[PCO Profile] A Model PCO

Genma Stringer Holmes isn’t your average female.

While the mother of three dabbles in the spotlight of the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry as an actress and fashion model, she has another job that might make some of her modeling colleagues squirm.

That’s because her other job involves carpenter ants, brown recluse spiders and a slew of other bugs. Genma Stringer Holmes is perhaps Tennessee’s chicest PCO.

As the president and CEO of Holmes Pest Control in Nashville, Stringer Holmes rarely gets down time.

When she’s not playing the modeling/acting arena or out managing pests, she’s balancing a happy, married life with her husband Roger Holmes, home schooling her children and playing an active role in the community as she volunteers her time for local charities.

Holmes’ list of titles includes wife, mother, teacher, entrepreneur, model and PCO. And with this list comes a significant amount of responsibility, all responsibility Stringer Holmes takes on with devotion.

DECISION TIME. Stringer Holmes often felt as if she had to choose between a career in the pest control industry or a career as a model/actress. But that only fueled her dedication to prove she could take on both tasks, professionally and stylishly.

"When I decided to do the pest control, I wanted to make sure the public knew I was serious," she said. "I scaled back on the fashion and acting career and did it here and there. After two or three years, I decided to combine the two careers. I took my fashion savvy and added it to the marketing of Holmes Pest Control."

The result was an elegant marketing strategy that coupled her knowledge of pest control with fashion, making the pest control industry appealing to women and children, among others.

"The fashion business is about visual stimuli; everything is visual," Stringer Holmes said of the fashion industry’s attention to detail. "The fabric has to look good in order to get you to touch it, the ad must look great in order for you to consider buying the product and the models must look flawless to appeal to the market you are targeting."

On the other hand, she said the pest control industry has a very different focus.

"No one wants to see anything," Stringer Holmes said. "No visuals are needed in the pest control business! As a matter of fact, you will lose a customer if too many bugs are seen."

A DIVE INTO PEST CONTROL. Although Stringer Holmes is dedicated to the pest control industry now, it took her a while to get her feet wet in a male-dominated industry. She thanks her husband Roger for her getting involved in the business.

"Roger was in the in pest control industry long before I decided to jump in with both feet," she said. She added that his work with Earthgrains, Orkin and the Sara Lee Bakery Group as an engineer led to his decision to focus on pest control.

"That’s where I heard the good, bad and ugly about bugs, pesticides and people," she said. It wasn’t long after that she decided to get involved, saying "the curiosity of the business took over" from there.

With a newfound interest in the pest control industry, Stringer Holmes went to work on her certification. Although she is a certified technician, she said she learned most tricks of the trade from Roger, calling him the "top dog."

By day, she attended workshops and seminars and by night, the couple spent hours going over the technicalities of pest control.

Stringer Holmes aspires to be more than a certified technician. As she practices for her licensing certificate, she is learning more and more about the trade.

At first, Stringer Holmes said she thought being certified would be sufficient for her day-to-day work but she’s since changed her mind. "I don’t want just ‘okay.’ I thought (being licensed) would be good since I spend so much time talking to others about health and environment issues related to pest management."

Through her learning experience, she noticed something about her 13-year-old daughter: She was showing a growing interest in pest control as well. As the mother and daughter combination went to training sessions and speeches together, Stringer Holmes saw the possibility of pest control making its way into her daughter’s life.

"Can we say ‘second-generation PCO’ in the making?" she asked.

A BIG HEART. As a strong-willed woman in the professional arena, Stringer Holmes often gives speeches and lectures devoted to the topic of women and minorities in the workforce.

The winner of the 2005 Madam C.J. Walker Award, an award presented to women proving leadership roles in professional America, Stringer Holmes encourages women to be strong and successful.

"It is surprising, still, to see women in the business for some, but it became refreshing as well to many others," she said. "I am out front everyday for my company. The more I am seen, the more it helps other females who may be considering the pest control industry as a career."

Another group Stringer Holmes loves to reach out to is children. Through her and Roger’s work in the community, the couple educates children on insects. "We try our best to show how nature and humans must co-exist," she said.

Stringer Holmes emphasized her love of educating people on pest control issues.

One activity she enjoys the most is working with children at the Nashville Zoo.

Stringer Holmes explained her involvement in Ghouls of Grassmere, a booth set up to educate children on hazardous chemicals, safe pesticide use and why pests become "pesty," she said. Through this effort, Stringer Holmes takes comfort in knowing children will be just a bit safer with the knowledge she provides.

Stringer Holmes stressed the importance of education in pest control. Without proper knowledge of how the industry works, she said, customers are at risk when dealing with dangerous chemicals and pests. In order to reach everyone, Stringer Holmes took an extra step in informing others.

"We translate our material into other languages to help educate the underserved growing ethnic community in Nashville," she said.

Going into her eighth year of business with many side projects and a family surrounding her, Stringer Holmes never stops to appreciate the little things around her.

Despite the busy life, she always notices the delicate cycle of the way things work.

"I’m always reminded of the majesty of our creator," Stringer Holmes said. "Would you have thought to create ants as fierce as fire ants? The beauty of a butterfly? The buzzing of bees? A roach that can withstand a bomb? I am in a business that helps me see the reverence of God through the tiniest of creatures."

The author is a contributing writer to PCT magazine. She can be reached at jwagner@giemedia.com.