Personal turnaround leads to successful pest control career

It might surprise some of you to know that Pete “Goody Two-Shoes” Schopen was arrested once.

When I was 20 years old, I backed into another car in my college parking lot. I did the responsible thing and exchanged information. I also filed a report with the local police.

Two months later, I was driving to work to open up Mid Central Pest Control’s Glenview, Ill., office (I was the supervisor) when a police officer pulled me over. He told me that my license plate sticker was expired, which was true, and he needed to run a check on me. I apologized and watched him walk back to his patrol car. After a few minutes, he walked stiffly back to me with his hand on his gun holster. He screamed at me to step out of the car. Confused, I did as he asked. He slapped handcuffs on me and told me I was arrested for driving with a suspended license!

I was fingerprinted, photographed and thrown into a single cell. I made one phone call to my future wife, and she drove to the station to pay $100 and bail me out.

It turns out there was a mix-up between the Secretary of State’s office and my insurance company concerning the fender bender I had at the college parking lot.

I resolved the issue over the phone, but I still had to show up in court for the offense to be wiped clean off my record. I wore my best suit, explained what happened and the judge threw out the case. Ironically, I only got $90 back because of a “processing fee”!

Life-altering decisions

This month’s “Start-up Story” subject knows more than he should about the inside of jail cells. Joel (pronounced Jo-el) Amores, founder of Apache Pest Control, was adopted at birth and grew up in a tough neighborhood in Miami Gardens, Fla., known as Carol City. Despite growing up in a loving home, he started getting into trouble at a young age and was arrested for drug possession for the first time at 15 years old. He continued getting into trouble and went to three different high schools before dropping out in the 11th grade.

Things got worse for Amores after high school. He was arrested twice for trafficking marijuana at 18 and 20 years old. Eventually, he would be sentenced to three years in prison. In the joint, Amores saw horrible things, including a man getting stabbed over $2, and knew he needed to change his life. The turning point for him was seeing his mom cry at his sentencing and knowing he wouldn’t be around to help raise his newborn son.

In 2015, Amores passed the General Educational Development (GED) and left prison as a very wise and mature 24-year-old. He took on jobs as a window washer, fishing boat worker and car detailer before launching a pest control company with a friend in 2017.

Three years later, he struck out on his own — one month before COVID-19 hit — and never looked back. In 2023, he had revenue of $333,000; last year, he nearly hit $400,000. The 34-year-old hopes to finish around $470,000 this year with three employees.

Apache Pest Control offers a full slate of pest control services such as termite work, general pest control, rodent exclusion, lawn treatments, wood-destroying organism (WDO) inspections and bed bug management. His wife, Jennifer, works in the office and helps set up monthly subscriptions. His most veteran tech is Enrique Garcia, who has been with him for more than three years and has never missed a day of work.

Setting, reaching goals

Professionally, Amores would like his company to provide more termite work, including pretreats, traditional liquid treatments and spot treating with baiting. His three-year goal is to hire a full-time termite technician, a salesperson and two more techs. This year, I will be helping him with his key performance indicators (KPIs), upselling and following up with clients.

Personally, he would love to see his company flourish so he can spend more time on his boat fishing and spending time with Jennifer and their two kids, Jaiden, age 14, and Jade, age 3. “I love fishing! I have a Bluewater 23T, and I take it out at least once per week,” he confessed. Wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri for the taxonomists out there) and mutton snapper (Lutjanus analis) are his favorite fish to catch.

I asked him why he chose pest control. “It was a no-brainer,” Amores said. “There are very few careers where I could make more money than I do in pest control. I also like helping people.”

One example of this is Apache Pest Control’s pro bono work for low-income families who need help with bed bugs. Ironically, the word Apache translates to “enemy” — and early in his life, Amores was his own worst enemy. Now, he is a successful businessman, devoted husband, loving father and inspirational leader in the Cuban community.