I Didn’t Actually Like Bugs.
That probably isn’t the opening you expected from someone who works for a pest control company. But it’s true.
I had absolutely no intention of ending up in this industry. I was looking for my first office job, Zuckerman’s was a small business close to home, and it seemed like somewhere I could grow and stay for a long time.
There was just one minor detail: I didn’t like bugs.
Turns out, I didn’t need to. What I needed to like was figuring things out. And I really like figuring things out.
A customer rarely calls with a perfectly packaged problem. They call because there’s some kind of bug in the kitchen, something in the wall, a suspicious photo, or a problem that keeps coming back. My job is often to start untangling that before anyone ever gets to the house.
I like taking scattered pieces of information and turning them into something useful. Apparently that applies to more than pest problems, because somewhere along the way I also became the person who likes building processes, organizing information, improving systems, training people, catching little details, and keeping the moving pieces moving in the same direction.
So no, pest control wasn’t exactly the plan. But problem-solving? Apparently that part was.
| Don’t Want to Read the Whole Thing? I respect efficiency. Pick what you actually came here for: How I Ended Up in Pest Control • What Happens When You Call Me • Customers, Calm & Keeping Things Manageable • Systems, Processes & Making Things Make Sense • How I Lead & Train • Why Zuckerman’s • Who I Am Off the Clock • Yes, We Need to Discuss the Raccoon • Experience, Licensing & Training There is no prize for reading these in order. |
How I Ended Up in Pest Control
Like I said, this was not the plan.
Before Zuckerman’s, most of my experience was in food service. I had spent years in customer service and management, so dealing with people, solving problems, juggling priorities, and keeping things moving weren’t new to me. The pest part definitely was.
When I joined Zuckerman’s, I was looking for my first office job. It was close to home, it was a small business, and I liked the idea of working somewhere I could actually grow instead of just filling a position.
What I didn’t expect was how much there was to learn.
Pest control looks pretty simple from the outside: bug, spray, bug gone. That is… not how this works.
Different insects behave differently. Rodents and wildlife behave differently. Houses are built differently. Conditions around a property matter. Even two customers who appear to have the same problem can need completely different solutions. Sometimes the right answer is that we shouldn’t apply a product at all.
Once I understood that, I was hooked on the why behind it.
I started learning how to identify insects and pests, which details can completely change what we recommend, and when something needs to be handed off to someone with more specialized knowledge.
I don’t need to pretend I know everything. If I don’t know, I’ll research it, ask, or bring it to someone who knows more than I do. I’d rather get you the right answer than give you a fast one just so I sound like I have one.
Three years later, I still don’t particularly want bugs crawling on me. I just know significantly more about which one is crawling on me now. Progress.
What Happens When You Call Me
A lot of the work we do starts before a technician ever pulls into your driveway. It starts with a conversation.
And sometimes that conversation begins with: “I have a bug.”
Okay. We’re going to need a little more than that.
Part of my job is knowing what questions to ask so we can get from “there’s something weird in my house” to information our team can actually use. Where did you find it? How many have you seen? When did it start? What does it look like? Has anything changed recently? Can you send me a picture?
Over time, I’ve learned enough about pest identification, biology, wildlife, treatment methods, conducive conditions, and our services that I can often start narrowing things down while we’re talking.
Sometimes I can identify what you’re dealing with. Sometimes I know exactly what our technician will need to know. Sometimes something you casually mention makes me think: Wait. That’s important.
And sometimes the most valuable thing I can do is recognize that I need to stop guessing and bring the situation to someone with deeper expertise. Knowing when to escalate something matters just as much as knowing the answer yourself.
I Want You to Know What to Expect
Accuracy matters to me. If I tell you what a service involves, how you need to prepare, what should happen afterward, or what the next step is, I want that information to be right.
I don’t want you expecting one thing and having our technician arrive expecting something completely different. The office and field have to communicate. You shouldn’t have to be the person connecting those dots for us.
And If Something Doesn’t Look Right, I Want to Catch It Early
I pay attention to little details: something mentioned during a phone call, a note from a technician, a customer question that doesn’t quite fit what we’re expecting, or a condition that deserves another look.
Sometimes those things are nothing. Sometimes they’re the first clue that we need to look closer. I’d rather ask another question, do some research, or bring something to the team’s attention before it becomes a bigger issue.
Apparently I’ve become pretty good at keeping track of moving pieces. I’m still trying to determine who keeps adding more pieces.
Customers, Calm & Keeping Things Manageable
By the time someone calls us, there’s a pretty good chance they’re not having a great day.
