Courtesy of Orkin Canada
The pest control industry mourns the loss of industry veteran Ivan Joseph, who passed away on March 2. He was 79.
A native of South America, Ivan met his wife, Carmen Lorraine (Glasgow) Joseph, in New Amsterdam, Guyana at a country dance. The two would soon marry, and Ivan would set off to begin his career as a laboratory technician on the sugar cane estate.
As noted in his obituary, Ivan’s life took a turn when he was recruited by a researcher from Nova Scotia Agricultural College at Dalhousie University (NSAC) to come and study. The two made the sacrifice to live apart in New York City and Canada while Carmen Lorraine supported Ivan’s pursuit of higher education.
Ivan would then go on to pursue his bachelor’s degree in soil science at McGill University. Ivan and Lorraine soon had three kids, Pam Costello, Natasha Brown, and Ivan Joseph, Jr., and began their Canadian adventure in a one-bedroom apartment.
As recounted in the Orkin Canada newsletter “Bugland.” Ivan was recruited and joined PCO Services, now known as Orkin Canada, as a service technician in 1978. Ivan loved bugs and serving his customers. He spent more than 40 years with Orkin Canada and retired as a regional manager.
The newsletter article noted that Ivan was always about excellence and loved the customers with whom he worked. At Orkin Canada, he was a Lifetime Topper, earning the top salesman award, and was the national sales manager for three years in a row. Orkin Canada colleagues remember Ivan for his humor, compassion, warm smile and gentle nature.
Orkin Canada recently announced the Ivan Joseph Education Allowance in his memory.
REMEMBRANCES
Rob Quinn, president of Orkin Canada, was actually hired by Ivan in 1994 at PCO Canada; the pair progressed throughout the ranks of PCO Canada, which was purchased by Orkin in 1999. “Ivan was a mentor to me throughout my career and very, very special to me. I spent many a weekend with Ivan with fumigations. Ivan was the type of person who would give himself to anyone and open himself up for ideas,” said Quinn, who added that the Orkin Canada Education Allowance that was set up in his name is a fitting tribute to Ivan, who was big proponent of the “teach a man to fish” philosophy.
Dale Kurt, regional manager of Orkin Canada (Toronto area), worked with Ivan for 23 years. He said even at larger meetings Ivan would make the rounds to engage everyone, tell jokes and try to “get a smile.” An example Kurt cited of Ivan’s kindness was him spending a Sunday afternoon at a residential account. “He didn’t want to send a technician, so he (a branch manager) went himself. That was Ivan. He was always there to assist technicians whether it was at night or on the weekends.”
Liz Murphy, co-owner of Aetna Pest Control, Toronto, brought on Ivan Joseph as a consultant. Murphy said Ivan helped her technicians develop a “can do” attitude. “He made them want to do bed bug work. For Ivan, the more difficult the infestation the more he loved it. He loved to learn and his people skills were exceptional, both with technicians and customers.”
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