Borate
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| Bryan Cooksey III, President, McCall Service Inc. |
It’s an all too familiar story: unable to compete in the historically price-driven pretreat business, many companies have cut their losses, deciding to focus efforts elsewhere.
That was the case with McCall Service Inc., one of Florida’s finest pest control companies, says President Bryan Cooksey III, at least temporarily. “”We had gotten out of the pre-treat marker because it simply wasn’t profitable and we determined applying termiticide at a diluted rate was unreliable,” he said. But Cooksey didn’t give up entirely. “We always kept an eye on the market in the event we could identify a product that could provide the necessary termite protection and still be priced profitably. We’ve identified such a product in Bora-Care”.
PRETREAT PAY DIRT
Recently, McCall has hit pay dirt, so to speak, by switching to a termiticide that, ironically, doesn’t even touch dirt. The company now uses Bora-Care for its termite pretreatments, both as a stand alone and in combination with baits and liquids.
“We had walked away from the pre-treat market, but we’re back because we think borates combined with baits create an opportunity to protect a customer’s home profitably again.” Cooksey says borates can be used in combination with baits for many types of jobs. “Treating the wood surface with Bora-Care, in combination with a baiting program to identify future problems, should they arise, is an excellent option for pest management professionals,”” he said.
BORATE BENEFITS
Cooksey sees a number of important benefits in using Bora-Care. ”It’s effective, easy to apply and there are no soil contamination issues associated with the product, which is very important in these environmentally sensitive times,” he said. The five-year damage and repair warranty offered by Nisus also makes the product attractive. “It’s a solid choice,” Cooksey said.
Furthermore, the product is less costly than traditional termiticides and it’s convenient to use, Cooksey noted. McCall’s technicians especially appreciate this benefit. “They simply spay the sill plates, cross beams and windowsills with the product,” he explained. The Jacksonville-based company uses a light dye so technicians can see where they’ve applied the product, thereby ensuring they don’t miss any areas.
Treating the wood as opposed to the soil makes sense, Cooksey explained. “By treating the surface of the wood rather than the dirt, there’s less chance the wood will be penetrated by termites,” he said. “If you’re treating the dirt, there’s a significant opportunity for the treated zone to be altered during construction, resulting in control failures.”
BUILDERS AND CONSUMERS WIN
Convincing builders to think about termites isn’t always easy. It requires a bit of education to create this “paradigm shift in the mind of the builder, Cooksey notes. To accomplish this, he has hired one person who is fully dedicated to approaching builders about using borates for pre-treat work. Once they’re sold, however, builders like the convenience of Bora-Care “It opens up a larger window of time to treat the structure and you’re less likely to encounter problems with the treated area being altered at a later date,” he explained.
What’s more, he said, borates help secure the builder’s loyalty because they’re inexpensive and easy to apply. And for consumers the product provides excellent long-term protection. “It’s a win-win for everybody,” Cooksey said.
Cooksey hopes to market the product by offering three levels of protection against termites; First, by pre-treating the structure with Bora-Care and baits combined with a chemical spot treatment. Then, by upgrading the service with baits to monitor termite activity and serve as an early-warning system for a possible infestation. And third, by using both defense and offence instead of being one-sided in approaching termite control.
Cooksey likes the combination approach because he believes there’s no one product offering all the bells and whistles necessary for every account. “Consumers are demanding for more options you can package together, the more attractive it is to the consumer.”
THE BOTTOM LINE
Cooksey also has great faith in Bora-Care’s effectiveness. “We wouldn’t be selling this service if we didn’t think it worked,” he said. “We’ve staked our name on providing quality service and we wouldn’t jeopardize that reputation for anything.”
But even though Cooksey’s finally cracked the touch pre-treat market, he’s not stopping there. By offering a high-quality pretreatment service, Cooksey hopes to win over customers for the long-term. “ We don’t just want their pre-treat business,” Cooksey said. “We want to be there five years down the road growing our customers’ business, and growing our profitability as well.”
More information:
- Borates Boast a Legendary Track Record
- Borates: a "Solid Choice" for the Pretreat Market
- Agencies, Builders Recognize Bora-Care's Benefits
