At Pisgah Pest Control, the skills of the trade can be taught.
But character is what the Western North Carolina company looks for before a new hire ever runs a route.
“Anybody can kill a bug,” said CEO Shawn White, a 19-year veteran of the company. “Pest control is about dealing with people.”
That philosophy, and the culture built around it, earned Pisgah the NPMA Culture Catalyst Award, announced Oct. 22 at PestWorld in Dallas.
Sean Snowdon, Pisgah’s chief operating officer, joined in 2000, and the leadership team’s tenures range from White’s nearly two decades to 26 years. Pisgah, a FieldRoutes customer, has been locally owned since 1967 and has 31 employees, including 15 technicians. Its five branches ring the Pisgah National Forest.
“People in pest control lift each other up,” White said. “So, as we moved into leadership, it just made perfect sense. You treat people the way you would like to be treated.”
Nominees for the Culture Catalyst Award are judged on core values backed by examples and metrics, employee engagement and growth, work-life balance, community involvement, and retention and advancement.
Pisgah relies on four practices, among others, to build its team and its culture.
Snowdon asks job candidates how they’ve handled making mistakes.
If they tend to blame others, “that speaks to their character,” he said.
When a hire isn’t working out, the team acts quickly. White calls it “36 hours of pain”: the worry about who will cover the routes, followed by coworkers stepping up.
“If you go ahead and nip it in the bud now, the rest of the staff will feel the relief and step up to help fill that void,” he said. “That’s real teamwork.”
Pisgah rewards its team members through bonuses and contests.
“We are very transparent with our goals and it takes all of us to get there, so we reward everyone,” White said.
And that includes giving back to employees before Christmas, whether they’re veterans or first-year team members.
“I’ve had comments of, ‘I haven’t even been here a year. I can’t believe I’m getting a bonus,’” Snowdon said.
White puts a premium on sharing success with the Pisgah team.
“Nothing happens until someone answers the phone and someone shows up at the doorstep,” White said. “We’re pushing pencils and pressing keys these days. Where the rubber hits the road, that’s Pisgah Pest Control. The people on the front line make it happen.”
White describes himself as a servant leader.
“I want to lay the path out, lay out the goal, show the vision, and then work with everyone to create alignment,” he said.
That doesn’t mean every decision turns into a success. In those situations, Snowdon is there to guide.
“We set the goals,” Snowdon said. “I allow my people to fail. That sounds worse than it is, but when they’re allowed to make a bad decision, then I can help coach them through that decision, and that builds confidence in people.”
Giving back wasn’t always affordable. Sending four technicians to a charity golf tournament means paying them while they’re off the route.
“Once we crossed that threshold into profitability, it was a no-brainer,” White said.
Today, Pisgah supports schools across its service area, gives away hundreds of backpacks each year and backs groups serving domestic and sexual assault victims.
“We service a lot of people in different socioeconomic backgrounds, and domestic violence doesn’t know a monetary line,” White said.
For other companies, whether it's giving back or more broadly building the right culture, White issues an open invitation.
“Come visit us," White said. "We’ll show you what we have. Copy what works for you. Take what you like.”
