DA Exterminating Looks to the Future

When DA Exterminating was founded in 1959 by E.J. D'Arensbourg, the company was a three-person operation. Today, under the leadership of President Jed D'Arensbourg and Vice President Chris Caire, the company has grown to include three branches, four corporations, 46 full-time employees and 7 part-timers. One thing that hasn’t changed is that the company continues to do business on its terms – a business philosophy DA Exterminating plans to continue to carry forward.

“I’d like the growth to continue,” Jed said. “We’re averaging 2- to 3-percent growth every year. In 1990, DA was doing $1.5 million and now we’re doing $5.2 million.”

Chris explained that one of the driving forces for their success is their constant feeling of not being content, which keeps them continually investing in their business. “There are companies that are content to be this size, but we want to grow,” he said. “There’s a lot of business in this town and our challenge is thinking of creative ways to stay ahead of the competition. We pick everybody’s brain.”

Not all brainstorms pay off, of course. “We offered a nominally priced mosquito control and it just flopped,” Jed said. “But at least we’re trying stuff.”

“We’ve tripled our business in Houma in the last five years,” Jed said. “St. Tammany Parish has had phenomenal growth since Ricky Caballero began managing it in 1984. He has an ingratiating personality — everyone loves him. He’s doing 60 percent of all termite pre-treatments in the area.”

For now, general pest control makes up about 35 percent of DA’s business, where termite work accounts for about 65 percent. Of the general pest business, residential makes up about 60 percent, while the other 40 percent is commercial.

Jed said that many of the company’s commercial accounts provide DA visibility that is as valuable as advertising. In addition to multiple restaurants, there are hotels, health care facilities, grain elevators and industrial accounts. The New Orleans Convention Center is a perfect example of a DA client that provides built-in credibility.

As DA continues to forge ahead through 2005, there’s no sign of business slowing down. In fact, business is so good that management has learned to say ‘no’ to some jobs when appropriate. “We woke up one day and realized, ‘we don’t have to take this account,’” Chris said. “We want as much business as we can get, but we also have the luxury of turning down business. We want to do it right. We have a good reputation and our reputation is more important than the size of our business.”

The author is a Cleveland-based writer.