On March 20, 2015, I am a motivational speaker for the National Pest Management Association. The conference, held at the Westin Hotel in Calgary, Alberta, will attract over 200 pest control professionals from across canada.
Pest managment companies range in size from one employee to hundreds. Most pest management companies have about 5- 10 technicians working for them full time. Very often, these organizations are smaller and family run.
Humorously, pest control is not the hard part for these entrepreneurs. Instead, it is minding the day to day business. Managing workflow and staffing can be challenging for any small business.
Finding good, qualified, trained people is hard. Even harder, is to get them to stay. All too often, a technician will join a pest management organization, learn all there is to know and leave, taking their skills elsewhere.
Part of the morale challenge is technicians spend a lot of time communting along their route to visit clients. They can spend very little time in the office.
Customers can also be demanding and have high expectations. If a rodent is present they expect the technician to get rid of it and the problem goes away. Often, it is a larger issue. The technician must do a thorough evaluation, look for pest activity, check for structural defects in the building or residence, and set up traps where necessary.
Overall, the work is essential. Everyone sleeps better knowing their bed isn't infested with bed bugs or rats aren't eating away at the plywood. Health and safety is a critical and valuable to everyone.
As far as the industry goes, all pet repellent products used must be reviewed by health canada. This can be rigorous and can cost a lot to get approvals in place, so there is not a lot of competition for pesticide products.
I am looking forward to being the Opening Motivational Speaker for the Pest Management Canada Conference. My motivational speech is Follow Me I'm Right Behind Me.
