When you put our pest-besting pros to the test, they stand above the rest. We’re thrilled to announce that our very own, Mike Pugliese, has been named the 2020 Residential Technician of the Year by Pest Control Technology.
The distinguished annual award is designed to honor the achievements of the pest control industry’s finest service professionals.
“Terminix Service, Inc. is a family-oriented company,” said Rion Cobb, vice president of human services, Terminix Service, Inc. “That goes well beyond simply being a family-run company, but rather in how we seek to develop our culture to be a family of people working together. We’re all proud to have Mike as part of that family. The work he does, the dedication he’s shown, the way he passes those skills on to the next generation and helps bring up new leaders with him is critical to who we are and how we take care of our customers.”
Pugliese is a veteran pest management professional who has been with Terminix Service, Inc. for 26 years after relocating to North Carolina from New York in 1994. His exceptional professionalism and passion for serving the customers in the Hendersonville, N.C. branch office have earned him the title of the “unofficial mayor of Saluda.”
“Do your job as best you can, be conscientious in everything you do, take a little bit of pride, and learn how to work customer service,” said Pugliese. In the end, Pugliese says everything he does is about helping his clients. “At the end of every service appointment, I feel like I’ve given them the best that I can. They feel they got great service and that I respect their property.”
It’s safe to say that we’re all ready to turn the page on 2020 in the hopes of brighter times ahead, and that includes our Palmetto State college football programs. Week 14 of this wacky college football season saw the Clemson Tigers and South Carolina Gamecocks take the field albeit with very different results.
Clemson took their #3 ranked squad on the road to Blacksburg, Virginia into battle against the Virginia Tech Hokies. This contest started out with the Tigers and Hokies trading field goals and touchdowns before Clemson broke away in the third quarter and cruised to a convincing 45-10 victory. While it was a solid effort on both sides of the ball for the Tigers, freshman linebacker, LaVonta Bentley took home Terminix Pest Player of the Game with four tackles and 1.5 sacks.
Playing the final game of a season they’d soon like to forget, South Carolina traveled to Lexington, Kentucky to take on the University of Kentucky Wildcats. It was another tough night for the Gamecocks who stayed close through the first quarter but ultimately couldn’t keep pace with Kentucky, losing by a final score of 41-18. Running back, Kevin Harris finished off a productive sophomore season, rushing for 210 yards and one touchdown, and earned his fourth honor this season as Terminix Pest Player of the Game.
Hear the calls from Saturday’s action in the tweets below.
When we look back on 2020, we will remember it as the year many people sheltered in place from a global pandemic and stayed home for work long afterward. In the spring, our home was a safe haven from COVID-19 during the quarantine. Months later, it continued as an office for so many people. This increased time at home has created a new awareness of the pest pressures that maybe went unnoticed until now.
Recently, the Post and Courier-Myrtle Beach spoke to our Pee Dee Region Manager Minh Nguyen, to learn more about how Terminix is meeting the needs of this increased customer demand for both primary and protecting homes against pests, without the need to treat inside. “We have seen more of an increase in demand because more people are at home,” Nguyen said, adding there was about a 15 percent shift from customers requesting inside treatment to outside treatment.
Nguyen said he was a bit surprised that even though tourism was down along the coast, vacation and second-home owners still requested service to their properties.
“We assumed that we might see a decrease in those services here on the coast because a lot of them are rental properties and if people aren’t coming and renting, they’re not going to need service,” Nguyen said. “For the most part, that hasn’t really been true for us. The homeowners still want to take care of the property, whether they have renters or not.”
Week 13 is in the books and the trend for 2020 continues. The Tigers were able to bounce back with a convincing win at home against Pittsburgh after being forced to think about the loss to Notre Dame for an extra week following a last-minute cancellation by Florida State due to COVID concerns. Meanwhile, the Gamecocks lost their fifth game in a row as they were unable to get a win at home on senior night against Georgia.
The Pittsburgh Panthers traveled to Death Valley and the game was never in doubt as the Clemson Tigers jumped out to a 31-0 lead in the first quarter. The number three ranked Tigers made a statement, winning 52-17, scoring more than fifty points for the second time this season. Freshman cornerback, Malcom Greene earned Terminix Pest Player of the Game honors.