Maybe they found bed bugs. Maybe something is running through the attic. Maybe they just saw a cockroach and are currently reconsidering every life decision that led them to this moment.
Whatever it is, I try to remember something simple: they’re calling because they need help.
I don’t want someone to feel embarrassed, patronized, confused, or like they’re overreacting. Bugs aren’t picky. Wildlife doesn’t care how clean your house is. Having a pest problem says very little about the person who has it.
Calm Usually Works Better Than Panic
I’m naturally pretty quiet and laid-back. That actually comes in handy here.
If you’re overwhelmed, my job isn’t to match your stress level. It’s to listen, figure out what we know, explain what we don’t know yet, and start turning the situation into manageable next steps.
Sometimes people want every detail. Some just need to hear, “Okay. Here’s what we’re going to do next.” Both are fine.
I’d Rather Set an Accurate Expectation Than an Impressive One
Sometimes the answer customers want most is: “How fast will this be gone?” And sometimes the truthful answer is: it depends.
Not exactly the world’s greatest sales pitch. But I’d rather explain what you can realistically expect than promise something because it sounds good in the moment.
One of the compliments that would mean the most to me is, “You really know your stuff.” Not because I need somebody to think I know everything. I don’t. But because if you walk away thinking that, it probably means I explained things clearly, gave you accurate information, and made a stressful situation feel more under control.
Calm. Informed. Respected. And knowing you can call me back if you still need help.
Systems, Processes & Making Things Make Sense
There’s a pattern here. I like things to make sense.
That applies when I’m trying to figure out what pest a customer is describing, and it applies when I’m looking at the way we do something internally and thinking: There has to be a better way to do this.
I genuinely enjoy systems and processes. I like taking something that feels scattered, repetitive, confusing, or unnecessarily difficult and figuring out how to make it clearer.
Sometimes that means creating a process. Sometimes it means documenting one. Sometimes it means realizing the process we created six months ago no longer works very well and needs to change.
And sometimes it means asking the dangerous question: “Why do we do it this way?”
Organized Doesn’t Mean Unchanging
A good system shouldn’t exist just because someone took the time to write it down. It should actually help people do their jobs better.
I enjoy working on workflows, procedures, training materials, customer communication, and the little behind-the-scenes pieces that most customers will never see—because customers do feel the result of them.
If the office gathered the right information, the technician arrives better prepared. If expectations were communicated correctly, there are fewer surprises. If our notes are thorough, the next person doesn’t have to start from scratch. If the team knows what to do when something unusual happens, the customer gets an answer instead of being bounced around.
A lot of good customer service happens long before anyone says, “How can I help you?” It happens in the systems behind that conversation.
I Also Remember the Little Things
I remember details. Something a customer mentioned earlier. Something one of our technicians needs. A follow-up that hasn’t happened yet. A process that keeps causing the same small problem.
Something Jerika said she needed and then immediately got pulled into twelve other things. That last category is surprisingly large.
Not every detail deserves an emergency meeting. Sometimes it just needs someone to notice it, remember it, and make sure it gets handled.
If my teammates were asked what I’m known for, my answer was: “Probably keeping everything together.” That’s probably accurate. Although some days “professionally keeping track of everyone’s loose ends” might be the more honest job title.
| From Jerika My job has approximately 947 moving pieces on a good day. Kaitie is the person who somehow knows where 946 of them are. Kaitie: “We’re still looking for the other one.” |
How I Lead & Train
I didn’t come into this job thinking I wanted to manage people. I had management experience before Zuckerman’s, but I’ve learned there’s a big difference between being responsible for people and actually learning how to lead them well.
People learn differently. They communicate differently. They make different mistakes. Getting frustrated about that doesn’t teach anybody anything.
I’d Rather Teach the “Why”
If someone makes a mistake, it needs to be addressed. But my first thought usually isn’t, “How do I reprimand them for this?”
I want to know what happened. Did they know what they were supposed to do? Did we train it clearly? Did they misunderstand something? Is there a hole in the process? Was this just a mistake—or is there something bigger we need to work on?
I’m a big believer in teaching people why we do something instead of handing them a list of instructions and expecting them to memorize it. If you understand why something matters, you’re much better equipped to make the right decision when you eventually run into a situation that wasn’t covered by the instructions.
Training Works Both Ways
I’ve absorbed a ridiculous amount of pest, wildlife, customer-service, sales, and technical information because training is constantly happening around here.
