[View Point] To Build, or Not to Build

This month’s cover story, “Building Boom,” has been months in the making and we appreciate all of the pest management professionals who were so candid about their experiences (both good and bad). With so many pest control company owners entering the real estate market (in one way or another), we thought this topic would be a good read for anyone on the fence regarding a big move or a purchase. 

With this article in mind, we found the July issue of Fortune Small Business magazine, which featured the article “Real estate survival guide.” Not all of the tips were applicable to our industry, so I narrowed the list to the three I thought were most important for pest management firm owners (although you certainly know more about your real estate needs than I do, so we’ve posted a link to the article at www.pctonline.com).

Stay on the beaten path (a.k.a., location, location, location). Mike Rottler heeded this advice regarding his company’s new building. Rottler’s old office was seen by 25,000 vehicles a day, but a new office that was visible to 85,000 vehicles daily became available. Since he had determined that such exposure had a positive impact on his business, why not move to a new location with added visibility?

Consider rush hour (a.k.a., make sure your workforce can get to work easily). Kevin Kordek’s experience with his new building’s parking lot is our article’s twist on this piece of advice. Kordek told us he wishes he’d made his parking lot bigger so that on days when all employees come to the office for a meeting, all of their cars  could fit. As it stands now, some folks have to park on the street, which Kordek says causes inefficiencies.

Know when to spring for pricey digs. The rule of thumb, the article says, is that service businesses should pay no more than 30 percent of gross sales for rent.

Most every business at one time or another will be faced with the issue of growing too big for their space, having a lease fall through or simply needing a change of scenery. Certainly not everyone will add thousands of square feet to their office space or hire an architect to design their dream building, but most everyone will have to make a move from a home office to a leased space or from a leased space to a new building that their business will call home. Even if this scenario is years down the road, there are lessons here for all pest management professionals to take to heart.

A couple of other notes about this issue: September is traditionally PCT’s wildlife issue and although only about a quarter of PCT’s readers perform wildlife/nuisance animal control, it’s a growing market we focus on annually. Don’t miss Al Greene’s article about structural serpents on page 60. You won’t be disappointed. 

And finally, PCT magazine and Syngenta Professional Products were honored to present this year’s Crown Award for Technical Excellence to Steritech’s Judy Black (see story on page 32). Syngenta Key Account Manager Jason Venello and I presented the award to Judy during NPMA Academy in July. Congratulations again, Judy!

The author is editor of PCT magazine.