."

For fun, Myers played baseball on a Little League team and throughout high school. He was a pitcher who dreamt of going professional, and he played at both colleges he attended. In the fall of 1978, Myers graduated from Centenary College in Louisiana with a bachelor’s degree in physical education. He was offered a junior high teaching position that would have paid him $10,800 a year. Instead, he moved to Dallas with his wife Stephanie (they married during his sophomore year), and started working at a Mexican fast food chain. He was an assistant manager getting paid almost twice as much as what teaching would have paid.

Myers had been working for the food chain for only 90 days when he decided to quit because he hadn’t yet been given a single day off. He knew people from TruGreen ChemLawn — they often ate at the restaurant — and they helped him get a job there. Later, he went to a B&G Chemicals and Equipment workshop for ChemLawn, and that’s when he met the owner from Dallas Pest & Termite Services, which was at that time a one-man operation looking to hire its first employee. He and Myers became acquainted during the workshop, and about a week later he received a phone call offering him a job with the pest control company. Myers accepted, and his career in the pest control industry began.

AN UPHILL CLIMB. Myers received his pest control training working at Dallas Pest & Termite Services, a rapidly growing commercial pest control company. He worked there for 14 months, learning the pest control industry. Myers figured he could start his own company if he wanted to, but it wasn’t something he had in mind at the time. But, 14 months after he started, he and his boss unexpectedly parted ways.

Next Myers worked as salesman for a tobacco company while he and Stephanie did janitorial work at night. He eventually started a commercial pest control business part time, and then made the decision to go full time in July of 1984. "I remember the day I quit my sales job because it was the scariest day of my life," Myers said.

After having decided to start Myers Pest & Termite Services, he then had to convince Stephanie that it was a good idea. He told her all they needed was a B&G sprayer to get started, so she eventually agreed. But Myers realized after they had the sprayer that he’d "forgotten" to tell her they needed chemicals to put in it. Rent was already going to be late for that month because of the sprayer, so the chemicals had to wait until the next month.

Myers and Stephanie, who will be married for 29 years this December, ran their fledgling business out of their home. She did the bookkeeping and answered phones, and he did the technician work. Stephanie’s motto in those days was "You Kill ‘Em, I’ll Bill ‘Em."

When Myers went to get a loan for his first pest control vehicle, he got it from a banker named Paul Rowntre, who is now a close friend and a member of the Rotary Club that Myers belongs to. Rowntre remembers Myers having a lot of enthusiasm but not much else.

"All he had was a smile, a handshake and a promise to pay," he said.

"What’s your history?" Rowntre asked Myers at the time.

"Well, I’m starting that history," Myers answered.

"Well, what’s your experience?" Rowntre asked.

"Well, I work hard," Myers responded.

"What else you got?" asked Rowntre.

"Well, I’m honest," said Myers.

Somehow, Myers got his loan, and now neither of them remembers whether they were friends or business acquaintances first. But they’re still both. Myers considers Paul a mentor, and says he’s been inspired by him as well as appreciative of his business advice. Rowntre is both a customer of Myers Pest & Termite Services and a supporter. He said Myers has been successful because he’s detailed, an outstanding salesman, aggressive, financially responsible, energetic and smart.

"He knows every piece of his business, start to finish," Rowntre said.

Myers Pest & Termite Services grew steadily, and Myers hired his first employee in 1986. Eventually he and Stephanie moved the business out of their house because a neighbor complained; they weren’t allowed to run it from home because of zoning laws. They remodeled a previously condemned building and moved the business in. Residential work was added to their services in 1990, and Myers stopped doing technician work himself around 1998.

Currently, Myers Pest & Termite Services has three offices. Two are in North Dallas and the other is in Euless, a suburb of Dallas. The company’s work breaks down to about 60 percent commercial and 40 percent residential, but it’s trending towards a 50/50 split, Myers said. There are about 70 Myers employees and around 40 trucks in the fleet. The trucks are currently undergoing makeovers — they’re all being painted a neon greenish-yellow that Myers has dubbed "Myers Yellow."

In the future, Myers hopes to see about eight or 10 branch offices open throughout the Dallas area. He is also contemplating expanding to other Texas cities, such as Austin, San Antonio and Houston.

