Month: March 2019

March 28, 2019 | 4 Mins Read

Women in Field Service: Be Intentional About Diversity

March 28, 2019 | 4 Mins Read

Women in Field Service: Be Intentional About Diversity

By Sarah Nicastro, Creator, Future of Field Service

Emily Thomas Kendrick is the President and CEO of Atlanta-based Arrow Exterminators. Family owned and operated by the Thomas Family since 1964, Arrow is the sixth largest pest control company in the United States and the 2nd largest privately held, ranked by revenue with revenues exceeding $225 Million. Emily is a member of the Thomas Family’s 3rd generation and has been in the business for more than 20 years. Her family and her team have aggressive plans to grow the business to over $300 Million in the next 3.5 years and $500 Million in the next 9.5 years.

“Growing up” in the family business gives Emily a unique perspective on what it’s like to be a woman in field service. What strikes her is the ability to stand out. “Obviously, you stand out because of your gender but the great thing is that as a result, it creates an opportunity to stand out because of your ability. You earn respect when others see how capable you are and frankly they lose interest in your gender and only focus on your abilities,” she says.

As field service companies look to foster diversity, Emily explains that it’s a delicate balance because you want to first focus on hiring right person for the job – but at the same time, if you aren’t intentional about diversity it won’t just miraculously happen. “Always hire the best person for the position but be intentional as it relates to adding diverse perspectives to your team. If you create a diverse team, you will have the ability to understand all aspects of a situation. If everyone is coming at the solution from the same point of view, you are likely to miss out on a large spectrum of the industry and culture,” she says. “At Arrow there are many women in leadership positions not because they are women but because they were the best person for that role. Female team members can provide insight into our customers and those making buying decisions for their households, they can provide detailed work, can multi-task and can be extremely creative. I am excited to see more females getting involved with our industry and serving in all facets of the business."

As you work to incorporate varying experiences, perspectives, and opinions, you have to be sure you are creating an environment in which they can be useful. “Foster a culture that is inclusive in all aspects and respects the input of all team members. A safe environment that allows the team to express their thoughts and this allows every team member to thrive,” says Emily. “Once someone is hired and spends time in the pest control industry, they usually fall in love with it. Retaining top talent is key to every company’s success. We spend a lot of time as a company continually working on our employer value proposition (EVP). This is basically the balance of the rewards and benefits that are received by employees in return for their performance at the workplace. This should be part of every company’s strategic planning. At Arrow, for every idea we implement regarding our revenue and profit growth, we try and implement a benefit for our team members as well. Whether it is tweaking an insurance plan we offer, or changing PTO policies or starting a wellness initiative, making our talent a priority is imperative for retention.”

Consider The Opportunities

While the pest industry, and even other field service industries, may not be the career path some of us have envisioned since Kindergarten, the reality is that there are vast opportunities in these industries. “The pest industry is robust and growing and needs quality people. There is a real opportunity for top tier people to advance quickly and make a real and lasting impact on the company and the industry. There are many professional groups in the pest control industry that allow for professional development and mentoring. It truly is a wonderful industry to be a part of,” says Emily. “When I tell others I am in the pest control industry, I always tell them it might not seem glamorous to you but each day I get to make a difference in the lives of the people I work with by providing support for their professional development. Our team is providing uncompromised service to our customers in protecting their family’s health and largest investment, their properties. That’s pretty damn glamourous in my eyes! We have had numerous females come through our intern program including an intern this past summer who decided through her experience with Arrow to minor in Entomology, and another who changed her degree to Marketing and plans to come back after graduation and work in our industry.”

What advice would a woman that is a long-time member of a male-dominated service industry provide to a woman just entering the industry? “There is no substitute for hard work and the sky is the limit. Learn all you can about the operations of the company and make yourself an indispensable part. Be willing to take chances and learn from all opportunities. Be willing to fail and make mistakes. The old saying, ‘you learn more from your failures than your successes’ is absolutely true,” says Emily.

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For the next in our series of women in field service, I sat down with Deni Naumann, President of Copesan Services and Interim President of Terminix Commercial and Elizabeth Johnson, Director of Marketing for Copesan Services and Director of Marketing, National Accounts, at Terminix Commercial. Both Deni and Elizabeth have some history in the pest industry, and manufacturing before that – Deni has been with Copesan for over 12 years and was in manufacturing for 28 years before that, including 16 years at S.C. Johnson. Elizabeth has been at Copesan for nine years and was in the food manufacturing industry prior.

