Give Me the Problem Nobody Else Could Figure Out.
That’s probably my favorite kind.
I’ve been in pest control for about six years, but I didn’t exactly take the traditional route into the industry.
Before this, I spent nearly 15 years in steel forming.
Eventually, the up-and-down economy, repetitive work, and doing the same thing over and over got old.
I needed something different.
The funny part is, pest control had kind of been following me around for years anyway.
As a kid, I was always the pest-control guy.
Then a family of raccoons moved in next door and apparently decided my yard belonged to them too.
That’s where the trapping started.
Later, I had bats roosting in my attic.
At some point you have to wonder whether the wildlife was trying to recruit me.
Eventually, I listened.
And what I found was an industry that fits the way my brain works a whole lot better.
I like difficult situations. I like figuring out why something is happening. I like taking everything I’ve learned, looking at a problem from different angles, and finding the thing somebody else missed.
And I really like the moment when a customer who has been fighting something for weeks—or sometimes much longer—finally realizes:
It’s handled.
I’m competitive enough that if you put a difficult problem in front of me, I’m probably going to take it personally.
Not against you.
Against the problem.
You Can Read the Whole Thing.
Or We Can Solve This More Efficiently.
I’m not offended either way.
[How I Ended Up Doing This]
[Give Me the Difficult Ones]
[What You Can Expect When I Show Up]
[Integrity Comes First]
[Why Zuckerman’s]
[I Learned Because I Wanted to Know]
[Off the Clock]
[A Few Things About Me]
[Experience, Licensing & What’s Next]
Pick one. Read them all. I’ll be over here figuring something out.
How I Ended Up Doing This
Before pest control, I spent almost 15 years in steel forming.
I learned how to work hard, but after years of repetitive work and dealing with the ups and downs of the economy, I was burned out.
I wanted something where every day didn’t look exactly like the one before it.
As it turns out, I’d already had a couple introductions to my future career.
First Came the Raccoons
A family of raccoons was living next door and had apparently included my yard in their lease agreement.
They treated the place like their personal playground.
So I started learning how to trap.
Then, at a different house, I discovered bats roosting in my attic.
Because apparently the raccoons had left me a referral.
At that point, I already had the curiosity.
I liked figuring out what animals were doing, why they were doing it, where they were getting in, and what actually needed to happen to solve the problem.
Eventually, that curiosity turned into a career.
Give Me the Difficult Ones
There’s something satisfying about walking into a situation where somebody says:
“We’ve tried everything.”
Maybe another company has already been there.
Maybe the homeowner has been fighting it themselves.
Maybe the problem disappeared for a while and came right back.
Or maybe nobody can quite figure out what’s actually happening.
That gets my attention.
I don’t just want to make the pest activity disappear long enough for everybody to feel better.
I want to know: What are we missing? Where is it coming from? Why didn’t the last attempt work? What conditions are helping it continue? What do I need to do differently?
That’s the puzzle. And solving the puzzle is the part I enjoy.
One Customer Actually Made Me a Shirt
One of the jobs I’ll probably never forget involved a customer with a serious bed bug problem.
She had already used several different companies without getting the infestation resolved.
By the time I came into the picture, she didn’t need another temporary improvement. She needed somebody to finish it.
After three treatments:
Bed bug free.
Apparently saying thank you wasn’t enough.
She made a T-shirt.
It said:
Charles Is Our Hero
I’m not saying every successful service needs commemorative merchandise.
But I’m also not saying I’d turn it down.
The shirt was funny, but what it represented mattered more.
She had a problem. She had already asked other people for help. And finally:
It was gone.
That’s the part I cared about. The shirt was a pretty good bonus.
What You Can Expect When I Show Up
The first thing I want to know is: What’s actually happening?
Not what we assume is happening. Not what somebody online said it probably is. What is actually going on at this property?
I want to inspect. I want to hear what you’ve been seeing. I want to know when it started, where it’s happening, what’s already been tried, and whether there’s anything about the situation that doesn’t quite add up.
Sometimes one small detail changes the entire recommendation. That’s why I pay attention to them.
If You’re Embarrassed, Don’t Be
Pest problems happen. They happen in clean houses. They happen in expensive houses. They happen to people who did everything ‘right.’
Sanitation can matter in some situations, but it does not explain every pest problem.
So if you’re stressed or embarrassed when I arrive, I’m not there to judge you.
I’m there to calm the situation down, figure out what’s happening, and start solving it.
You called a professional. That was the right move.
Ask Me Questions
Follow me around if you want.
Ask what I’m looking at. Ask why I’m checking something. Ask why I’m recommending one option instead of another. Ask what you can do differently after I leave.
I’m there to answer questions.
A successful service isn’t just: Pest gone. Charles leaves.
I want you to understand what was done, what probably contributed to the problem, and what can help prevent it from happening again.
Some People Want the Science. Some Want the Answer.
I’ve learned that everybody needs a different level of communication.
