‘Personal Touch’ Has Served Pest'R Us Exterminating Well for 30 Years

TEMPE, Ariz. — This past March, Pest'R Us Exterminating, Tempe, Ariz., gathered not only employees but customers for a special, 30-year celebration banquet.

It was appropriate that customers were included, as client appreciation has been one of the hallmarks of Pest'R Us Exterminating, whose owner, Eric Papadeas, has a simple and straightforward business approach.

"Do the right thing because it is the right thing to do. If you take care of clients’ needs, the referrals will come. If you price it right, the referrals will come," said Papadeas.

The March event was the fifth customer appreciation night Pest'R Us has hosted in 30 years.

Eric and wife Melinda Papadeas hosted their first customer appreciation event at a Greek restaurant. "It was pretty funny because I speak Greek but no one else did so I spent the entire night reading the menu for everyone," he recalled.

The origins of Pest'R Us Exterminating date back to 1993. At the time, Arizona's pest control industry required prospective owners to work under someone for two years before venturing on their own. Eric Papadeas became acquainted with Richard Paulison, who owned Amblers Pest Control, which serviced the Papadeas' home. Papadeas, seeing a potential path to business ownership, joined Paulison with the understanding that Papadeas would be assisting his business, but also operating his own pest control business concurrently. After about a year and a half, Paulison told Papadeas he had enough clients to use his name and purchase his own vehicle. He incorporated Pest'R Us Exterminating in 1995.

"I didn't know Arizona very well, but I knew a lot of people were having pest control at their homes. The more I investigated the more I liked its potential," he recalled.

His first employees were Melinda and son Nathan (at the time age 14), who worked for the company for one year before entering high school (today he is a naturopathic doctor practicing in Arizona). "Melinda would walk one side of the street and I would walk the other, putting out handbills and fliers," Papadeas said. "And if she would meet somebody at the door, she would have me come across the street to meet them." 

A self-described "people person," Papadeas, who has a business degree from MSU Denver, worked with clients one-on-one to meet their needs. This customized approach has helped the company grow to where it is today.

Papadeas' growth strategy also involved having a new service professional ride along and shadow/assist him, and after a period of time that professional would take over the route. He would then move to subsequent routes and repeat this practice over and over, thus building route density all while developing the company's service professionals. This practice, combined with positive word-of-mouth referrals, spurred growth.

"What separates us is the personal touch," Papadeas said. "We pick up toys in the backyard so we can spray. We remove dog dishes. I tell our employees 'Do things bigger, better, best. Treat their home as if it were your home.'" Papadeas even had an elderly client call and say, “Thank you for the past year of free pest control.” Papadeas responded “Excuse me?” and the customer explained: “Yes, I paid for your technician to put my trash can back and it came with pest control.”

Papadeas is quick to recognize his team, which has grown to include 10 employees, for any success the company has had the last 30 years. In addition to his wife Melinda (married for 37 years), long-term employees include supervisors Ethan Qualm (18 years) and Chris Burke (12 years) as well as lead technician Roger Bolduc (8 years).