Both Deni and Elizabeth were quick to point out that being a woman in field service has its advantages. “I think being a female in the pest management industry has been an advantage, because you stand out,” says Deni. “So whether it was at S.C. Johnson where I was one of their first female salespeople being in a male-dominated industry manufacturing cleaners, finishes and polymers; or, in the (pest management) industry which is still predominantly male-oriented, you, of course, need to communicate well and have strong business skills; and, ultimately, I think that you stand out.” While Elizabeth adds that you may have to work a bit harder as a woman in a male-dominated industry, it brings about experiences that are valuable. “Coming from food and food processing, it is also very male-dominated. You have to ask more questions and work a little harder, but – you’re unexpected, and to Deni's point, that’s an advantage because it puts you in the perfect position to learn, to push for more answers, and to make sure that you're engaged and involved at a different level.”

While both Deni and Elizabeth’s experiences have been largely positive, there’s no denying that there is still work to be done for women and men to be on level playing ground in field service. “Particularly in the pest industry, you face stereotypes like ‘girls are afraid of bugs’ or ‘girls are creeped out by rats,’” explains Deni. “We have an opportunity to help this industry break down some of those barriers and stereotypes by having competent women in operational roles.”

An Evolution Is Underway

As Deni reflects on her time in the industry, it is clear that change has begun. “If I look at when I joined the industry 12 plus years ago versus now, there are many, many more women at industry events who are in leadership roles at companies, serving on committees and involved in the National Pest Management Association. Many of these association committees are being led by women. In fact, the CEO of the National Pest Management Association is a female. There are more women in leadership roles that you will see not only at national or international companies, but local companies as well. Succession in a number of these independent privately-held companies is by daughters that are taking over the business for the family, which is awesome. This all shows progress,” she says.

To take this progress further, however, persistence is necessary. Deni and Elizabeth agree that one crucial step is for companies to take their blinders off. “I would say to any organization, you have to take your blinders off and look at your client base. If you are servicing the residential marketplace for pest management, as an example, over 85 percent of the decisions in a residential household for a pest management company are made by females. Mirror that! Look at your customers and see how you can reflect who your customers are,” Deni says. “Recognize the stereotypes that exist and open up your interviewing process to bring in candidates of all types. Not just females and males. Older candidates, younger candidates. People of color. Just think, ‘how can I make my organization better by bringing in smarter people, people that have diverse thought processes,who are of different ages?’ Let's face it, when you see a company that's all the same, it's typically because a person or the handful of people making those hiring decisions had blinders on.”

It’s important to consider how to start this evolution internally. “I think this process is a little bit contagious in a way,” says Elizabeth. “I think to attract top-performing women, you need to empower the ones you have. When I think back to 2010 when I interviewed at Copesan, one of the reasons I chose to come to work here was because half the people I met in leadership roles during the process were women.”

Organizations looking to embrace greater diversity have to understand that it takes action – it isn’t something you can passively achieve. “I recall from research I did a few years ago that while there’s a lot of lip service being paid to wanting to engage more women in the pest management industry, there isn’t much focused effort,” says Elizabeth. “You can’t just say it or wish for it and expect it to happen. You have to actually do something and put in place a strategic effort designed to attract women to your company.”

Immerse Yourself

If you’re a woman reading this who is beginning a career in field service, or really any industry, Deni and Elizabeth have some great advice for you. “Immerse yourself,” says Deni. “Absorb, absorb, absorb. Ask questions. Take every opportunity to learn what anyone offers you, even if it sounds a bit uncomfortable.” In fact, if it makes you uncomfortable, that may be a good sign. “We have all grown through experiences that first make us uncomfortable,” explains Elizabeth. “Don’t shy away from those experiences.”

Deni reflects on her own openness to experiences that led her to where she is today. “In my own career, being out in the field in Indiana as a salesperson, my gosh, what doors that has opened. Because of that experience, I feel like my appreciation for the client is of high sensitivity. I'm kind of client-obsessed, actually. Without that experience, I would never have had the opportunity to understand the initial stages of pest management or to get my Pesticide Applicator's license, without which I might have never had the opportunity to lead a fantastic organization like Copesan or to sell the company to a great company like ServiceMaster,” she says. And while it’s one thing to reflect back on successes and be glad you took opportunities, it’s the openness to new and different experiences that will help you attain that success. “You have to be open without knowing where you’re going to land,” says Elizabeth, “because when the opportunities are presented to you, there’s no way to guess the direction in which they’ll take you.” You also have to realize that you’ll have to make sacrifices. “Young career starters have to realize there will be sacrifices. You have to make choices – you can’t do everything. You might not have a perfect work/life balance,” says Deni. “You will face trade-offs at certain parts of your career, and that’s okay. Work/life integration is a more attainable goal than balance.”

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