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Home / Washington Business - January/February 2007 / Made in Washington - Sprague Pest Solutions: Making life hard for bugs |
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Made in Washington - Sprague Pest Solutions: Making life hard for bugs |
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Written On: January/February 2007 |
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Written By: by Shawn Sullivan |
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A grocer builds his reputation on customer satisfaction, a restaurant lives and dies on word-of-mouth, and a hotel depends on repeat business. So what if a customer sees a mouse? An ant? A roach?
If a homeowner gets bugs, he has the luxury of reacting after the fact. Many businesses can’t afford to wait so long. By the time a restaurant discovers a pest problem and corrects it, they could be out of business. Rather than take a reactive approach, many Pacific Northwest companies look to Sprague Pest Solutions, a Tacoma-based firm that provides preventive pest control solutions.
Sprague was founded in Spokane during the 1920s as a small commercial pest control company. "Our grandfather bought the company in 1931, and our family has owned it ever since," Sprague co-owner Larry Treleven said. Sprague now operates in six states and has eight service centers that serve thousands of customers. Its clients include hotels, commercial food processors, health care facilities, and a wide range of commercial properties.
"Our primary market is anyone who stores, produces or handles food," Sprague co-owner Alfie Treleven said. "Wherever food flows, we play a significant role in protecting it." Sprague’s proactive approach to controlling pests includes an integrated prevention program.
"We offer companies long-term solutions that significantly reduce the amount of pesticides and materials used," Larry said. "It’s a lot easier to get rid of yellow jackets when you can use pesticides, but when you work with food, pesticides are never an option." Sprague developed the Integrated Pest Prevention program, which focuses on identifying conditions that allow pests to survive and developing measures to monitor and eliminate those conditions. It’s a strategy to prevent pests from ever getting a foothold, rather than exterminating them after they have become established.
Another way Sprague protects their clients is through employee education. Sprague technicians are trained in the most advanced methods of pest control available. "We use a lot of research and development from several colleges and integrate it into our training," Alfie said. "Every employee receives monthly updates on proper pest control."
Because Sprague operates in six different states, it uses a sophisticated computer training system to keep its employees up to date on company procedures and the current state-of-the-art in pest management. "All of our employees go online and access our e-learning center, which tracks every course that every employee has taken," Alfie said. "We find this is a very effective way to not only ensure that our employees are always trained to the highest standards, but also to ensure that our clients receive the best possible solution to any potential pest problem."
The education of Sprague employees begins when they are first hired. "We bring everyone we hire to our headquarters for two weeks of continuous education," Larry said. "After they receive their initial education, they start going through the extended learning programs through our center."
Another aspect of Sprague’s business entails checking for potential problems using advanced testing equipment. "A lot of products are sent to us to identify if there is a bug problem,” Alfie said. “That way we can catch a problem before it starts."
Sprague extends its commitment to its clients even if they have locations outside their service area. "If a client has a location outside of our area, but still needs help, we have a referral service they can use," Larry said. "By using one of our referrals, our clients are assured that company adheres to the same service standards as we do."
Moving their headquarters to a more central location in their service area could be advantageous for Sprague, but they remain steadfast in their commitment to Washington. "We see ourselves as a Tacoma-based company," Larry said. "For several years, we have been a significant part of the Puget Sound community, and I couldn’t fathom moving out of this area."
Larry and Alfie Treleven have built Sprague Pest Solutions into one of the leading commercial pest prevention companies in the nation. Thanks to their innovation, hard work and dedication, we can all rest a little easier knowing we won’t find any unpleasant surprises in our food, our hotel room or our doctor’s office.
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