[News] Company, community mourn loss of ‘The Ant Man’

Two months have passed since service technician Jim Franco, age 58, died as a result of the San Bruno pipeline explosion that claimed seven other lives, but Franco’s passing has left a considerable void for employer Applied Pest Management, Vallejo, Calif., and his customers. It’s a testament to Franco’s on-the-job performance, but perhaps of greater importance to his ability to ingratiate himself to his customers.

"Jim was very customer oriented," said Nick Fowler, vice president, Applied Pest Management. "He always made sure that customers knew what he was doing and how he would solve their problems. He had a sense of humor and made our customers feel at ease with his services."

Hired by Applied Pest Management in October 2006, the company recognized these qualities and assigned him sensitive accounts such as child care centers and preschools in the San Francisco area. "He liked working with the kids at the schools and became ‘The Ant Man’ to them," Fowler added. "He made sure they were aware of what he was doing and why. He made pest control ‘fun’ for them."

Franco was the subject of a March 2008 PCT article "The Ant Man Spreads the Word." The article recounted how Franco became a beloved figure at schools and child care facilities he serviced. Because of the sensitive nature of these accounts Franco limited his treatment options to mainly inspection, exclusion and the use of some bait stations. At one of the child care facilities where Franco was making the rounds (inspecting, checking bait stations, etc.) he noticed that children were taking an interest in what he was doing.

"All of a sudden, like an ant trail these kids came," he said.

So, to help encourage them to think more about insects, Franco bought them their own flashlights and showed them where to inspect for ants.

"The kids always seem to get a kick out of me going around with my flashlight. They get a big charge out of it," Franco said.

So Franco began distributing flashlights to children at schools he serviced, saying it was just a "customer friendly" thing to do.

"Some actually took their time and were able to produce results," he said. "Who knows how far this could take some of them?"

According to the San Francisco Examiner, Franco had been living in a rented room in a house that was destroyed by the blast. Although Franco managed to get out of the fire, he was injured so seriously that doctors at San Francisco General Hospital placed him in a drug-induced coma. He was transferred to UCSF on Sept. 20, where his condition deteriorated.

During this time, Fowler said the schools Franco was servicing asked for updates about how he was doing and the schoolchildren made cards for him to read upon awakening. Other customers asked the company for a place where they could send cards and one group of employees at a hospital wanted information so they could pool funds together and make a donation. "Our customers have expressed to us the sadness at the loss and let us know that he will be missed," Fowler said.

Franco was preceded in death by his parents and his twin brother, Tom. He is survived by his younger brother and his 9-year-old niece, the San Francisco Examiner reported.
 

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Donations

The Pest Control Operators of California’s PCOC Cares program has made a $2,000 donation to the James Franco Fund, which has been set up at the Bank of Marin. If you would like to donate to this fund, contact the Bank of Marin at 415/899-7456.