Some of it is formal. Some of it is sitting in a weekly meeting discussing a situation that went sideways and figuring out what we can learn from it. Some of it is asking Heschel a question and receiving significantly more information than I originally requested. You learn to budget time accordingly.
That knowledge has made me better at helping customers, better at identifying when something needs to be escalated, better at setting expectations—and, somewhat against my will, pretty good at sales.
Sales was never the part I was excited about. I don’t particularly enjoy trying to sell somebody something. What I can do is understand the problem, explain the options accurately, answer questions, and help someone decide what makes sense.
Apparently if you do that well enough, somebody eventually informs you that you’ve been selling things this entire time. Rude.
I’m still learning how to communicate better, train better, delegate better, and help other people grow without expecting them to think exactly the way I do.
I don’t need everyone on our team to do things exactly like I would. I want them to understand what good work looks like, know why it matters, and have the knowledge and confidence to get there. If I can help someone become better at what they do, that’s a pretty good day at work.
Why Zuckerman’s
When I first came to Zuckerman’s, one of the things that appealed to me was that it was small. I wanted somewhere I could actually grow instead of disappearing into a position and doing the same thing forever.
My job today looks very different from the job I originally came here to do. So do I.
People Actually Care Here
People here genuinely care about getting better at what they do. We talk about weird pest situations. We send pictures. We research things. We debate solutions. We talk about what worked, what didn’t, and what we could have done differently.
Sometimes I know significantly more about whatever strange thing happened in someone’s attic that day than I ever expected—or particularly needed—to know. But that’s part of working here.
Integrity Has to Exist When Nobody Is Reading About It
We’re expected to be honest with customers, set realistic expectations, admit when we don’t know something, own what’s ours when we get it wrong, research instead of guessing, and recommend what actually makes sense.
I’ve worked places where the company’s stated values and the way people were actually treated didn’t always match. You don’t really understand how much that affects you until you experience the opposite.
Working here has taught me that the right company should expect you to grow—but it should also care about helping you get there.
I came here for an office job. I stayed because it became a lot more than that. I wanted somewhere I could grow with for a long time. Turns out, I found it.
Who I Am When Nobody Needs Anything From Me
After spending most of the week answering questions, solving problems, keeping track of details, helping customers, helping the team, and figuring out what needs to happen next, my ideal time off is pretty sophisticated.
I want everyone to stop needing things from me.
That’s it. That’s the activity.
If I get an entire Saturday with absolutely nothing planned, there is a very real possibility I will sleep for an unreasonable amount of it. I’m completely okay with that.
I’m naturally pretty quiet and laid-back. I like being home, cooking, painting, watching cooking shows with Matt, or having one of those rare days where there’s nowhere I have to be and nothing urgently needs my attention.
Fall is probably the season that fits me best. Add coffee or tea and put me somewhere around a lake, woods, or mountains and I’m pretty content.
I also like psychology and personal development. Apparently understanding the why applies to insects, business systems, and people. I’m sensing a theme.
And if I’m going to disappear into somebody else’s imagination for a while, give me Lord of the Rings. Details. Systems. Complicated things with extensive backstories. Apparently even my entertainment has requirements.
Then There’s Ollie
Ollie is my Australian Shepherd/Lab mix. He is also a Stage 5 Clinger.
He’s talkative, highly motivated by food and attention, and likes giving hugs—which means my desire to spend a day with nobody needing anything from me is somewhat incompatible with the dog I chose.
I accept responsibility for this decision.
| And About That Raccoon… Animal I Would Bring Home If Laws and My Boyfriend Would Stop Interfering With My Dreams: A baby raccoon. I would like it formally documented that I do not currently own a raccoon. This is not entirely by choice. For legal purposes, I continue to admire them from an appropriate distance. Mostly. |
A Few Things About Me
| Previous Workplace Nickname | Mouse. Apparently being quiet earned me an animal classification before I even worked in pest control. |
| Ideal Unexpected Day Off | No plans. No obligations. No one asking me where something is. There will probably be sleeping involved. |
| Coffee or Tea | Yes. |
| Preferred Scenery | Lakes, woods, and mountains. |
| Instant Smile | Matt. |
| Almost Always Makes Me Laugh | Funny animal videos. |
| Something I’d Love to Learn | Woodworking or sculpture. Also sword fighting and combat. I contain multitudes. |
| My Music | Completely dependent on my mood. |
| If My Life Were a Movie | Drama. No elaboration was provided. I think that was intentional. |
| Unofficial Job Description | Keeping everything together. |
| Actual Strategy | Still under development. |
I Believe People Can Grow
| For Kaitie’s Review Before Publication Please specifically approve, revise, or remove this section before the page is published. |
If there’s one thing I’m probably most proud of outside of work, it’s how much I’ve grown as a person.
