Carrying on a Family Tradition

It didn’t surprise anyone at Griffin, Ga.-based Blasingame Pest Management when one of its technicians was nominated for PCT’s Commercial Technician of the Year. But for Dylan Blasingame, the recipient of the 2024 award, the amazement came when he found out he was the one selected.

“It didn’t seem real for a while because I didn’t even know I was submitted until I found out I had been selected. It was a pretty big shock for sure,” said Dylan, the 28-year-old commercial technician for the company started by his dad, William “Billy” Blasingame Jr., whose late father was legendary industry figure William E. “Bill” Blasingame Sr.

COMMERCIAL PEST. After graduating from Jacksonville State University with a degree in marketing in 2019, Dylan went to work for the family business. Prior to that he worked in pest control part-time in high school and in college.

“Starting out full-time I was doing a healthy mix of everything, commercial, residential mosquito and termite,” he recalled. “It was an even split and obviously mosquitoes are seasonal, but I didn’t really start doing commercial full-time until about two years ago. We were getting so many accounts that I needed to take off my residential hat to keep on my commercial hat.”

Dylan said it got to the point where “it was much easier to service all the accounts not having to juggle special times for commercial and residential. I enjoy commercial more. You always want to set expectations in pest control; you don’t want them thinking you’ll service and that they will never see a bug ever or they’ll all be gone in 30 minutes. It’s easier to talk to commercial customers about the scope of the work.”

Billy said being able to understand a commercial account can come natural to some technicians, like his son. “There’s plenty of companies that don’t like doing commercial because of the criteria you have to meet. But they can be loyal if you’re protecting their brand, it just requires a special commitment. Food plants and anything related to medical pharma — all those accounts have a lot of ‘eyes’ looking at them if you will,” referring to audits and the paperwork needed to maintain a proper facility.

FAMILY INFLUENCE. Obviously, his father was a great role model for Dylan, but so too was his grandfather, Bill Sr., who had a “massive” bug collection in his office and always had time to go through and discuss with his grandson.

“He never stopped. He always went through his materials and went to conventions and that’s my earliest memories of him,” Dylan said. “And growing up, I never knew how big he was in the industry, and then you’d go to a place, and they’d be like ‘I know your grandfather!’ It’s really amazing to find out how many people he influenced.”

Like his dad and grandfather, Dylan is becoming more involved in his community. In addition to his family commitments — Dylan is married to wife CarrieAnn and the couple have one dog and three cats — he has become involved in his community’s chamber of commerce. “It started as a work thing, but they are a great group of friends helping with the community at the same time,” he said. “They’ve helped mold me into the person I am today with the company. Now we also are hanging out as friends.”

Cindy Jones, president of the Rotary Club of Griffin Daybreak, said Dylan, “actively supports new business openings and ribbon cuttings, often speaking and presenting on behalf of the chamber. His leadership serves as an inspiring example to others.”

GREAT REPUTATION. One of the first to pen PCT a letter to include in Dylan’s nomination packet was Ryan Grondines, food safety and production manager for Hinsdale & Foster Provisions. He wrote that not only would he trust Dylan to treat anything in both the workplace and his home, but that his communication is stellar, as is his response time when needed in a pinch.

“I noticed the glueboard in one of the receiving warehouse pest lights was suddenly covered in black flying insects one morning,” Grondines wrote. “We contacted Dylan, and he came over to investigate immediately. He was able to confirm the type of beetle that was present and we discovered that a recent shipment of cardboard had been delivered infested. Once the cardboard was disposed of, he assisted us with the capture and removal of the remaining beetles.”

Another recommendation came from Dr. Dan Suiter, extension entomologist, University of Georgia, Griffin, Ga., who wrote, “Technically, Dylan is at the top of his game and is progressive in his approach to managing pests and communicating with customers. I teach IPM (Integrated Pest Management) as a mindset, or lifestyle, that guides daily decision making when it comes to issues of pest management and customer communication and service. Dylan grew up in a family of industry educators who were and are strict adherents to these principles. IPM is just who Dylan is.”

With impressive accomplishments to his credit at just 28, Dylan Blasingame is a professional to keep an eye out as he continues to build on his family’s rich pest control industry history.

The author is a frequent PCT contributor based in the Chicago area.