[2007 Termite Technician of the Year] Out and About

About 10 years ago, Williams Graves was working as a general construction laborer, building houses in Indianapolis. One day, there was an accident at his job site and the government’s health and safety administration came in and shut the operation down. So the boss tacked a sign to the trailer door saying, “Sorry, guys. We’re out of business.”

So Graves went home, out of work and wondering what he was going to do. When he got there, his mother-in-law was waiting, talking with her insurance agent. He told them what happened, and the agent passed along a business card for the local Orkin branch.

A week later, he was hired by Orkin and shortly thereafter was working as a pest control technician.

“I didn’t know anything about it,” Graves said of the pest management industry. He’s now a lead termite technician at the Indianapolis Orkin branch.

DEEP DRIVE. He might not have known much about the bug business then, but he sure does now. Graves has been named PCT’s Termite Technician of the Year, just the latest in a long series of promotions and accolades from the pest management industry.

“There’s a few things that make Bill stand out,” said Robert Sutherland, Graves’ manager, and the man who nominated him for the award: his strong work ethic; a desire to do things the right way the first time; and a motivation to always learn more about his profession and industry.

“He’s always taken the initiative to further educate himself so he can perform his job better. He’s a very motivated individual,” said Sutherland, who has spent more than 25 years in the industry. “I’ve worked with many, many good professionals. Here at Orkin, Bill has been, by far, the best I’ve encountered in that time.”

AVID OUTDOORSMAN. Graves didn’t start out wanting to work in the pest control industry, but a lifetime of work and experience prepared him for it.

He graduated from Mansfield State College in Mansfield, Pa., in 1982 with a degree in chemistry. He’d always wanted to work as a police officer in a forensics lab. But back in the early 1980s, jobs were hard to come by, so a year later, he joined the Army as an MP. He saw active duty in Panama, and served on bases in Texas and Oklahoma, eventually earning the rank of an agent for the Criminal Investigation Command, the highest ranking police position in the Army. Here, he investigated felony cases on military bases: interviewing suspects, victims and witnesses.

From there, he went to work as a dispatcher for the sheriff’s office in Marion County, which encompasses Indianapolis. He enjoyed the work: talking to people and helping them solve their problems, but his personality didn’t really mesh with sitting in chair for eight, 10, 12 hours a day in a windowless room staring at computer screens.

“It was an inside job and I’m an outside person,” he said. “Being inside drove me crazy.”

A BORN TALKER. The same thing happened after he landed at Orkin. Two years after he started as a general pest control technician, he was promoted to service manager. But that didn’t last long. He loved being outside too much, loved interacting with customers. So he requested to be moved back to the field — to the position of termite technician. Graves has excelled in this role, which fits his talents perfectly. Orkin soon promoted him to termite service manager, and then to the lead termite technician at the Indianapolis branch. He and another technician cover the metropolitan area of the state’s capital, including many of its ever-growing suburbs, as well as the more-rural areas to the south and east near the Ohio border.

“I enjoy doing it, being a problem solver,” Graves said. “I’m a people person. I enjoy talking to the customer — just get their problem taken care of…putting them at ease.”

He said his experience in law enforcement, and his degree in chemistry, have both helped him work better with colleagues and customers. He has the technical knowledge to understand just how various termiticides work, and the practical experience to know that a customer’s eyes will glaze over if he lays on the terminology too thick.

“It helps me to this day. I can talk to the customer. They know they have a problem, but I try to put them at ease,” he said. “A lot of the time, I don’t use the technical words. Any job has its acronyms and jargon. You can put it in common language. The people are able to relate to it better.”

A TRAINER, TOO. That relate-ability and dedication — as well as his 11 years in the industry — have helped make Graves one of the office’s premier trainers. The 47-year-old trains many new technicians and branch managers from all over the company.

“He takes a great deal of time (with new employees), and of course they make errors,” Sutherland said. “But he’s not critical of them for that. He’ll help them correct the error. He’s very patient and very thorough in explaining things to them.”

Sutherland said those employees Graves trains can always count on him to lend a helping hand or word of encouragement — no matter how long ago he trained them. And, he added, Graves’ trainees tend to be better employees in the long run.

“They end up being a superior individual as well,” Sutherland said.

Graves said the four-week training that technicians get in the classroom is invaluable, but on-the-job training makes up the bulk of any technician’s skill-set.

“Because we’re going into customers’ homes and we need to do what’s right,” Graves said. “I want them to go out and provide the best service that’s possible.”

IRREPLACEABLE. Sutherland said Graves’ attitude makes him a great resource for the branch.

“Every time that I go out, I hear it,” Sutherland said. “He’s really good with people. I hear these words: precise, thorough, very pleasant, very respectful. There’s no way we could replace a guy like that. He’s just incredible.”

For his part, Graves is just happy to keep helping people solve their problems.

“My family is very important to me. I really have three different families,” Graves said — one at home and one at church. “But I have an Orkin family here, too. And I care about all of them.” 

The author is assistant editor of PCT magazine.

Accomplishments
1982: Bachelor of Science, chemistry, Mansfield State College
2004, 2006: Two-time Orkin President’s Club winner as top termite technician in his region and division
2004, 2006: Two-time finalist for PCT’s Termite Technician of the Year
1988, 1990: Two-time Army Achievement Medal winner
1990: Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
1984: National Defense Service Medal
1990: Army Commendation Medal

Personal
Wife of 27 years, Becky; three children: Jonathan, 25; Jeremiah, 18; and Kathleen, 15.

Active in his church, the Church of God, as an usher, Sunday school teacher and youth helper. He also helps with his two youngest children’s high school junior ROTC program. Jeremiah, who has already joined the National Guard, has earned the rank of Cadet Battalion Command Sgt. Major; Kathleen has earned the rank of Cadet Sgt. 1st Class.