A Leader Shares His Secrets

Buster Fisher practices what he preaches. The president of B&I Pest Control in Riverdale, Ill., a Chicago suburb, enthusiastically tells his employees and the people he trains that you have to be a dedicated professional in this industry to be successful — and you have to be good. A worthy role model, Fisher runs a thriving pest control operation and a well-respected minority training program as well.

With a staff of 27 people and revenues averaging about a half-million dollars a year, Fisher’s company is among the largest minority-owned pest control companies in North America. Needless to say, he’s proud of that fact. He’s also proud of the important role he plays in training newcomers to the industry who want to start up their own pest control companies.

COMMUNITY COMMITMENT. Fisher, who along with his wife Irene, started his company about 18 years ago after working in the steel industry, is a knowledgeable, positive, service-oriented gentleman. He’s a problem-solver in touch with the current trends affecting both consumers and the pest control industry. “If you don’t keep up with the new technologies and new techniques, you’re going to be left behind,” he warns.

“That’s why B&I Pest Control has grown over the years,” he explained. “I believe in learning as much as possible about the business and doing whatever it takes to solve our customers’ problems. We must do a prompt, top quality job and leave our customers totally satisfied and with peace of mind.”

Because he believes in giving back to the community and industry that have been good to him, Fisher began thinking about training minorities for pest control jobs.

“I belonged to the Chicago Association of Commerce, and in 1987 they interviewed me for a story they were doing on minority businessmen. They encouraged me to start working on a minority training program and I thought that was a great idea.

“We were then chosen by the President’s Office of Employment and Training to prepare people for careers in pest control,” he says. “So far, our program has helped about 38 individuals in metropolitan Chicago, seven people in southern states, six in the Western U.S. and three in foreign countries. They all successfully completed our training course and started their own businesses. And they’re all active today.”

Tony Ojeda, owner of Electric Bug Extermination Co. in South Chicago Heights, Ill., is one of the graduates of Fisher’s training school, which covers pest biology and behavior, chemicals, the environment, safety and marketing, among other subjects, in both classroom and field conditions. Fisher also trained Tony’s son Jose.

The senior Ojeda was on disability and had been out of work for a while when he read about Fisher’s training program in the newspaper and signed up in 1989. He studied diligently and, with Fisher’s advice and encouragement, started his own company after successfully completing the three-month program and earning his applicator’s license.

“Mr. Fisher told us there was a lot of business out there, if we would just go after it,” Ojeda recalls. “He said we’d make it if we always persisted.”

Jose Ojeda was trained by Fisher in 1992 and joined his father in the business soon after. “We’re both big Buster Fisher fans,” he said. The father-and-son team now runs a seven-man company that provides general pest and termite control services to both residential and industrial customers. “Because of him we’ll be celebrating our 10th anniversary next year,” Jose said.

Jesus (Jessie) Pimentel, owner of Willard Pest Control, South Holland, Ill., is another Buster Fisher fan. Five years ago Pimentel was working in a factory job but was very unhappy with his job and his future career prospects. “I had to support my family so I stayed with it until I saw Mr. Fisher’s ad in the paper,” Pimentel said. “It said that if you qualified, you could be self-employed. That’s what I wanted to do, so I went to talk to him.”

Fisher described the nuts and bolts of the pest control industry to him and told him what he could expect from the training program. Pimentel was enthused. He enrolled, attended the classes, graduated, and passed the licensing exam. He then started his one-man operation, which today serves all of South Holland, Ill., where he is based.

Willard Pest Control focuses on the Spanish-speaking community and serves residential and industrial clients. “Mr. Fisher and his son were good instructors and helped me put into practice in the field whatever we discussed,” said Pimentel. “I learned much from him.” After he graduated and started his own business, Pimentel stayed in touch with Fisher. “He’s a good man, always happy to talk to me and answer any questions I might have.”

The latest training responsibility Fisher has undertaken is a position as pest control training director for the Chicago Housing Authority, an agency which has decided to conduct all of its pest control operations in-house. He trains residents of the area who will be hired by the authority after successful completion of his course.

EARLY INFLUENCES. Reminiscing about his early pest control days, Fisher admits to being, for the most part, self-trained. “I learned that the division of U.S. Steel where I was working was going to close down and decided I wanted to go into business for myself. I knew someone who had gone into pest control and was successful at it and I wanted to do the same. But after I made that decision, I had a difficult time trying to find out how to go about doing it,” he says.

Fisher finally went to the Small Business Administration office in Chicago and asked for advice. They gave him an NPCA pamphlet and a copy of PCT magazine. “I phoned the people at the magazine and they put me in touch with the Illinois Pest Control Association (IPCA). The IPCA was very helpful with their advice and I joined them and began attending their educational sessions,” he recalls. “I also subscribed to PCT and started reading and studying everything about pest control that I could. I also took a home study course on chemicals and insect and rodent biology.”

Fisher credits the legendary Al “Bugs” Burger as another important influence on his career. “Back in ’82 I read an article in PCT about him and how to become proficient at pest control, and then met him at the Purdue Pest Control Conference. I listened to his presentation and came back to my business and started putting what I had learned into practical application.”

Today, with offices in Chicago, the suburb of Harvey, and in Riverdale, Fisher’s B&I Pest Control specializes in general pest and termite control and serves both commercial and residential accounts. His wife and son, Claude, are in the business, while several other grown children are doing their own things. One is a law student, another an engineer, and a third is a representative for a large pharmaceutical company.

Although B&I seldom advertises, its growth rate averages about 30% a year, according to Fisher. He credits that impressive growth rate to word-of-mouth referrals and the fact that he has kept his company in tune with a growing consumer awareness of chemicals and safety. “I find that our sales have increased because we emphasize IPM.” Further, he notes, customers are pleased with the effectiveness of sanitation, exclusion and the use of smaller amounts of pesticides. “We still have the first accounts I ever served, and most of the people we serve are repeat customers.”

AN INDUSTRY ROLE-MODEL. Because of his efforts to get federal funding for his training program, Fisher has become adept at working in the political arena. He’s enjoyed networking and lobbying, and is also aware of the importance of good public relations and community involvement. “One of the largest challenges for our pest control industry is educating the public,” he explained. “We must make them more aware of the importance of what we do and how we operate,” he said. “We must make them aware we are moving to more non-chemical pest control.”

A long-time member of the IPCA, Fisher is currently a vice president and member of several committees. “Association work is so important,” he observes. “It enhances your professionalism, especially if you are really involved in the planning and programming.”

That’s good advice from a man who is a successful and well-respected pest control professional.

Jordan Fox is a Milwaukee-based freelance writer and public relations consultant.