Some people want every detail.
Others are already overwhelmed and really just need:
“Here’s what I found. Here’s what it means. And here’s what we’re going to do about it.”
Both are fine.
Knowing pest control is part of the job. Knowing how to communicate it to the person standing in front of you matters too.
And I’m not going to promise you magic.
Sometimes I can’t solve the problem instantly. But I’m going to work toward solving it.
Some issues take multiple treatments. Some require repairs or changes to the property. Some require us to see how the situation responds before we know the next move.
I’d rather explain that honestly than promise something because it sounds better in the moment.
When this is finished, I want you to feel one thing:
Satisfied.
Integrity Comes First
There are a lot of things I care about in this job: being thorough, knowing what I’m looking at, solving the problem, and making sure the customer understands what’s happening.
But underneath all of it is integrity.
I treat people—and the work I do—the way I would want to be treated myself.
That means I’m not going to recommend something just because I can sell it.
I’m not going to make the problem sound worse than it is.
I’m not going to rush through something just because the next stop is waiting.
And if the right solution takes more investigation or a different approach than we expected, then that’s the conversation we need to have.
Because at the end of the day:
I have to be comfortable putting my name on the work I leave behind.
I Treat Your Home Like I’d Treat Mine
Would I be satisfied with this inspection if it were my house?
Would I want somebody to point this issue out to me?
Would I want to understand why they were recommending something?
Would I be okay paying for something that wasn’t actually necessary?
Would I consider the problem solved?
Those are useful questions.
Do the work you’d want somebody to do for you.
And that lines up with one of the biggest things I appreciate about Zuckerman’s: we’re serious about solving the issue—not just collecting money.
Why Zuckerman’s
I’ve been in this industry long enough to know that where you work matters.
The small-company environment appealed to me immediately.
I’m not particularly fond of the big-company feel.
I wanted somewhere that felt more like a family, where people actually knew each other and where doing the job correctly mattered more than just getting through the route.
But there was something else that fit pretty quickly:
The integrity model made sense to me.
I didn’t have to learn to care about doing the right thing for the customer. That was already how I approached my work.
What was different was finding a company that expected the same thing from me.
Don’t recommend something just because you can sell it.
Don’t apply a product just because you have one on the truck.
Don’t pretend you know something when you don’t.
Don’t leave a problem half-solved because technically the scheduled service is finished.
Do what makes sense for the customer and the problem in front of you.
That’s a model I can get behind.
It also connected with something else I liked immediately: the expectation that we’re supposed to think.
Not: There’s the pest. Here’s the standard treatment. Next stop.
Instead: What’s actually happening? Why? What makes sense here? What are we missing?
That fits me considerably better.
I Learned Because I Wanted to Know
For a lot of my career in pest control, learning wasn’t particularly formal.
There wasn’t always another class waiting for me.
There wasn’t always a training program showing me what came next.
A lot of the time, if I wanted to understand something better:
I had to go find the answer myself.
So I did.
I learned on the job. I researched. I paid attention to what worked and what didn’t. I asked questions when there was somebody worth asking. I took what I saw in the field and tried to understand the why behind it.
That made me pretty comfortable saying:
I don’t know that yet. Let me figure it out.
But there’s a difference between being capable of teaching yourself and being surrounded by people who want to invest in how much you can learn.
That part is newer.
Now They’re Basically Throwing Training at Me
Since coming to Zuckerman’s, I’ve learned pretty quickly that continuing education isn’t an occasional event.
It’s part of the job.
And apparently somebody looked at me and decided I needed a fairly long list.
I’m not complaining.
I already have opportunities lined up for wildlife education, technical pest-management training, university programs, leadership and management development, industry conferences, and additional certifications.
There are things I haven’t earned yet. There are areas of wildlife control I want to know considerably more about. There are leadership skills I want to sharpen.
And six years of experience has taught me enough to understand how much more there still is to learn.
I’m excited about that.
Then There’s Heschel
The man retains an unreasonable amount of information.
I’ve told him he’s basically Rain Man.
He continues to prove my point.
We give each other a hard time constantly, but underneath that there’s a lot of professional respect.
If he knows something I don’t, I want to know it.
So I make fun of him.
And then I keep listening.
I’ve managed people before. I’ve trained people before. That’s another part of myself I want to keep developing too.
How do you teach somebody effectively? How do you hold people to a high standard without assuming everyone learns exactly the same way? How do you turn years of field experience into something another technician can actually use?
Those skills deserve training too.
I’m not trying to collect titles.
I want the knowledge that comes with earning them.
One of the biggest things I’m looking forward to is simply growing my knowledge in this industry.
For a long time, learning meant figuring out where to find the information myself.
Now I’ve got people saying: Here. Learn this too.
You don’t have to ask twice.
Off the Clock
For somebody who likes difficult problems at work, I’m pretty easy to please when I’m not working.
