[Leadership] Phil Cooper

Where some people live two separate lives — a business life and a personal life — there are no dividing lines for Phil Cooper, president of Cooper Pest Solutions and BedBug Central, Lawrenceville, N.J. He’s the same passionate, ambitious guy at work as he is in his own living room, much to the consternation of family and friends who he wears out with his boundless energy.

Like so many of his peers in the pest control industry, Phil Cooper manages a family business started by his father. Theodore H. Cooper had intended to study veterinary medicine, but decided to become an entomologist instead. During the Korean War, he served as a medical entomologist and when he came back to the U.S., he founded Cooper Pest Control in 1955. His first office was Phil’s bedroom.

Cooper’s father became ill in the 1980s. And although Cooper and his father were working at the company together, they often had different views on how the company should be run. "There was never bad blood between my father and me," Cooper says. "But there were differences of opinion, and we agreed that eventually I would own and run the company. Just as my father had done when he started the company, I was choosing a career path and wanted to do things my way."

Cooper and his father agreed that they wanted Phil’s younger brother, Rick, to enter the business as well. The brothers took ownership in December of 1991 when their father became ill. Theodore Cooper passed away in 1998.

A PASSION FOR BUSINESS. Bursting with enthusiasm, Cooper is quick to sing the praises of his parents and brother, Rick, who is two years younger. "Our parents’ influence is immeasurable — strong family values, conservative fiscal policy and a strong work ethic. We want the same thing for Cooper Pest Solutions and give our all to make it happen," Cooper said.

Rick points out that is how Cooper approaches just about everything in his life. "Phil is an unbelievably hard worker and is a very driven person," he says. "Even though I routinely put in a 70-plus-hour work week, he makes me feel like I’m standing still."

Because his father was busy building a business, Cooper’s mother saw to it that the family always had dinner together. "We always co-mingled family and business conversation at the dinner table, so I grew up knowing how important the business was to our family," Cooper recalls fondly.

Cooper spent many Sunday mornings helping his dad around the office. "My best times with my dad were going down to the office on the weekend. I just liked being with my dad, and from an early age, I loved business. I always have. For some reason, I’ve always liked the idea of making money," Cooper observes.

His entrepreneurial qualities were evident in junior high, for example, when Cooper cornered the market on Bubble Yum gum when it first came out. He bought all the available Bubble Yum from local stores and resold it at school for 50 cents a pack — 10 times its original value. "I made $700 selling bubble gum at school while Rick sold Raisinettes and Crunch Bars and made a lot of his friends happy," Cooper explains. However the business soon lost ground when too many students popped the gum during a play and got in trouble with the vice principal. Cooper was left with a sizable inventory which he "disposed of" before he was investigated. "Rick wasn’t so lucky, though," Cooper remembers. "He got caught with an inventory of candy and was assigned to work with the janitor for two months."

According to Rick, Cooper recognized from the young age of 12 that customer service was part and parcel to running a successful paper route. Right from the beginning, Cooper surveyed his customers to learn, No. 1, exactly where and when they wanted their papers delivered, and No. 2, if they’d rather be billed by mail or have their payments collected. "He ended up getting almost everyone onto a billing system, so he never had to collect money," recalls Rick. "And here he got all these great tips because they all had the paper exactly how they wanted it."

It was one of the many customer-driven ventures that Cooper has embarked upon, says Rick. "He was always looking to make money, and he made sure his customers were happy, which made him more money," marveled Rick. "He had the easiest job in the world because the hard part was taken care of."

Cooper admits that where he’s been more focused on getting his way, Rick was always the compassionate one, helping others. While he always looked for ways to make money, his brother looked for ways to make friends. "Rick was the peacekeeper in the house. Whenever I was creating trouble, he was bringing everyone together."

But these differences have apparently worked in the company’s favor, says Rick. "There are a lot of things that we simply don’t agree on, so it makes for a lot of very lively business discussions. But in the end we take away the best that the other can offer, so we end up with more sound decisions."

DRIVEN TO SUCCEED. After high school, Cooper attended and graduated from George Washington University where he majored in business and marketing with a minor in finance. During his sophomore and junior years he worked as an athletic manager for the college baseball team, and in so doing, learned the value of teamwork and what it takes to succeed through working with a tough coach.

After graduation in 1984, Cooper had to decide whether to come back to the family business or not. "I met with my dad to negotiate my return. I had a nice offer from Pepsi to go into their management training program. I told my dad it wouldn’t work if I couldn’t run the company by the time I was 30. I was a little apprehensive because Dad and I were so much alike."

Despite a few "bumps in the road," the brothers became the sole shareholders. "I give a lot of credit to my dad for making the transition possible. I don’t know if I could have done what he did," explains Cooper.

After college, Cooper began as a commercial sales representative, paid on a commission only basis. He was successful from the start which isn’t too surprising given his strong personality, people skills and work ethic.

Cooper was adamant about Rick’s being on board after he finished college. "It was important to me that Rick was involved in the business, though Rick wasn’t so sure," reflects Cooper. "Without Rick, I would have continued on but it wouldn’t have been the same. I wanted him to come back."

For his part, Rick says he initially was leaning toward an entomology career, a fact his brother was well aware of. "I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do," muses Rick. But, he notes, Cooper "worked very hard to shape the business in a way that would be attractive to me."