Even though the Gamecocks fell short of the win, senior tight end, Nick Muse made the most of his last game at Williams Brice Stadium by having a career night, earning him this week’s Terminix Pest Player of the Game honors.
Hear the calls from Week 13 action in the tweets below.
Whether you live in a detached home, townhome, or duplex where you share a wall, bed bugs make bad neighbors. This is why it is vital to trust the professionals when dealing with a bed bug infestation rather than trying to treat it yourself.
Our Board Certified Entomologist and Technical Director Kevin Hathorne recently spoke to The Mountaineer to explain why bed bugs are especially difficult to get rid of and how Terminix has a range of treatment options depending on the severity of the issue.
Welcome to Best That Pest! Watch as two pest-besting pros face off to see who’s above the rest. Go ahead, put your knowledge to the test!
When it comes to pest control, don’t leave anything to chance. With more than 70 years of knowledge and expertise, Terminix knows how to best any pest.
Just when you thought things couldn’t get stranger, 2020 strikes again! Following a bye last week, the Clemson Tigers were set to return to action in Tallahassee against Florida State, but the game would end up being postponed about an hour prior to kickoff due to concerns with COVID.
In Columbia, the South Carolina Gamecocks were trying to break a three-game losing streak, facing off against the Missouri Tigers. This game didn’t start off in the right direction, as interim head coach Mike Bobo and the Gamecocks started slowly and found themselves trailing 17-0 at halftime. The Gamecocks showed some life in the second half behind freshman quarterback Luke Doty. South Carolina climbed to within seven points in the fourth quarter, but their comeback was denied and Missouri would take this contest by a final score of 17-10. Doty showed much promise in his first college action and was rewarded with the Terminix Pest Player of the Game.
Hear the call from Week 12 action in the tweet below.
To say this has been a challenging college football season is quite an understatement, and Week 11 just continued that same storyline. While the Clemson Tigers were on a bye following a tough overtime loss at Notre Dame, the South Carolina Gamecocks traveled to Oxford, Mississippi looking to get back in the win column against the Mississippi Rebels.
In a wild, high-scoring affair, which saw the lead change hands ten times, it was South Carolina’s defense that couldn’t make the key defensive stops when it mattered most. After the Gamecocks took a 42-38 lead less than three minutes into the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs reeled off 21 straight points, winning the game by a final score of 59-42.
With so much scoring, it’s only natural that the Terminix Pest Player of the Game would go to a player on the offensive side of the ball. And this week’s recognition went to sophomore running back Kevin Harris, who tried to carry South Carolina to victory behind 243 yards rushing and five touchdowns.
Hear the call for the Terminix Pest Players of the Game from Week 11 action in the tweets below.
The fact that Week 9 of the college football season fell on Halloween was rather ironic. While the South Carolina Gamecocks rested at home during a bye week, the Clemson Tigers ended up getting spooked in Death Valley!
The Tigers put their undefeated record and top spot in the national rankings on the line against the visiting Eagles from Boston College. Without the services of starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence, Clemson found itself playing from behind throughout the first half, as the Eagles raced to 21-7 lead following a defensive touchdown. The second half was a different story, as Clemson’s defense locked down the Eagles and the Tiger’s offense came to life with three second-half touchdowns. Clemson avoided a big upset scare, winning by a final score of 34-28. As a key part of that strong defensive effort that helped seal the victory, freshman defensive lineman, Bryan Bresee, earned Terminix Pest Player of the Game honors.
Although South Carolina was idle, Gamecock’s coaches made selections for the Terminix Pest Player of the Game for the season’s first half. Taking home the first-half hardware were running back Kevin Harris and cornerback Jaycee Horn.
Hear the calls for the Terminix Pest Players from Week 9 action in the tweets below.
Halloween may look a little different this year, but we’re still in the mood for a spooky surprise!
As a treat, we’re throwing it back to our Fright Night with Terminix video last year, where we replaced Halloween candy with crickets and filmed some priceless reactions! Take a look at all the fun and festivities from 2019.
Ready to face your fall pest fears? Call in the experts at Terminix for a free inspection today.