Click the link below to listen to Chip Dewey and Brock Dewey discuss Dewey Pest Control’s company history and service offering. The interview was conducted by David James in partnership with KRLA 870 AM News Radio. The radio segment is called Company Spotlight.
Below is the audio file and the transcript.
Transcription
Interview with Chip Dewey & Brock Dewey – KRLA 870 AM
[00:00:04] Hello 870 KRLA The Answer, it’s David James. Well what a real privilege to have two gentlemen here that have represented small business with family and small business all throughout Southern California like 1929. Jennifer Horn represents and endorses this company here and what we love about the spotlight is the weekend. We have 60 second ads for companies and families here on KRLA. But now we can dive right into a 25 minute program and know what exactly they are all about and doing pest control. Founded by Ray I’m doing in 1929 just a one man shop. Since then has flourished into an organization a business of hundreds of technicians crew workers inspectors fumigator whose office support and personnel.
In July 1977 Stephen Dewey purchased Dewey Pest Control from its father and established our present name Dewey Services Inc. 32 distinct offices across California and I have the privilege of having two of Stephen’s sons Brock Dewey and Chip Dewey here truly want to California as heritage companies and they are here Brock and Chip. Thank you for being part of our KLRA family. [Chip] Thank you. [Brock] Thanks Dave it’s great to be here. Now what’s it like to be brothers and to have involved in a company for this long. I mean are you guys still like still fire. No no no no full time referees. You know in the main office you don’t have good finger fighting or anything going on in public. Yeah.
[David] Guys 1929 your grandfather started the company?
[00:01:40] [Brock] He did right in the middle of the depression known as the depression was starting he was a door to door salesman and he was selling items you know as a door to door salesman well they included moth crystals and little traps to bait for ants. And that evolved into having clients ask him to put them out at their homes and businesses. And then we already nine years later. But that’s really how the pest control industry started let alone doing pest control.
[00:02:23] [David] Now how did your grandfather do you know the back story. Did he always want to be like a pest control guy?
[Brock] You know he grew up on a on a homestead up in Montana and I think he was just you know those were really tough times during the Depression. He was looking you know to survive and make a living. And he was doing everything you could. And you know that’s how he got into a good company selling their products and just devolved into doing pest control. Yeah well he saw a need. I mean it’s an entrepreneur dogs right.
[David] Right. And he stood up and filled it and to do that during the Great Great Depression.
[Brock] Exactly. I think it’s a business that survives depressions obviously and good times and bad times because people need help with their pests and having them controlled. And we’re happy to help that. That’s why we skipped to work everyday.
[David] You know you go to the Web site Duey pass dot com. You just scroll down that front page the home page right here scroll down. [00:03:13] You see a picture of your grandfather right there in front of what appears to be the workshop or something of the shed Quonset hut the Quonset once it has a cancer. Yeah. Yeah and they’ve got the trucks and everything lined up and all the techs and everything there. I mean you look at this picture and you think it’s history. I mean you know I mean it’s pretty amazing to be part of such a heritage.
[Chip] Amazing. You know that’s[ that that picture that you’re looking at was our very first office at branch number one still there it’s still you know one of our top branches and still has all that heritage. The Quonset huts were built to last. It’s still there. How about that one. What a story. Sure.
[David] Holy smokes that is incredible. We have a bit of the vehicles from the A. Yeah. Yeah. You go to the trucks and everything just the vintage throwback and you see the pictures from the 40s you think we think some of it based on the vehicles. Yeah based on the vehicles behind it. Well God push your grandfather being the entrepreneur that he was. So how in the history did branch out from one to two to three to four to five now 32 different offices across Southern California?
[Chip] So when our dad took over there were three locations there is Los Angeles Palm Springs and there it was Van Eyes were the were the three offices. My dad at that point took it from three offices up to 28 or 29 I believe and we’re up to 32 right now.
[David]You’re the largest family owned in Southern California in California and one of the largest in the nation.
[00:04:43] [Brock]Yes David as time goes by so what happens is there are other competitors other family businesses that don’t have successors are a good succession plan they end up having to sell the business and most of the old time companies here in California who have sold out the companies that are an out of state or out of the country.
[David] Right. And you’re doing something right. I mean to be able to do this 89 years and to have branched out and done what you do and continue to do in past control is simply staggering it’s a success story. It really is. How does that make you feel as the grandsons of the founder?
