With the economy in a recession, most businesses are doing all they can to cut back, but one Shawnee business has started to grow.
At Critter Control, 5632 Nieman Road, Tom Brungardt, owner, and his brother, Anthony Brungardt, director of sales, say they are approaching the recession with an entirely different mindset.
“Most businesses are saying ‘You know what, we need to save and be careful,’ but we said ‘No, we need to grow,’” Anthony Brungardt said. “If we can grow in a bad economy, think of what we can do in a good economy. And it’s worked; business is picking up.”
The business has been in Shawnee for nearly 20 years and specializes in wildlife damage control, whether it be from mice, rats, moles, snakes, squirrels, raccoons, bats or stinging insects.
The Shawnee location is just one of several Critter Control franchises across the nation. The franchise was started in 1982 in Michigan, and Tom Brungardt opened the 10th franchise when he opened the Shawnee office.
Tom Brungardt was a student at Emporia State University majoring in wildlife biology when he first heard about Critter Control and decided to open the office. With his parents living in Atchison, he decided the Kansas City suburbs would be a good place to locate his business.
The business not only takes care of the wildlife problem in the most humane way possible, it repaires the damage.
“It’s real important that we integrate management in the work we do,” Tom Brungardt said. “We do full-house inspections to findout where is the animal getting in, where are thevulnerable spots.”
Over the years, Tom Brungardt ran into so many instances of an animal getting into an attic and completely destroying it that he began to offer insulation replacement and repair services five years ago.
Now the business and several other franchise locations are offering a secondary service, Eco-Wise Insulation, using TAP Pest Control Insulation. The fire-resistant insulation is made of recycled material and includes pest-repelling chemicals.
The insulation also is able to reduce heating and cooling costs by up to 30 percent.
“It feels good to be able to provide this and leave people with extra money in their pockets,” Anthony Brungardt said.
Critter Control has been promoting this new service through direct mailing, but the big factor in growing the business is customer contacts, Anthony Brungardt said: getting out and meeting with clients.
“We’re getting out with the people, spending a lot of time talking, going to former clients,” Tom Brungardt said. “And a lot of that is stirring people to say ‘Yeah, let’s get this checked out.’”
The business has hired four new employees in the last four months, and they plan to expand business into Miami, Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties. The Brungardt brothers say it’s all about a positive mindswitch.
“When things are tough, push, and that’s the whole approach we’re taking, and it’s working,” Anthony Brungardt said.
Critter Control can be contacted at 962-9200. More information can be found at crittercontrol.com.
