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Opportunity is presented in many different ways, sometimes directly and other times we don’t notice it right away. The important thing is knowing that it happens to everyone and to be ready for it.
One of the aspects of working at All-American Pest Control is that the company is designed for growth and opportunity. Pest control is a people business. We recruit and train, as well as develop opportunities for learning and growth at all levels of the organization, says owner Erin Richardson.
Even though Erin’s grandfather founded All-American, growing up she didn’t consider All-American a career option. After graduating from college, Erin explored social work as a career before starting as a freelance graphic designer. It was in 2003 when Erin started helping her dad part-time with routing & scheduling for his technicians that she began to see that there was a viable and vibrant career opportunity with her family business.
“When I joined All-American part-time, I understood the depth of opportunity in our business and in the larger pest control industry. My father and I worked together to really invest in our people and in growth. Over the past 20 years, I learned and contributed as much as I could, and have grown as a person and leader. I am so thankful for the opportunities I received to grow personally and professionally, and I know that we can only continue to build our business if we have a team of strong leaders at all levels. Our people are everything, that’s why we continue to invest in them in every possible way,” says Richardson.
Always Up for a Change
John Oakley is a great example of an employee who entered All-American with zero pest control experience yet now he has a long-lasting career with the company. He was a youth minister before starting in 2007.
“When I was ready for a new career, I talked to Erin and her husband and they had an opportunity,” Oakley says. “I didn’t know anything about pest control but I wanted to try it. Now after 16 years, I can’t think of doing anything else. All-American is a big part of who I am thanks to the opportunities I’ve had and the people I’ve met.
“Erin’s vision for growth and re-investing in the company and its employees has allowed me to not only work my way up, which has been amazing, but also to network with various groups inside the pest control industry. I was amazed at how willing people are to share answers they had found, there isn’t this hoarding of knowledge. Everyone wants to succeed but always wants to see others in the industry succeed.”
As All-American has grown as a company, so have the various departments within it, and the need for more managerial roles. This created tremendous opportunities for employee growth.
“John is a great example of the kind of people we look to hire and invest in at All-American,” Richardson says. “Like most new team members, John didn’t have any pest control experience, but he had a willingness to learn, a passion for helping, and the ability to solve problems. In a fast-growing company, change happens fast. John is always willing to say ‘yes, I’ll give it a go! And yes, I’m up for the challenge!’ Over the past 16 years, there isn’t a job he hasn’t done. He started as a pest control technician and is currently serving on our Operations Leadership Team as Director of Service.”
Vision for the Future
Coming to the pest control industry from a role working for a brokerage firm managing large accounts, Anna Lewis was looking for a change. Lewis, like Oakley, wasn’t sure what to do next and decided to give All-American a shot. She started in the Customer Care department in 2007.
“I wasn’t sure what I wanted so I decided to give it a try,” Lewis says. “I was brought on working with customers and selling our services over the phone. At that time, we only had about seven technicians and three customer service representatives, but we’ve grown to 46 technicians and 10 customer service reps, quite a lot has changed.”
“In 2010 I was approached about leadership but I had a toddler and just wanted to come in, do my job and go home so I kept saying ‘no, no, no’ when they asked me about it. Erin didn’t give up on me and as the years passed, I joined the senior leadership team as Director of Customer Care. I served in that role for a few years and I was promoted last year to Director of Operations.”
According to Lewis, the environment at All-American allowed her to track her growth and make significant steps that wouldn’t have happened at another workplace.
“The company is so transparent with growth and our vision for the future, and we aren’t afraid to discuss what is and isn’t working. It’s interesting to look back on the journey from 10 employees to over 70 team members. I am in a position now where I get to grow and develop the people under me to ensure we are all aligned on our strategic plans, and everyone is committed to personal and professional growth.”
“Another thing important to me is that Erin is about the same age and also a mom working in corporate America. So, you are a person to her, not just a number or a position. She and All-American have always given me the ability to grow at my own pace.”
More than Pest Control
Sometimes it’s the ability to have incredible career growth that makes a company wonderful but it’s also the little things, day-in and day-out. Oakley recalled a moment from a decade ago that reoccurred just recently, a perfect example of All-American being about more than pest control.
“I remember about 2008 or so coming into the office one day and someone had bought a new car and drove it to work for the first time,” Oakley says. “Erin’s dad Al wanted to see the car and wanted to know everything about it. He genuinely cared, like Erin does. It didn’t occur to me until I was a part of the onboarding hiring process that our great starting compensation can be lifechanging for people.
“Recently one of our technicians mentioned how he had bought a new pickup truck and I found myself all excited, wanting to know all about it. I wanted to be in on that excitement, just like that experience over a decade ago.
“I was excited because what we do makes a difference in people’s lives and that’s what Erin loves. This is a place we come and spend a lot of time at, but we make a difference, both in our coworkers’ and customers’ lives and if you let it become part of you, it can be an amazing thing.”
