Your association | PPC93 December 2018

So, with a touch of celebration, PPC93’s ‘Meet the Member’ is all about how Hademly’s main man, John, got into the pest management industry, how he climbed to full membership, and what his plans look like for the next five years.

Why pest management?

After spending some 36 years in the banking industry, John took redundancy and looked to move into something which matched his interests in animal behaviour and biology.

“I’m fascinated by how animals behave, and after working in the banking industry for so many years, I wanted to do something which was completely different, and helped people in some way.”

After following ‘pest management’ as a subject through local and national news, John found himself more and more engrossed in the subject and researching what was required to set up business as a pestie.

Getting qualified

John joined BPCA’s probationary scheme in February last year following a week with Paul Westgate, on the BPCA General Pest Control Course in Stafford during spring. John passed the RSPH level 2 exam with flying colours and looked to Membership Manager Kevin Higgins for guidance in the popular Starting Out in Pest Management course in July.

“That week seemed like a long time ago now, but it was so worthwhile to engulf myself in learning for the full week. In fact, as good as Paul was (and he was good), I also found it beneficial to spend time with other people on the course to learn about their experiences.”

Generalist or specialist?

Entering the industry, John sees his business as offering general pest management services but also developing a key specialist area. Of course, being a small company, Hademly needs to grow before it can self-select, but John’s interest is in bed bugs and working with other BPCA members to manage this pest, especially in urban areas. John found the BPCA Bed Bug course very interesting and beneficial when he attended it last year.

“I think it’s so important to have a specialism in what we do. I am interested in bed bugs and would like to grow this service, but I’m not about to drop everything else. That wouldn’t be a good business decision.”

At the same time as qualifying for his RSPH Level 2, John also did his EAL Level 3 Qualifications related to Electrical Installations which enables him to deliver electrical installation and maintenance services. John has found these courses extremely useful when it comes to electronic fly killers (EFKs) and highlighting risks of rodent damage to electrical circuits. Looking ahead, John has the BPCA Advanced Technician in Pest Management qualification in his sights but knows there is plenty of experience he needs to take in first.

What makes Hademly different?

All companies have an idea of how they are subtly different from their competition, and John and the team at Hademly are no different.

“We do like to focus on giving customers peace of mind. Whether this is in survey form, advice on prevention or telephone advice.

“Pest management is something people need reassurance on, so that is a core part of our business.”

What made you want to opt for full membership?

“If we want to reassure customers, both commercial and domestic, it makes sense for us to be full members. The benefits aside, being able to reference our membership to customers has been extremely powerful.

“The referrals, access to the Technical guys and BusinessShield is something I’ve already benefited from. I’m also quite excited by BPCA Registered, so looking forward to that.”

What do your next five years look like at Hademly?

“Well, first off I’m a grandad, so no doubt my next five years will involve quite a lot of grandad duties. But with Hademly I’d like to push forward with bed bugs as I’ve previously said, and start to introduce some of my family into the business, especially my youngest son.”

“We can’t be sure of a good wasp season every year, so growing my commercial client base will mean that when a good season does come along, it’s a bonus and not core business.”

PPC readers can learn more on Hademly’s website which, in John’s words, is still “under construction”. But, John is keen to hear from other members, either via telephone or in person.

Source: PPC93