www.wcfcourier.com
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2012
BEST OF THE BEST 2012
PAGE 55
THE COURIER
Aable Pest Control
1
First Place: Pest Control Mike Price has been working in the pest control business for 43 years. “I started in this business in 1969 working for a national pest control company,” he said. “In 1981, I started Aable Pest Control out of my basement and it has grown to where it is today. “In 1994, I purchased a Terminix franchise in Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and Dubuque. The rest of Northeast Iowa is my Aable business.” All Aable’s technicians are certified by the state of Iowa. After that, they all have to pass the Purdue entomology course, then the American Institute of Baking course, which is an advanced course in pest control. Besides winning Best of the Best nine years in a row, Aable has been recognized in two national pest magazines, plus has earned membership in the National Quality Pro Association. Aable controls ants, spiders, roaches,
mice, rats, bed bugs, termites, as well as product fumigation, weed control and bird eradication. Aable also has invested in a bed bug dog and handler, as well as a heat trailer to eradicate bed bugs. Aable Pest Control has been very fortunate to have been able to service the Cedar Valley area since its inception with the help of some great employees. Tony Wright, the branch manager, has been with Aable for 23 years; Lori Price, operations manager, for 24 years; Myron Engelhart, termite supervisor, 22 years; Dave Jansen, area manager, 17 years; and the list goes on. Mike Price Jr. also has rejoined Aable to carry on with the tradition. Mike Jr. had a successful pest control business in Reno, Nev., until he sold his business last year to work with Mike Sr. and Aable Pest Control to carry on the business when Mike Sr. retires. Mike Sr. says that pest control is an
ever-changing business, whether it’s the way pest control is performed or the insect pressures from year to year. Some years it’s Asian lady beetles, some years it’s fleas, others it’s box elder bugs. Lately, the insect of choice is bed bugs. They’re extremely hard to terminate and very easy to transport. When some insecticides that had very good residual were banned, the bed bugs came back with a vengeance. Aable has made a choice to invest in the latest equipment and technology to try to stay ahead of the bugs. The heating equipment Aable purchased can heat an entire house to 135 to 140 degrees. Heat over 122 degrees will kill all stages of bed bugs. Mike Price says Aable will be around, hopefully, for another 30 years to be of service for the people of the Cedar Valley and surrounding areas.
DAVE JANSEN
MIKE PRICE
CRAIG VOCIKER
BILL CORNELL
GREG MEHLBERGER
RANDY COKER
SCOTT JOHNSON
ILL & Wisconsin
Owner/CEO
Accounting
Service Manager
Technician
Bed Bug Specialist
Technician
KYLE KOBLISKA TECHNICIAN
BECKY PRICE Data Retention
TONY WRIGHT MYRON ENGELHARDT JUSTIN ROUSE
MIKE PRICE JR
Termite Supervisor
Sales Manager
Branch Manager
LORI PRICE Operations Manager
JOHN GREENWALD Sr. Technician
Technician
MICHAEL GARRETT Sr. Technician
JASON PROFFITT Technician
9th
year in a row
We’re ready and “Aable” to serve you
MARK WILLMSEN Commercial Technician
APRIL SAUER Accounts Receivable
st
★ 1800 Commercial St., Waterloo ★ (319) 291-7200 ★ 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday ★ www.aablepestcontrol.com
BLAKE ROSE Technician
PAT JOHNSON Data Entry
CARYN GARBOWITZ
JOHN PETSCHE
Data Entry
Sr. Technician
DICK SCHOEMAN Termite Technician & Heat Specialist
MICHELLE O’BANNION Receptionist
DEB BENTLEY Customer Service - Lead Scheduler
APRIL KING Scheduler
CHRIS WALTERS Data Retention
ANGELA ROGERS Dog Handler Tucker Bedbug K-9