"We have a great culture here. They (the employees) love it here and we love being here with them," Myers said. "They have fears of… you know, ‘Danny, are you gonna sell out?’ They’ll point blank ask me that. I have to tell them, ‘I’m not evading the question, but I’m gonna be honest with you. There’s not but three things in my life that aren’t for sale and those three things are my wife, my kids and my dogs. Everything else has a price.’"

While Myers isn’t completely opposed to selling, he doesn’t see it happening any time soon. However, if his kids, Lauryn, 22 and Judd, 17, decided they wanted to eventually take over the business, that could change everything. Right now it’s not something they’re interested in, even though Lauryn currently works in the firm’s human resources department. (Her husband works as a special projects technician and also helps with Myers’ bird abatement programs.)

"That would be the ultimate, if the kids wanted to be more involved in the business," Myers said. "My kids know they would have to work hard and earn the respect of others. You can’t just walk in because you’re the golden-haired child, the chosen one. That doesn’t work. That’s a recipe for failure."

MUTUAL RESPECT. Bringing a pest control business from a tiny company to a $5 million-plus operation isn’t easy, and Myers has earned the respect of everyone around him while working through the process. He works hard and he pushes his people to work hard, but he’s also understanding and there for them. He challenges and he supports.

"Danny has the perseverance and the determination of wanting to succeed probably more than any person I’ve ever met," said Denise Sanders, comptroller for five years at Myers Pest & Termite Services. "When he decided he was going to start his company and be successful, he was going to do it. He was going to spend the time, do it himself, bring in the right people."

"He’s a real poster child for just keep plugging and learning," said Brad Bartlett, a friend of Myers and owner of Interview Technologies Inc., a personality-profiling company that offers human resource management solutions. There were many trials and tribulations Myers had to overcome along the way, but he was persistent and his company flourished, Bartlett said.

"Good things happen to good people, especially when they work hard and work smart, and Danny’s done both," he added.

That’s true, but those good things don’t always come easily. One problem Myers has experienced is being able to back off when necessary. It was difficult for him to step back and trust the people he’d hired to do their jobs. He wanted to be in the middle of everything. But over time, and with Rick Rogers’ encouragement when he joined the business, Myers has learned to trust others to make decisions. He’s surrounded himself with capable people who complement his skills. Rogers said Myers had to change his thinking and adjust from running everything in a small business to being an adviser in a bigger business.

Sanders has noticed this too. "He’s very excited about his future, and eager, but he’s very close to it," she said. "There are times that he struggles a little bit with that — letting go. But this is his baby. He started it from nothing."

Myers credits Rogers, another mentor, with helping him let go. Besides teaching him a vast amount about the technical aspects of the business (like financial management), he also taught Myers to trust people and to not give up on them too quickly. "Rick taught me that," Myers said. "Don’t give up on people. Keep believing in people."

Still another person who served as a mentor, and who helped to teach Myers how to deal effectively with people, is Michael Katz, president of Western Exterminator Company, Anaheim, Calif. Katz was Myers’ official mentor through NPMA’s mentoring program. "He’s great with people," Myers said about Katz. "He has an ability to lead people, and that is very unique. He cares so much about his people that they do not want to let him down."

Myers drew knowledge from all three of these mentors, and what he ended up with was a leadership style that brought him to where he is today, and helped him to achieve a level of success he probably only dreamt of when he was pumping gas back in Castor. This style is centered on something he comes back to again and again — consistently, constantly believing in people. He defines himself and his leadership style as cheerleader-like. He creates expectations for people and asks what they want. He identifies their wants and needs, and then gives them the direction, opportunities and resources to achieve their goals, both personally and professionally. If they really want to, they succeed. Continuing to believe can be hard when people no longer believe in themselves, and may even be costing the company money, but it’s vital.

"People really do want to succeed for you," Myers said. "They just get in such a de-motivated mental state that they don’t care or they don’t believe in themselves. When you give people a fair shake to step up, to come and get with the program, and then they make a conscious choice not to do it…. Then you tell them, ‘Listen, you’re not happy. You need to go somewhere else and make yourself happy.’ But everybody deserves a fair shake."

Myers credits his success to his passion, enthusiasm, work ethic and integrity. But the people he has met and associates with contributed just as much, if not more, to his success. Without his ties to other people, his good qualities wouldn’t be enough. "The difference here is made with my people," Myers said. "And everyday I see the significance of that more and more."

