NEW BERLIN, Wis. - Batzner Pest Management, the company that brought you seven consecutive years of Madagascar Hissing Cockroach races in October, is doing so again. Jerry Batzner, president of the 62-year-old company bearing his family name, says his staff is “training” its collection of Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches to compete in the annual hisser race on Oct. 8 at his New Berlin offices.
Just who and what are these “cute (not really) critters” and why are they going race? Batzner explains: “They originate in the island of Madagascar, off the coast of Africa,” he explains. “We keep them as pets in our offices and as an educational tool, too, for our staff. The Madagascar cockroach is a fascinating insect because of its unusual ability to produce its hissing sound.
“We’ll be hosting our eighth annual Madagascar Hissing Cockroach Race at our headquarters, 16948 W. Victor Rd., New Berlin, on Wednesday, Oct. 8 at 1:00 p.m. It's part of the company's annual celebration of Customer Service Week, which this year runs from October 6-10.”
On racing day, Batzner employees will form teams, and each will choose their racing roach from the Batzner collection. “The roaches will zip along a customized track built especially for the race," Batzner says. “In recent years, the race attracted local and national attention, and several years ago, ESPN, the cable TV sports network, even called it one of the “Top Ten Sporting Events of the Week.”
Customer Service Week allows the company to recognize the important contributions made by their customer service professionals. The schedule includes events, games and prizes for the occasion.
"This is not just a party," Batzner says. "Customer Service Week, which began about 20 years ago, is a national event recognizing the importance of customer service and honoring the people who practice it. We’re proud of our own customer service staff and are happy to recognize them for their important contributions to our organization and to our customers.”