Company History
Pest control has been a part of my life as long as I can remember. My dad, Jim Shockey, worked for Western Exterminator since before I was born. When I was old enough to write, I would anxiously await the 1st day of the month so I could fill out his 3-part service slips filling in his customers’ names and addresses for the month. I would organize and date his route cards for the month. I loved it! He paid me a couple of dollars which was nice, but I didn’t care about the money. I loved helping him. I knew the names of all his customers and my dad would share stories about many of them. My mom ran a home daycare business and was always supportive of my dad. Our family loved to hear stories of my dad’s pest encounters and the challenges he faced.
My dad grew tired of the limitations of working for a company. He had a heart for service and wanted to expand his customer base. He left Western Exterminators in 1979 and opened a branch of American City Pest Control. My mom and dad worked from our home in Torrance. My mom would answer the phones, handle billing, and quote prices while my dad was out servicing customers. Their business grew quickly; he had 5 routes within 1 year which meant 5 trucks and 5 employees. In 1983 my parents bought out the founder of American City Pest Control so they could expand their service region. They also purchased an office in Lawndale in order to accommodate their employees and service trucks. My parents worked hard every day. I would go to the office after school and help with customer service, phones, and billing. I loved the energy of the office. My parents would talk with the employees as they came in after a day of working in the field. My parents were so respectful and gracious with their employees; what an example of how to treat people!
My dad grew tired of the limitations of working for a company. He had a heart for service and wanted to expand his customer base. He left Western Exterminators in 1979 and opened a branch of American City Pest Control. My mom and dad worked from our home in Torrance. My mom would answer the phones, handle billing, and quote prices while my dad was out servicing customers. Their business grew quickly; he had 5 routes within 1 year which meant 5 trucks and 5 employees. In 1983 my parents bought out the founder of American City Pest Control so they could expand their service region. They also purchased an office in Lawndale in order to accommodate their employees and service trucks. My parents worked hard every day. I would go to the office after school and help with customer service, phones, and billing. I loved the energy of the office. My parents would talk with the employees as they came in after a day of working in the field. My parents were so respectful and gracious with their employees; what an example of how to treat people!
