Public Speaking Can Open Many Doors
In July, I spoke at the Northern Illinois Home Inspectors Association’s annual conference. It was great. About 40 attendees listened...
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Tech Training … the Experts’ Way
I’m typically responsible for coming up with and asking our panel of contributors the “Questions of the Month,” which appears...
Humor in Uniform: Me and Mrs. Jones
Because we serve the Chicagoland area, my company is fortunate to have many millionaire (and two billionaire) clients. You’d think...
This is Yellowjacket Season and I Love It
Indulge my poetic side for a moment, won’t you? Ahem: Ode to the Yellow jacket September, for most, is the...
Humor in Uniform: Under Observation
When I pulled up to Mrs. Brown’s home that long-ago summer, I noticed she had two adorable preschool-age kids, one...
Start-Up Diaries: No Free Lunch or Termite Inspections
Many moons ago, when I was a waiter at an exclusive country club in the Chicago suburbs, I worked with...
Humor in Uniform: A Pregnant Pause
When I was 19, I spent the summer as an outdoor technician for my dad’s company. I did all of...
Start-Up Diaries: Get Up, Get Out, Give Back
Have you noticed that hardly anyone volunteers anymore? It used to be that you’d have waiting lists to get into...
Humor in Uniform: The Crawlspace Redemption
Years ago in Chicago, I inspected for termites at a brick bungalow with a cellar and an attached crawlspace. The...
Start-Up Diaries: Cover All Your Bases Every Day
Recently, within the span of a few days, three of my pest management brethren (in California, Wisconsin and Michigan, respectively)...
Start-Up Diaries: Making the Switch to Hourly Pay
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been working. When I was 14 years old, I’d mow the grass...
Start-Up Diaries: Helping Techs Advance Their Education
I love to play Scrabble. Growing up on a farm in Nebraska, our winter days were long and weekends even...
Humor in Uniform: The Mouse with the Munchies
A few years ago, I visited my chiropractor because my back was killing me. I explained to him I hurt it...
Start-Up Diaries: Things I’d Tell My 18-Year-Old Self
My brother Drake, owner of Mid Central Pest Control in East Dundee, Ill., recently asked me to help train our...
Start-Up Diaries: Use Technology to Keep in Touch
I was reading an interesting interview in Sports Illustrated (my second-favorite magazine) a few months ago with the much-maligned commissioner of...
Humor in Uniform: Cats and Moths
As told by Pete Schopen, owner of McHenry, Ill.-based Schopen Pest Solutions When I was 19 and working with my...