Back Talk, April 2000

I am writing this letter in reference to the January article "Why I Sold" by Don Jamison. As a former employee of Jamison Pest Control, I have been through the gamut of emotions Don spoke of. Many of his employees had been with the company for many years. A few basically grew up with Jamison Pest Control. Don did a lot for his employees. We had company picnics, welcome spring parties, annual hockey nights. A special committee was formed to plan "fun" events for getting together outside of the office, or on weekday afternoons as an excuse to knock off early and enjoy each other’s company. All of that will be missed and can never be replaced or duplicated.

During the transition phase after the sale, I thought about leaving many times. I held onto the bible verse, Jeremiah 29:11 — "For I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future." This verse helped me through a lot of difficult times.

Today I am still with the same company and I am happy with my job. I feel like I have been given an opportunity to better myself and to help others grow as PCOs in the process.

Not everyone was as fortunate as I was. I have a great manager and a good team of technicians to work with. Gaining their respect was difficult. I had to overcome their perceptions of Jamison Pest Control as well as mine about Terminix. I still keep in touch with Don. I will always miss Jamison Pest Control and the friends made there. But Don’s decision to sell was his to make. We may not have liked the sale of his company but we all have to move on and continue to grow in whatever paths we choose to take.

After reading Don Jamison’s "Why I Sold," I was so outraged, I felt it necessary to write you. I would like to present two different views of the article.

After following Mr. Jamison’s career for quite some time in your magazine I was appalled by his article. For years Mr. Jamison has given credit for his success to his employees that he so greatly admired. Through his commitment to them and their commitment to him, he grew this family business. What a line of BULL that was! When push came to shove, he took the cash and ran. He even admits that the billion-dollar Goliath managed to scare away 70 percent of those great employees who helped build his company.

It was said by Robert J. Winger that there were only three types of men: the one who would say he wanted your money and then tried to take it; the type that said he didn’t want your money then he would try and take it; and the type that said he did not want your money and he didn’t, but through some act of fear or panic or just plain greed, he too would try and take it.

My only question is was Don Jamison a liar all these years or was it an act of fear or greed?

I didn’t see anywhere in his article about how much of the sale package went to employee compensation for their years of service. This should be a wakeup call to pest control employees across the United States. This industry is consolidating and Big Brother is closing in on your company!

There is a fire sale going on across the country, especially in California. Big Brother is buying the competition at an alarming rate at discount prices. Even Mr. Jamison’s stated price is well below what any service business is worth. Figures thrown around give the impression that six months’ to a year’s gross are standard. Well, those are standard prices for wives of dead owners and the like. Three to five years’ gross or 20 times earnings are a closer estimate of the value of most pest control companies. This article shows the need for competent business owners to plan for the future operations of their companies in their absence. Such a plan might very well have prevented 100 of Don Jamison’s extended family to have the rug pulled out from them.

In a day when stocks are typically over 20 times earnings, isn’t a cash cow worth more? I think so and when the widows and orphans of pest control stop the fire sale, the rest of us will command that price. And Big Brother will pay it just to dominate the market. As owners, having such a plan is vital and in the best interest of ourselves, our families, our employees, our business and the industry. As owners, it’s the very least we can do for our employees.

As an owner, it’s a promise I will never break to my employees.

I really enjoyed the article in January’s Service Technician magazine by Steve Miller titled "Share Your Knowledge." Steve is right on the mark: clearly communicating the conducive conditions for wood destroying insect activity not only provides valuable information for our customers, it reduces our risk as inspectors. Too many inspections are performed without discussing this important information. Can I get five extra copies for my staff? The whole issue was hard to put down.