Ethics key at Thomas Pest Services
‘Safety is paramount’ for technicians, who have opportunities to grow
Sitting in his office, beneath an inert yellow jacket nest taken from the attic of a grateful customer battling a wasp infestation, Rick Roseberger holds forth on what makes the culture at Thomas Pest Services different.
“Ethics are valued here,” said Roseberger, 36, a service supervisor who has been in the industry for seven years, working in the field battling all manner of household pests — from carpenter ants to raccoons — for much of that time.
“You have to be straightforward with customers and hold everyone (you work with) accountable.”
Forthright dealings with customers who are facing pests that can damage their homes, cause injury and are often just plain gross are key to Thomas Pest Service’s success in a very competitive industry.
Accountability also cuts both ways, with safety and common-sense scheduling being top of mind as he sends workers into the field. Technicians wear professionally fitted respirators and have all the latest personal protective equipment. They carry spill kits in their trucks, and well-established procedures are in place on the off-chance anything goes wrong.
“Safety is paramount,” Roseberger said. “We always go over that every time I have a meeting with one of my technicians.”
Not overburdening his staff with unreasonable schedules is something Roseberger takes seriously because he has experienced it firsthand. “In past jobs in the pest industry, I would be doing 17plus
Schenectady 2010
Private
Pest Control
1 houses in a day with no lunch breaks,” he said. “You just go, go, go.”
At Thomas, technicians have far fewer jobs in a day, built-in lunch and ample time to get from job to job. “It’s nice, especially in the summertime when you’re sweating and you’ve got your bee suit on and you’re able to get that reprieve.”
The company also provides opportunities to grow and learn. Roseberger encourages would-be technicians to read up on entomology, and he teaches classes on how to combat some of the area’s more resilient and difficult pests. The yellow jacket nest is a helpful visual aid for these classroom tutorials.
“I give (the technicians) lessons,” Roseberger said. “I teach them tricks.”
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