2021: A Year in Review
As 2021 comes to an end, it is difficult not to glance in the rearview mirror to see where we’ve been. The spring and summer seasons are so hectic it’s challenging to look past the day-to-day stress to see the big picture. So, here we are once again, with an opportunity to highlight a few events in our “bug world.”
One of our greatest highlights of 2021 came early in the year as we welcomed our daughter, Becky, and her family home from active duty in the Coast Guard. In one crazy long weekend, we helped Becky and Matt pack up their home in coastal Maine and travel the eastern seaboard to bring them back for their next adventure. Fortunately for us, that included Becky working in the family business as our office manager.
In the weeks following Becky’s arrival, she and our long-time scheduler, Larie, were tasked with creating new accounts for the customers who came to Universal Pest Control from Jeremy’s Pest Control. This was no small task, but with their effort, our new customers were welcomed and the transition was nearly seamless. Becky and Larie accomplished all of this in March, one of the busiest months of the year.
Shortly after acquiring these new accounts, it became apparent that Larie would need a job that allowed her to work from home. As this just wasn’t practical, she left UPC in April to care for an aging family member.
Even with Natalie back in the office helping Becky stay caught up with scheduling and all the other office activities, from April to September it was rather frantic! In September, our customers were greeted by a new voice on the phone when Maggie joined our team. The timing was pretty good as the workload lightens up in the fall and has allowed Maggie to get comfortable before the busy spring season. It helps that she’s worked in the pest control industry in the past and knows what to expect.
October brought one more unexpected challenge much as we experienced in March. We had the opportunity to purchase the accounts of Habitat for Humanity of Flagler. This was a natural fit since we have had a similar relationship with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Volusia County for over twenty years. It placed a significant demand on Becky and Maggie to once again set up new accounts. They did a fantastic job and again made an efficient transition for the customers.
Of course, the end result of all the work done by the office staff was much more work for the field staff! TJ, Chris, and Jacob performed all the heavy lifting on the pest control and termite side of the business while Craig and Tim focused on our lawn and shrub care services. We’ve asked a lot of our team this year, and they’ve all gone above and beyond. We couldn’t be more proud of everyone on our team. Judging by the number of online reviews that came in this year, our customers are happy too!
It feels difficult to express the proper appreciation for the hard work and dedication these individuals bring to the Universal Pest Control family. Thanks are also due to our many customers who keep us going every day. Thank you for your loyalty and for allowing us to help you.
We wish you all the best this holiday season,
Todd and Natalie Stebleton
Todd Stebleton is the owner and operator of Universal Pest Control, a family-owned business for over 25 years in Ormond Beach, Florida. He and his wife Natalie are proud to have built a company focused on conducting business with honesty and integrity: keeping customers first, protecting the environment, and providing trustworthy, personal service.
Universal: Honest, Environmentally Friendly Pest Control
