Protecting Our People

Western Pest Services has a compass every employee follows. We all know a compass keeps you on course. This one does the same. One of the points on their compass includes what the collective brands value. The very first value listed: their people. Their people include their employees, their customers, and the people that live and work in the communities they keep safe. So, no matter what they’re doing, they are always keeping that compass top of mind.

That includes at their recent training meeting. They met with three other brands and had an intensive 3 days where they teach new commercial sales representatives the tried and true “science of selling,” employees of the three brands are trained on the entire sales process while discussing best practices. Roleplaying real-world scenarios and what it takes to be a successful salesperson – especially a pest control salesperson – they learn the ins and outs of how to sell pest control to commercial customers with a focus on public health and safety, brand reputation, and industry knowledge of the business they’re walking into. In other words, focusing on the people they are selling to in lieu of the pests they are treating for. Putting the people first.

They also make sure to focus on the employees themselves. When the brands come together like this to welcome and train new employees, they always learn a lot, but they also know that all work and no play… well you know the saying. That’s why they also include a fun event. This time, they broke into teams and competed to finish a fun scavenger hunt that included clues to complete levels and eventually – get to the end! They even took advantage of the branded cornhole boards they usually use for tradeshows as one of the levels! Being together for a three-day meeting, working together to build their industry knowledge, and even working together to solve scavenger hunt clues is about more than just team building. It creates bonds and friendships that will last. It also gives them people in the industry they can reach out to, bounce ideas off, and just share stories with.

It’s only fitting that in addition to their employees and customers, they do something for the people in the neighborhoods they work and live. So, of course at every team building event or meeting, they include a charitable portion. Western truly treats their employees like they’re family. So, when they were figuring out which charitable organization they should choose, they decided to ask the employees. The Delaware Dream Center was a referral by a 20-year technician from the Wilmington, Delaware branch, John Flores. The Dream Center is associated with the church he’s been attending for as long as he can remember. The center provides community outreach and basic necessities to individuals in need. They develop, create, and sustain programs that address their community’s needs. So, they packed backpacks with essential school supplies for underprivileged kids for the Dream Center. A pack of crayons, some glue sticks, and few erasers may not seem like much, but when you don’t have these basic items, how can you be successful at school? The team was happy (as you can see from the photo!) to pack the bags and can’t wait to drop all 30 of them off at the Dream Center. By the way, they asked the employees three years ago which charity they should go with – and have been packing those backpacks ever since.

They believe so strongly in their compass, they’ve decided their purpose is not only keeping people safe from pests but putting their employees and the people in their communities first. Whether it’s a backpack, Christmas presents, or creating an encouraging sign for a coworker’s charity bike ride. They’re compass always leads the way. And they follow it.