J.C. EHRLICH: History in the Making

The J.C. Ehrlich Company was founded on the idea that if you want to get something done, sometimes you have to do it yourself. More than 70 years ago, as an insecticide and equipment salesman, Julius C. Ehrlich learned that one of his customers had not applied the materials he previously delivered. When the customer explained that they didn’t have the time or personnel to apply the materials, Ehrlich offered to do it for them. In that instant, he founded a new pest control service company.

THE GROWTH YEARS. Growing the business in the years that followed was not an easy task, considering that he was 56 years old and the country was about to enter the Depression. And, up until this point, pest control was primarily a do-it-yourself proposition. In 1928, a pest control service company was a new idea in Reading, Pa.

Until 1938, there was just Ehrlich and two technicians. Then, three of his nephews – brothers Arthur and Simon Hammel and their cousin, Alex Ehrlich – fled Nazi Germany. When they came to the United States, Julius Ehrlich offered to give them a job.

In the early 1940s, the decision was made to open two new offices. This geographic expansion enabled Ehrlich to better serve customers and to reduce travel time. 

In 1949, the business welcomed the addition of another family member, Richard Yashek. Yashek had been liberated from a Nazi concentration camp and made his way to the U.S. where he resided with his uncle, Simon Hammel and his aunt, Ernestine.

In the late 1940s, Julius Ehrlich turned the business over to his three nephews. He retired in 1952 and nephew Arthur Hammel was named president. Julius Ehrlich passed away in 1958. Alex Ehrlich retired in 1970, and Richard became manager of the Lancaster, Pa., office.

In 1971, Simon Hammel’s son, Victor, officially joined the company after graduation from college. The year 1973 marked the untimely passing of Ehrlich vice president Simon Hammel, the father of Victor and Bobby. Richard Yashek and Victor were both named vice presidents, and the transition to the third generation began.

The 1970s and 80s were years of substantial growth which were a result of increased services, the opening of new offices and the acquisition of companies in adjacent states.

THE RECENT YEARS. In 1991, Arthur Hammel became chairman of the board, and Victor was named president. Victor and his management team formalized the company’s vision: “Above all else, we value long-lasting relationships with co-workers and customers.” 

“We think this is a unique advantage,” said co-owner Bobby Hammel, “because our customers get to know our co-workers and vice versa. And we have a high level of confidence that any time a customer contacts us, there will be a knowledgeable co-worker who shares our beliefs of customer service.”
This continuity is enhanced by the com-pany’s tradition of family-owned operation, now in its third generation. Working with family is not always an easy thing. Despite their shared last name, Arthur and Victor had different management styles. “My uncle and I had remarkably similar visions for the company,” Victor said. “However, he was a lot more conservative and cautious than I am.”

Victor Hammel attributes much of the company’s success to a strong adherence to his great-grandfather’s founding principles.

“I started with this company in 1949, when Julius Ehrlich was running the company,” said retired executive vice president Richard Yashek, who was with the company for 52 years. “In those 52 years, there have been many changes. The one constant has been that the company’s owners have always made decisions that were best for the long term. There has always been the sense of building for the future.”