Member Spotlight: Frame's Pest Control
RED TRUCKS, CUSTOMER SATISFACTION MARK FRAME鈥橲 PEST CONTROL
Given the ubiquity of unwanted ants, termites, fleas and other creepy-crawlies in people鈥檚 homes, the pest control business is often called recession-proof, but that doesn鈥檛 mean the success of is a free ride.听
Far from it, notes third-generation owner BJ Gall: 鈥淲e鈥檝e weathered several recessions that were challenging.鈥�
Debbie Case, whose parents Shorty and Mary Ellen Frame founded the company in 1972, added, 鈥淒uring the 2008 recession, we didn鈥檛 grow as a company, but we stayed steady 鈥� which was a major success.鈥�
Frame鈥檚, headquartered in Toledo with an office in Ann Arbor, has notched other successes over the years. Their fleet of 23 bright red trucks are instantly recognizable on city streets and driveways, in effect serving as rolling advertisements.
鈥淚n comparison to our competitors, we spend very little on advertising,鈥� BJ says. 鈥淚n the early years we did a lot of flyers, and one year we bought big bus signs. But now the vast majority [of advertising] is word of mouth 鈥� and our red trucks.鈥�
Under Shorty鈥檚 initial leadership 鈥� characterized by Debbie as 鈥淵ou knew he was the one running the business鈥� 鈥� the company charted a slow but steady growth. 鈥淒ad鈥檚 partner Skip had knowledge of the pest control business. My mom answered the phones as they worked out of the family house for years. My husband Donald came into it as it grew, then Skip鈥檚 son, then I came in as well.鈥�
Growth made the move to Frame鈥檚 current location on Alexis Road a happy necessity. Today鈥檚 overall staff of 30 employees are led by family members that combine second- and third-generation experience.
With experience comes the ability to adapt to a changing industry and chart the company鈥檚 course for the future. Not surprisingly, today鈥檚 pest control isn鈥檛 the same process as it was decades back.
鈥淲hen we started, controlling termites made up most of our business,鈥� Debbie says. 鈥淏edbugs were unheard of 鈥� but they saved us in 2008. It was a whole new revenue stream for us, maybe because of increased travel, or stronger bug resistance to easy DIY fixes.鈥�
鈥淲e treat more than 50 kinds of pests now, and each approach is unique,鈥� BJ notes. Termites, for instance, are tackled with heat instead of toxic chemicals. Pet flea collars all but eliminated fleas in the home, but other creatures took their place. Two years ago, the company branched out into Frames Wildlife Control, a four-person division that works to remove bats, squirrels, raccoons and the like from homes.
Adaptation and growth bring their own challenges, of course. 鈥淲hen my father retired, he left a kind of communications gap,鈥� Debbie says. 鈥淭hanks to the Family Business Center, we found a business adviser to help us with designing better ways to communicate throughout the company.鈥�
Now the family-based culture of open and honest communication is part of the reason employee retention remains high. 鈥淥nce they鈥檙e trained in our culture and policies, people like to work here,鈥� BJ says.听
Derrick Case, director of operations, adds that attracting new employees remains challenging at times. 鈥淧eople don鈥檛 usually think about pest control as a lifetime career path,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 poach other companies鈥� employees, but we do reach out. Once we get them in, they stay.鈥�
鈥淥ur high customer satisfaction rates make for a good reputation, and helps with recruitment,鈥� adds co-owner Lindsay Cahill.
Their business adviser helped them craft a streamlined succession plan that won universal approval. All the company leaders note, however, that when the fourth generation arrives, it may not be made up of family members.
鈥淎s a company grows and becomes more successful, size brings new challenges,鈥� BJ says. 鈥淪kill sets we have now might not be adequate in the future. Time will tell.鈥�
In the meantime, daily challenges keep everyone engaged. 鈥淣ext year will be our 50th anniversary,鈥� BJ says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an exciting milestone 鈥� we just need to put aside some time soon to plan!鈥澨