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Third Generation owner recalls the start
Greg Long, owner of Ace Pest Control, North Webster, remembers his first experience as a pest controller. "My first job was when I was 12 years old," says Long. "I could fit into crawl spaces and Gramps couldn't, so he'd send me in there."
Long is the third generation owner/operator of the business his grandfather, Howard E. Long Sr., established in 1938. An exterminator for a South Bend Company, Long Sr. branched out to open his own pest control service. While still living in South Bend, he began to cover a territory across northeast Indiana.
"Gramps created a tremendous base of monthly commercial accounts," says Long. "He developed it all by word of mouth - no office, no phone ads. Gramps was a one-man show until 1970."
"That was the year Long's father, Howard E. Long Jr. ("Red") took over the business and moved it to the Wawasee area, since that had gradually become the center of the service area. That's around the same time more things than just location began changing for the company, recalls Long.
"I decided to join the business and we began to go from a one-man operation to a company image with phone ads, signs on the trucks," Long says. "The EPA began to regulate the industry and the chemicals we use. Exterminators decided we wanted to be called pest controllers, because "exterminate" had a negative image to it."
Although the growing business ran well from his father's Wawasee home for many years, Long says in 1990 Ace Pest Control moved into its own facility on the northern edge of North Webster along SR 13. That was the year Greg took over the business from his dad.
Back in his grandfather's day, reflects Long, "image wasn't important" and people really cared only for their exterminator "getting the job done." Nowadays, "a positive image is important with customers," says Long, which is why the pest control company has a marked fleet of vehicles, technicians dressed in uniform and a policy of rigidly observing all environmental regulations.
Ace continues to cover a broad territory, including 12 counties in northeast Indiana and two counties in lower Michigan. The business's "summer service" of spraying outside lake area homes to rid them of spiders has flourished. Last year, the company offered the service once a month to more than 2,500 customers between April and October. When the summer service hits, Long says he hires an additional 14 people to work with his year-round staff of 10 certified technicians and two office people.
"Rat work was the major portion of Gramps work," says Long. "Today, I think ants are one of the biggest pests in the commercial arena. Termites are very active in this area. Spider work represents 40 percent of our business."
Recently, the business expanded into wildlife management, trapping and releasing such creatures as raccoons, skunks and bats that find their way into homes. Three years ago, Ace began providing insect and disease control services for trees and shrubs.
Long credits his grandfather with founding the business, his dad with pulling it into the modern market and himself with maintaining and building upon both bases. He's excited that his sons are already beginning to work for the company, creating the fourth generation of Longs to run Ace Pest Control.
SR 13 North - P.O. Box 383, North Webster, Indiana 46555
Telephone 1-800-552-2787 1-574-834-2834
acepest@kconline.com
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