I’ve been through some very difficult periods in my life, including addiction and years of abuse.
I don’t say that because I want those experiences to define me. Actually, it’s almost the opposite. I’m proud that they don’t.
Getting to where I am today took work. It meant making hard changes, learning a lot about myself, accepting responsibility for the things that were mine to own, and learning that becoming a better version of yourself isn’t something that happens all at once.
You keep working at it.
That’s probably part of why personal development matters so much to me now. I like looking back and realizing that I handle something differently today than I would have a few years ago.
And I think it has affected the way I see other people, too.
Someone can make a mistake without being their mistake. Someone can struggle with something and still be capable of becoming really good at it. Sometimes people need accountability. Sometimes they need more training. Sometimes they just need the opportunity to prove they can do better next time.
I know I’m still growing. I hope I always am.
When I look at the person I was several years ago and the life I’m building today, there’s a lot of distance between the two.
I worked hard for that distance. And I’m proud of it.
My Job Is to Make What Happens Next Easier
Most people don’t call a pest control company because everything is going according to plan.
You found something you don’t recognize. You heard something you definitely don’t want living in your house. You’re frustrated because a problem keeps coming back. Or maybe you just have no idea what’s going on yet.
That’s okay.
You don’t need to know exactly what you have before you call us. You don’t need to know which service you need. And you definitely don’t need to become a pest expert before you pick up the phone. That’s our job.
My part usually starts by listening. I may ask questions, ask for pictures, research something, talk to one of our technicians, or tell you I need a little more information before I can give you a good answer.
I would rather tell you “I need to find out” than confidently give you information that isn’t right.
And if something goes wrong along the way, I’m not interested in spending more time figuring out who to blame than figuring out how to fix it. Things happen. What matters is that we communicate, take responsibility for what’s ours, and figure out what needs to happen next.
Not a perfect script. Not pressure. Not someone pretending to know something they don’t. Just someone who will listen, take your problem seriously, and help get the right pieces moving in the right direction.
You bring me the problem. I’ll help you figure out what happens next.
Experience, Licensing & Continuing Education
Yes, they make the office people learn about bugs too.
I came to Zuckerman’s looking for my first office job. I did not realize that apparently meant I was also signing up to learn pest biology, insect identification, treatment methods, regulations, customer education, and significantly more information about rodents and insects than I had ever requested.
But here we are.
The more I understand about what our technicians actually do in the field, the better I can do my job in the office. So yes, we train the office staff too. And apparently I like it.
Ohio Commercial Pesticide Licensing
| Commercial CORE | Ohio pesticide laws and regulations, safety procedures, and equipment. |
| Category 10A – General Pest Control | Commercial licensing for general pest-control pesticide applications in and around structures. |
For someone who started this job openly admitting she didn’t like bugs, becoming an Ohio-licensed pest professional feels like a fairly significant plot twist.
Weekly Technical, Leadership & Professional Development
Training at Zuckerman’s isn’t something we do once a year so we can check a box. It’s built into our normal week.
I regularly participate in Lead People Manage Stuff, including weekly Technical Hour training and weekly Leadership & Development Hour training.
Technical Hour covers pest identification, biology, treatments, products, unusual situations, field experiences, and the why behind the work our team performs.
Leadership & Development Hour focuses on leadership, communication, management, accountability, customer experience, personal development, and becoming better at how we work with people.
I also attend Lead People Manage Stuff in-person training approximately once or twice each year.
Some weeks I learn something that helps me identify what a customer is describing. Some weeks I learn something that helps me manage a difficult conversation. And some weeks I learn something that makes me realize the question I was about to answer actually needs three more questions first. Those might be my favorite.
Conferences & Industry Education
My continuing education also includes professional pest-management conferences and training programs such as:
Purdue University Pest Management Conference
University of Kentucky Pest Control Short Course
Ohio Pest Management Winter Training
…along with additional technical, regulatory, customer-service, leadership, management, and pest-industry education throughout the year.
Not every training earns another credential to put after my name. That’s not really why I do it.
Every time I understand the industry a little better, I can ask better questions, give customers better information, support our technicians more effectively, and recognize sooner when something needs a closer look.
Three years ago, I wanted an office job.
Apparently I accidentally became a pest professional.