Team
Home Defenders Termite & Pest Management Inc
Mike Nolan
Owner
Where did you grow up?
I was born in Quincy, IL, and grew up in nearby Jacksonville.
Did you want to be a pest professional when you were a kid?
No. Like many pest professionals, I had no clear career goals as a youngster... that’s partly why I got a job as a bug guy!
Having stated that, I love my work and can’t imagine doing anything else.
How did you get to California?
After I graduated from college in 1985, I didn’t want to live in a small Midwestern town, so I put some clothes and a sleeping bag on my motorcycle and drove to California, where I didn’t know a soul. Lacking money, I lived in a tent in the Los Padres National Forest, just outside Ojai.
For months I looked for a job—any job—and tried to get a foothold in my newly adopted state. Finally, in the spring of 1986, I got a pest control job in the San Bernardino Mountains for a whopping $5.00 an hour. My path to pest mastery had begun.
How did you feel about becoming a pest professional?
Well, I didn’t like spraying poisons, but I certainly enjoyed driving from job to job solving pest issues for customers. Being a Midwesterner, I like helping people, and I love the challenge of the work. Ridding homes of pests is like solving puzzles, and as a boy, I always enjoyed working on puzzles. I also loved working outdoors in a national forest.
Why did you start your own company?
In my early thirties, I became concerned that my life was going nowhere, and I decided that starting my own company would kick it into gear... which it did... and then some.
What’s it like starting a pest company?
Eighty-hour work weeks... questions with no answers... “How am I going to solve this problem?”... work, work, work... what’s a vacation?... “Well, I screwed up this time and I’m going to lose everything”... more work... “Wow, I can’t believe I got out of that jam!”... brutal lessons in the school of hard knocks... sleepless nights... money problems... “Thank you, Mike, for getting those awful rats out of my home!”
It was all worth it and I’ll never work for anyone else ever again.
What advice do you have for those who would start their own company?
Be careful what you wish for!
When do you plan to retire?
On the day I drop dead.
Gilberto Rios
20 Years Experience
He’s the team leader that keeps everything running smoothly.... his favorite food is his grandma’s cooking... that makes it tough for his wife... grabs live rats while wearing animal control gloves... who taught him that skill?... it wasn’t the boss because he wouldn’t touch a live rat with a ten-foot pole... isn’t that just common sense?... nevertheless, when there’s a live rat to be grabbed Gil gets the job done.... please don’t grab live rats... leave it to Gil.
Alfredo "Pollo" Moreno
18 Years Experience
He’s the strong silent type in a world that needs more of those... born in the USA, grew up in Mexico, lives in the USA, vacations in Mexico... he’s an international man of mystery... loves Indian food... a real customer favorite... “Hello, Home Defenders, can you send Alfredo to my home?”... the boss wants to clone him but that’s currently illegal... check back in a few years.
Pedro Salinas
8 Years Experience
He’s a fearless fellow who’s often seen on a ladder... not afraid of tight, dark crawl spaces either.... a real picky eater... only eats rice and plain naan at Indian restaurants... wishes the boss hadn’t taken him to an Indian restaurant... no one knows what food he likes... none apparently... gets to grumble all he wants ‘cause he does all the dirty work.
Mateo Ramon Gonzales “The Rookie” Adolfo Etrador
Two Seconds of Experience (He once crushed an ant playing with his fire truck)
He’s the new kid on the block... and the new kid on Earth... loves puppy dogs, hugs and kisses, and eating lint off the floor... he’s 20 pounds of pure chick magnet... wants to drive a work truck but his mommy won’t let him... gets lots of earaches and tummy aches... has issues with impulse control... the boss wants to fire him but workers are hard to find.