Rick also observed that his older brother always looked out for him. "Ever since we were kids, he always put me first," says Rick. That tendency became particularly apparent to Rick when he decided to join Cooper right out of college, as a technician. "I love studying insects," says Rick. "When I did come back, it was very important to him that I would be able to go ahead and get my master’s and my Ph.D." Doing those things, however, meant that Rick would have to be away from his duties for a time. "He totally supported me; he was completely behind me going back and furthering myself," reflects Rick. "He made personal sacrifices so I could pursue my dreams."

Rick left Cooper after two years to get his master’s degree, attending school full time. During that period, he recalls, "I never helped the company with anything except for one night, when I helped with a cockroach account."

After receiving his master’s degree, Rick rejoined the company as vice president of technical services. Then again this year, Rick took a leave to pursue his doctorate at Rutgers University. Once again Phil was Rick’s strongest supporter. "He was one-hundred percent behind it; in fact, he pushed me to do it," observes Rick, "so now he again made a huge personal sacrifice."

But Cooper’s brand of commitment permeates just about everything he does. Look no further than the mission statement he created: "To WOW our clients, WOW our teammates, WOW our community, WOW our service partners and WOW the bottom line!" Another of his ventures is BedBug Central, a one-stop resource for bed bug information. Cooper expects BedBug Central to make a minimum $1.7 million in revenue in 12 months. He attributes his company’s success to its people. "We’re very proud to have a 92-percent employee retention rate," he says.

Jerry Batzner, president of Batzner Pest Management, has been a friend of Cooper’s for 20 years. "Phil and I have worked over the past five years developing leaders in our industry through the Associated Pest Services. He is someone who is always excited when it comes to developing future leaders," notes Batzner. The association of regional, family-owned pest control companies strives to inspire members to deliver the best possible service and support their communities.

PERSONAL DEDICATION. Active in the community, Cooper is a top fundraiser for the Delaware Valley Chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society and serves on its board. He has also served as a Rotarian since 1987. Another of Cooper’s passions extends to giving back to the pest control industry through holding board and committee positions for the New Jersey and National Pest Management Associations.

Cooper and Laura, his wife of 21 years, have two children — Samantha, 17, and Andrew, 12. "Laura puts up with me and there’s a lot to put up with here," says Cooper. "She’s the definition of a soul mate."

Of his children, Cooper is extremely proud. "They’re amazing kids. We do everything together," he says.

And Cooper is a noted author and speaker on customer service and company culture. His book, published in 2004, WHAT+HOW=WOW, provides insight into the communication process Cooper is so passionate about. Cooper employees are asked to practice those principles every day, as does Cooper personally. He firmly believes the concepts of WOW stretch beyond customer service, and that its precepts can be applied to all positions and adapted to fit almost any environment. Cooper understands that although his company is in the business of killing bugs, communication is a key element that helps distinguish the company as a market leader.

A self-proclaimed fitness nut and a Johnny G-Certified spinning instructor, you’ll find Cooper teaching spin classes (an aerobic exercise cycle program) three days a week.

In conclusion, for Phil Cooper, it’s about passion. He works hard, plays hard and lives by a no-regrets philosophy. "I think that’s what defines me," says Cooper. "What jazzes me more than anything else is watching others succeed. I enjoy watching people in our organization do things they didn’t think possible."
 

*****

IN BRIEF…

NAME: Phil Cooper

COMPANY/AFFILIATION: Cooper Pest Solutions, BedBug Central

LOCATION: Lawrenceville, N.J.

POSITION: President

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Cooper Pest Solutions was named one of Inc. magazine’s Top U.S. Small Companies to work for in 2010; mastermind of BedBug Central website and business; noted customer service pioneer who in 2004 authored the book WHAT+HOW=WOW; board member and top fundraiser for Multiple Sclerosis Society-Delaware Valley Chapter; involved in industry associations — board and committee member, NPMA and NJPMA; past president and current member, Associated Pest Services; Rotarian since 1987; bachelor’s degree from George Washington University

PERSONAL: Married 21 years to wife Laura; two children — Samantha, 17 and Andrew, 12; Johnny G-Certified spin instructor; selected as outstanding fan to appear on 2010 Philadelphia Eagles franchise yearbook and 2010 season tickets
 

*****

Flying High for the Philadelphia Eagles

One of Phil Cooper’s long time passions has been supporting his beloved football team, the Philadelphia Eagles, proudly displaying their colors through the franchise’s ups and downs.

This year his support was publicly recognized when the NFL team selected Cooper to represent the Eagles as one of its biggest fans.

Philadelphia Eagles’ chief marketing officer Tim McDermott announced in July that a photograph of Cooper decked out in Eagles regalia and war paint would appear on the cover of the franchise’s annual yearbook. Cooper was also selected to participate in a number of season-long media initiatives, including having his photo appear on some 2010 season tickets, as well as on tickets for the Sept. 2 pre-season game against the New York Jets. Cooper was also invited on to the Lincoln Financial Field at the start of that game to lead the Eagles pep band in the singing of the "Fly Eagle Fly" team anthem.

McDermott applauded Cooper for his long time loyalty to the team. "Fans like Phil Cooper are the reason we made the 2010 season the year of the fans," said McDermott. "One look at his face on game day and you can see the passion that he brings to the stadium and the loyalty that makes the Eagles franchise so special."

When the yearbook was unveiled, Cooper’s excitement was palpable. "This is an amazing honor. I am as passionate about the Eagles as I am passionate about killing bugs," said Cooper. "When you bring a level of passion and excitement to anything you do, people take notice and it feels great to be recognized for it."

This isn’t the first time Cooper’s passion for the Eagles has drawn attention. In 2009 Philadelphia’s local CBS affiliate covered the intense inter-office rivalry that exists at Cooper between Eagles and Giants fans.