Gunter Pest Names Fourth Generation New President

 

L.R. (Reggie) Gunter, Jay Besheer’s grandfather and Kansas City, MO native, started the family pest control business in 1950. From 1950-1963, the company name was L.R. Gunter, the Bugman, until he changed it to Gunter Exterminating Company and later to Gunter Pest and Lawn. Reggie and his wife Betty Gunter started the business out of their Armour Hills home in Kansas City’s Waldo neighborhood, answering customer phone calls from their living room. 

 

Reggie’s grandson, Jay Gunter Besheer, always enjoyed his grandfather’s friendship and constantly wanted to be around him. So, Jay started riding around with his grandfather on pest control routes around the age of eight, and it became his dream to one day take over the family business. 

 

In 1972, Jay’s father and Reggie’s son-in-law Norman Besheer took over the family business after 17 years of practicing law in Missouri and Pennsylvania. After graduating from University of Missouri with a business degree and a few entomology classes under his belt, Jay Gunter Besheer joined his father as a full-time employee at Gunter. Jay took over as owner and president in 2000. His father Norman - now in his 90s - still plays an active role as CEO. “I’m very proud that my grandson is assuming the position of president,” says Norman Besheer. “Noah brings an entirely new vision and expertise to our company, and we welcome him with open arms and gratitude!”

 

Noah Gunter Besheer followed in his father’s footsteps and also graduated from University of Missouri in 2008. He was one of the first graduates to seek and attain a job in social media as it started to become popular in the early 2000s. Noah started his career launching the social media presence at Maritz, a St. Louis-based employee incentives firm. Noah then managed the social media strategy for brands like Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis, PowerBar, Dymatize Nutrition and Famous Footwear before joining Gunter full-time in late 2021. Noah’s background in marketing was just what Gunter needed to move toward a big upcoming mile marker - almost 75 years in business.

 

Noah currently works at the 4th generation family business alongside his grandfather Norman, father Jay, and sister Hayley, Director of Business Development. With such a deep background in advertising, customer service, communication, marketing and social media, Noah plans to take the company to new levels in a competitive local market, and under his leadership.

 

“It feels good. I’ve been around it my whole life, so in a way it’s new and in a way it’s not,” Noah Besheer said. “It’s great working with my family, and it’s an honor to carry on that tradition. Hopefully my experience and my past jobs will really pay off and help us get to where we need to be in the future as a company.”