Give me decent weather, something good to eat, somewhere outside to sit, and preferably nothing urgently requiring my attention.
I like fishing, camping, being outdoors, football, and relaxing on the deck with the grill going.
If somebody gave me an extra hour every day?
I could tell you I’d spend it on personal development.
I didn’t.
Sleeping lol.
I stand by that answer.
Girl Dad Times Four
Of everything I could put on this page, this is probably the part I’m proudest of:
I’m the dad of four beautiful daughters.
Four girls.
So yes, I have pest-control experience. I have management experience. I’ve handled wildlife, rodents, bed bugs, difficult customers, and plenty of situations requiring patience.
I feel adequately prepared for absolutely none of this.
But being their dad matters more to me than any title I could put next to my name.
They’re also the easiest answer to one question: What instantly makes me smile? My children.
Ice & Nefertiti
Ice is my Cane Corso.
She looks like she should be intimidating.
What I actually have is a very large baby.
Then there’s Nefertiti, my mini poodle.
She is considerably smaller.
This information has apparently never reached her.
She thinks she runs the house.
At this point, she probably does.
Food Matters
I’m a foodie.
I like trying new things, and my favorite food can absolutely lose its position if something better comes along.
There are rankings. They change.
Coffee is less complicated.
Coffee coffee coffee!!!!
That feels sufficiently clear.
One of my favorite experiences was whale watching in Cape Cod.
I called it life-changing, and I meant it.
Seeing an animal like that in its own environment is different from seeing it on a screen.
Next animal-related item on the list: Swim with dolphins.
A Few Things About Me
How My Family & Friends Would Describe Me: Funny. And brutally honest at times. If you ask me what I think, there’s a pretty good chance I’m going to tell you. I’ll try to be nice about it. Results may vary.
Something People Don’t Expect: I’m almost fluent in Spanish and speak a little French.
Favorite Movies: Marvel. Pretty much any of them.
If I Weren’t Doing Pest Control: Personal training. Apparently I like jobs where you identify the problem, build a plan, and keep pushing until something improves. One operating system.
Something I’d Like to Learn: Play an instrument. I didn’t specify which one, so technically the accordion remains available.
Something I’d Instantly Become an Expert In: The stock market. Apparently pest control didn’t provide enough puzzles.
Former Athletic Claim to Fame: High-school hurdles. And according to me: pretty darned good.
If My Life Were a Movie: A dramedy. Accurate.
And Apparently I’m the Kool-Aid Man
When asked what nickname my coworkers would probably give me, I answered: The Kool-Aid Man.
I provided absolutely no explanation.
Which means either everyone I work with immediately understands why…
Or this page has raised a question it has absolutely no intention of answering.
OH YEAH.
If I’m Putting My Name on It, I Want It Done Right
I’m competitive.
I like being good at what I do.
And when I find something I’m not good at yet, my first instinct usually isn’t to avoid it.
It’s to learn it.
I don’t need to know everything. I need to be willing to find out.
If I don’t know something, I’m going to ask.
I’m going to research it.
I’m going to talk to somebody who knows more about it than I do.
And then, preferably:
I’m going to know it the next time.
Experience matters. Knowledge matters. Confidence matters.
But none of it means much if it doesn’t help solve the customer’s problem.
I want you to know what we found. I want you to understand what we did. I want you to know what happens next.
And I want the work I put my name on to be work I’m proud of.
I’m extremely passionate about what I do, and I’m not particularly good at stopping before the job is finished.
So if I put my name on the work?
I want it done right.
Experience, Licensing & Continuing Education
Six years in. Still adding to the list.
Industry Experience
6+ Years in Professional Pest Management
Plus, in Charles’s own words, “a boat load of customer service experience.”
Prior to entering pest management, Charles spent nearly 15 years in the steel-forming industry, bringing a strong work ethic, hands-on experience, and years of real-world problem solving into the trade.
Ohio Commercial Pesticide Licensing
Commercial CORE
Ohio pesticide laws and regulations, safety procedures, equipment, and foundational commercial applicator requirements.
Category 10A — General Pest Control
Commercial pesticide applications for general structural pest control in and around homes, businesses, institutions, warehouses, food-handling establishments, and similar structures.
Category 7 — Vertebrate Animal Control
Commercial pesticide applications for pest birds, rodents, and other qualifying vertebrate pests within the scope of the category.
What I’m Working Toward
My current licenses are only part of the picture.
My training calendar at Zuckerman’s is already getting pretty full.
Over the coming year, I’ll be continuing my education through:
- Advanced wildlife training
- Technical pest-management programs
- University pest-control education
- Industry conferences
- Management and leadership development
- Additional certifications and specialty training
I’m especially excited about expanding my wildlife knowledge and continuing to develop the leadership and training side of what I do.
As I complete those programs and earn additional credentials:
This list is going to get longer.
I’m looking forward to that.
Zuckerman’s Pest Management — Team Bio Working Draft