Jackson Pest Management is an avid supporter of community, a legacy company and has called the Leo area home for a decade.
Lance Hull, Leo-Cedarville Foundation board member, interviewed Rob Jackson, second-generation owner of Jackson Pest Management, LLC.
Q: What makes you call Leo home?
A: A little over 10 years ago, we had our sights set on a place out of the city, with a building or pole barn to live and work out of. The place we found is definitely our “forever home”.
Q: I’m aware your father started the business in 1985 as Ornamental Pest Control. In 2001, you joined the company in 2001 and changed the name to Jackson Pest Management, LLC. What changes have you observed in the industry in the past 41 years?
A: When my dad started the business, his intent wasn’t to start a business as much as he wanted a job. He wanted to be his own boss and do the work at the same time.
Building a business would push him away from the customer and focus more on employees. Hiring me was a way to extend his work life so that he could have a knee replacement. It added 15 years to his career, and from there, we built it one customer at a time. Being very reactionary in our
path. If the phone rang, we went to work. If we needed a new truck or equipment, we got it. The phone hasn’t stopped ringing, and we’re always needing new trucks or equipment
In the last 41 years, the industry has had some changes, and not much has changed. The business climate has changed a ton. A box of business cards and a phone book ad were all that you needed for successful marketing. Today, there is so much noise and distractions that getting noticed is harder and
harder. The industry of pest control has changed because the pests have changed. Rodents are the second-most-successful mammals on the planet.
They can use a stick to trip a trap and get the bait. Roaches are still gaining resistance to the latest active ingredient. Bed bugs are genetically mutated to prevent the insecticide active ingredient from entering their body.
So new techniques and new products are always on the horizon, because we are always trying to build a better mousetrap.
Q: I see you’re active with the Indiana Pest Management Association. Also worthy of note, your father was inducted into the Indiana Pest Management Hall of Fame in 2013. I understand that as a member, you examine new equipment and exchange information regarding best practices and experiments. Has there been anything of note that you’d like to bring up over the past couple of years?
A: Our association is always dedicated to raising the bar in our industry. Both through education and by ensuring regulatory agencies do not water down our certification requirements. There is a troubling pendulum swing towards deregulation, as our state regulators are trying to machete our regulatory agencies, such as the Office of the Indiana State Chemist and the Indiana Pesticide Review Board. At the same time, at the federal level, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is moving towards more regulation of certain rodenticides, taking them out of consumers’ hands and making it hard for professionals like us to even use them. Bad ideas if we discover that there are more rodents alive today than ever in the history of our planet.
Q: Your wife also works for Jackson Pest Management, LLC. She holds an MBA and is licensed in pest management. Any tips for fellow family-owned businesses on work-life balance?
A: We don’t. It is always a challenge, and we are constantly checking in with each other to make sure we are pulling the cart in the same direction. Jen and I complement each other. I am ignorant in business management and legislative actions, and she is fluent in the rotation of active ingredients of roach bait.
We are blessed that we get to work together and use the same coffee machine. And we both know that neither one of us could do this without the other.
A: Outside of you and your spouse, how many current employees does Jackson Pest Control have?
Q: We currently have three other employees. AJ, Tyler and Winston.
Q: Jackson Pest Management, LLC handles both residential and commercial. Outside of Leo, how far do you travel?
A: “We try to stick around locally, but our official service area is Allen County and one county outside, but not Ohio. Sorry Buckeyes.”
Q: Some years past, I remember hearing about the emerald ash borer (EAB). Is it still a problem in NE Indiana?
A: Our focus is on urban pest problems, whereas the EAB and the spotted Lantern flies are more invasive species in forestry and the Department of Natural Resources.
Q: In relation to your treatments, how are they performed?
A: The way it was done in the old days was, “put the bug juice where the bugs are at”. As old as that sounds, it’s still the way it’s done today. But the key to successful pest control is follow up. If you don’t follow up and measure your treatment and control, then you won’t know if you won the battle.
Q: I know firsthand Jackson Pest Management, LLC is committed to customer service and integrity. In fact, I called your business for a project at my house. I was impressed with how responsive you were. What’s the key to your customer service model?
A: The person who answers the phone needs to be able to talk to you, understand the problem and be able to diagnose how it can be resolved with confidence. Connecting with the customer/caller and walking them through what can be done instills confidence that we know what we are doing. People
are used to call centers and customer service representatives that are there to stall, collect information and dispatch the technician out. It’s a terrible way to connect with the customer. Businesses think that artificial intelligence (AI) is the answer, but I would rather use real intelligence, it’s the way we used to do it.
Need pest management solutions? Contact Jackson Pest Management via their website today!
