‘People First’ Perspective Spurs Growth for Appalachian Pest Control

© Jay Swann, owner/president

BARBOURSVILLE, W.Va. — Appalachian Pest Control owner and president Jay Swann has forged his own path in the pest control industry after approaching the former owner of the company in 2011, searching for the right job.

“I just called him and said I was coming to work tomorrow and he said, ‘I’m not hiring,’ and I said, ‘Well, I’ll be there,’” Swann said. “We went back and forth for about 10 minutes, and he said, ‘Show up on Monday.’”

After several years of working alongside the former owner, Swann said he was ready to strike a deal to buy him out. Now, he owns two-thirds of the company, and his brother-in-law owns the other one-third.

Industry Outreach. Over the last eight years, Swann said the company has doubled in size, become QualityPro-and PestVet-accredited through the National Pest Management Association (NPMA)and invested heavily in community outreach. Swann has also focused on expanding his network through programs like the NPMA Executive Leadership Program (ELP) and recently becoming the president of the West Virginia Pest Management Association (WVPMA). Swann also recently earned his NPMA Certified Pro Credentials and was the first PCO to earn this credential in West Virginia, he said.

“I don’t believe that we were meant to be put in a box. Things were meant for boxes, not people. Walk into a room, control the room and realize that you have the influence,” Swann said. “If you don’t like where the direction is going, you can change it. That’s how I try to run my business and carry myself as a leader — not just in this industry, but in life.”

One major contributor to Swann’s personal and professional growth has been being a part of ELP, which has helped him connect with “industry titans” to grow out of his comfort zone.

“There’s been nobody in our service area in this program, so it’s given our company a huge presence nationally,” he said. “It’s helped me refine my leadership skills and public speaking as well. It’s challenged me to do things I maybe wouldn’t have wanted to do.”

On the state level, Swann recently became president of the West Virginia Pest Management Association (WVPMA) and he said he’s hoping to show other pest management professionals the value of joining state association’s during pivotal times in the pest control industry.

“West Virginia is in a very tough spot where they got rid of licensing requirements for pest control companies,” he said. “They needed a strong leader to lead them in this new course, so I took it on, and I felt like I could set the stage for the next decade or two.”

One Family. Swann has 15 employees at Appalachian and said he has worked tirelessly to create a family atmosphere, while being a leader that “puts his money where his mouth is.”

“We are all in the same boat, we all just have different jobs in the boat. I take care of those people in my boat, and I want to be their example,” Swann said. “I get under houses with my people still and get in the trenches. If there’s a need with my employees, I will help them.”

Swann has trained his employees to have the “people first” mentality living and working in a smaller community.

“In this Appalachian culture, people want to do business with people, first and foremost,” he said. “Those that are giving back to the community that are locally owned companies, people really gravitate toward that, and they see that we are all neighbors.”

West Virginia’s Wildlife. Swann said that wildlife pests and animals — anything from rodents to squirrels to ground moles and even bears — are on the rise in Appalachian’s service area, which covers Southern West Virginia, Eastern Ohio and Western Kentucky.

“We became a West Virginia Damage Control Agent for wildlife, and we are licensed to trap everything from a bear to a squirrel; not that we’re [trapping bears], but we’re licensed to do it all,” Swann said.

Rodents and other wildlife pests are starting to prepare for the winter months, searching for food and water sources. “It’s been that way for the past month as we’ve experienced a bit of a drought, a lot of these pests are looking to come in for the winter,” Swann said.

Swann said even if your service area is economically depressed, there’s always opportunity to grow.

“You have to think outside of the box and get creative in business,” he said. “We have had records years in the last eight [consecutive] years.”