Katz says he’s proud of Myers and all he’s accomplished. "I think he is just typical of what this industry does, as an entrepreneur," he said. "He’s what you want to showcase out of this industry, what people can do."

THE FUTURE. Myers’ role in Myers Pest & Termite Services today is different than it was 20 years ago. He is a long-term planner now, working on things like scouting for land for future offices and keeping an eye on the day-to-day financial health of the business. His mind is usually preoccupied with how the company can get better. Everyday, Myers thinks about that. The question he’s most concerned with currently is whether or not today’s management is ready for tomorrow’s challenges.

"We’re gonna celebrate, but then we’re gonna always get better," Myers said. "I have this little saying, ‘Good Enough Ain’t Good Enough.’ So we’re gonna always get better. I expect that, in myself and everybody else."

That’s a philosophy Sanders believes has helped the company to succeed. She said Myers brings in good people and celebrates victories, but he doesn’t allow his employees to lose sight of the goal of constant improvement.

Rick Rogers said Myers’ employees know they can go to him for help and never be judged. Myers puts everyone and everything before himself. "He’s committed to the end and his people believe in where he’s taking them," Rogers said.

After working hard for so many years, seeing Myers Pest & Termite Services become a model company, and being honored by his peers for his contributions to the pest control industry, Myers isn’t going anywhere. He’s not done with the pest control industry yet. There are still offices to open, still progress to be made, still things to be accomplished. And he enjoys it. He likes the people he works with, the customers, and the challenges of running a successful pest control business. "There’s still some of my dream left here," he said. "So until I can find a better vehicle to facilitate my dreams, I’m gonna dance with the one that brung me."

Aside from his business-related aspirations and the satisfaction Myers receives from seeing others succeed, he also stays in the business because of how it allows him to contribute to and help better the lives of his employees.

"It’s seeing you make a difference in people’s lives," Myers said. "If I help others get what they want, I will automatically get what I want. That’s kind of been my belief all along. If I help others succeed, then I succeed by a lot more."

------------------

Danny Myers, Community Volunteer

It’s true that most of Danny Myers’ time goes to his business and his family, but he makes sure to find time to lend his services to the community. He delivers meals to the elderly, he reads to children, he gives blood and he encourages his employees to do the same.

Myers has been participating in Meals on Wheels through his Rotary Club for about nine years. It’s his turn to deliver the meals about once every six to eight weeks. He goes to a local church to pick up the ready-made meals, and then delivers them to people signed up for the program. Some of his employees have participated in delivering meals as well.

Additionally, Myers is involved in a program at a local library that keeps kids busy between the time when school ends and when their parents are finished working. Myers reads to the kids that are enrolled in the program.

As a whole, Myers Pest & Termite Services is involved in a lot of charity functions, Myers said. Some employees volunteer at a local food bank, and they also bring in the bloodmobile during their quarterly offsite meetings, donating regularly to this important, life-saving cause.

----------------

Danny Myers, Baseball Player

Danny Myers is enthusiastic about the pest control industry today, but that hasn’t always been the case. His childhood dream was to be a professional baseball player, and he came closer to achieving that dream than most Little League players do.

Little League was a hobby and an outlet. Myers started working for his dad when he was eight or nine, and baseball was his release. "Me playing sports was my way of getting out of that work for a little bit, taking a break from work and actually getting to be with other kids my age," Myers said. "And that’s what allowed me to do that — sports."

He continued playing baseball (he was a pitcher) through high school, and then went on to play at Northwestern State University in Louisiana, where he fought his way into a scholarship position. After two years there, he went to Centenary College, receiving a scholarship there too.

Myers loved baseball because he had the support of a team while still competing individually. He sees similar dynamics in his work now. "That’s kind of like what this is right here, at work," he said. "The work here is me providing the vision, and everybody leveraging and getting it done with everybody else doing it every day. Without my people, I wouldn’t even be here today. They really do make the difference."

After his junior year, Myers was offered a minor league contract with the New York Mets to move to Little Falls, N.Y., and pitch for them in the New York Penn League, where he would have made $500 a month. Myers decided it would be better to finish school and then try to go professional. So, he went back to school to pitch, only to injure his shoulder… and watch his dream of pitching professionally disappear.

"That was the first time in my life I had failed, when I injured myself," Myers said. "That was a hard thing for me to accept, but I moved on."