[Chip] I mean it’s pretty impressive. It’s interesting that when our grandfather was very sick in those last few days we asked him what what can we do for you and we’re thinking more in terms of can we get you something. And his reply was Just take care of the company you know and so that was his that was his baby. And so you know we feel that we have a responsibility to make sure that we not only continue that legacy but pass it on and we’re doing just that. Brocks oldest son is running our Santa Monica branch right now so the next generation is coming up.
[00:06:01] [David] How about that. How does that make you feel Brock? [Brock] I’m a proud, proud man.
[David] We’ve got Brock in chip Dewey and Dewey pest control services 1929 being taken care of Southern California and the critters around the house. And right now you can take. In honor of AoM 870 you can take eighty seven dollars off any maintenance package that you sign up for in their different maintenance packages you’ve got right.
[00:06:23] [David] Dewey offers monthly every other month quarterly and that’s what really separates Duey from the competition. Most of the competition offers just two choices one choice and every other month a quarterly Dewey tries to tailor make the services to fit the needs of you. So the phone number is 800-209-0900 again 800-209-0900 DeweyPest.com now meet the needs that you’ve got. Eighty seven dollars off any maintenance plan right now. And here in California I mean termite. I grew up in northern New England. We now have any issue with termites here. Termites seem to be everywhere. We’re going to talk about the different parts that pest control needs. You might have to call them 800-209-0900 Brock and Chip. Let’s talk about termites for a second.
[David] Is this the perfect climate for termite?
[Chip] They like to eat and they eat a lot more than we do. They eat 24/7 and that’s why they can be unchecked cause so much damage to homeowners and so it’s really a good idea. As a homeowner or a business owner or to have your home or business checked on a regular basis for termites and what kind of termites 24/7 they don’t stop right there they don’t know if it’s day or night. It’s awful dark inside those galleries you know so they don’t really have a need for ice because it’s complete darkness.
[00:07:51] [Brock] They don’t know it today. They don’t know if it’s night. They just eat. That’s their job and they’re eating our house or eating cellulose fruiting wood. And so if we don’t take care of them they just keep eating and are going to cause serious damage to our home. What kinds of.
[David] There’s an awful lot of marketing that goes on with all the different kinds of ways of ridding termites. What are your thoughts on for our KLRA family on ridding those termites. What’s your philosophy what’s your philosophy on termites.
[Brock] Well let’s talk about termites some more go into more detail so here in Southern California we have two main types that are the most destructive. We have dry wood termites and we have subterranean termites subterranean termites are called that because they need contact with the soil and that’s where they get their moisture. She’ll see them building a little shelter tubes out of mud so that they keep the humidity at just the right spot for them. The other type is dry wood termites. You’ll see evidence of those around your home that look like beach sand you’ll see it on window sills floors and that type of thing. Those are dry wood termites. If you want to talk about how to how to control those we can go into more detail but it’s important to know the difference and that’s where our experts come in. What should they be looking for actually to know for sure that they might as well as the crawling around like ants as well. You can see swarms and that’s generally the telltale sign that a particular structure has has termites.
[00:09:24] [Chip] You’ll see this warmers inside or outside in a you know spider web windowsill but there’s other signs as well. There is no dry wood pellets there’s mud tubes like Brock Ed had mentioned and but some of it you know you really do need a trained eye in order to find. And that’s where we come in.
[David]And that’s where part of the maintenance plan is. Does it include?
[Chip] Well we do offer that we do offer a homeowner protection policy and in what that is it’s an insurance policy for your home. And so rather than you know paying for a fumigation which you know can be expensive we cover that hole for a fumigation if it if need be or localized treatment as well.
[David] And right now eighty seven dollars off any maintenance plan and that’s what you have different plants three months six months a year. Tell us about the different mean it’s eighty seven dollars off any maintenance plan to get them started. Absolutely.
[Chip] And normally that’s you know we do have an initial charge and that’s a set up fee to get them going from that point forward and then we do offer a monthly every other month and quarterly service [David] 800-209-0900 it’s 800-209-0900. You can click do we pass dot com. Again 800-209-0900. It’s Dave James along with Brocken and Chip Dewey and we’re talking about pest control in Southern California and California’s largest pest control family owned business right here since 1929 the heritage that this company has been serving us as Californians 800-209-0900.
[00:11:06] [David] Along with termites are you do ever you’re talking about when your grandfather started Dewey in 1929 he saw a need and were setting up traps in these hot sticky traps and all these things what pest control services does it does. Do we offer now.
[Brock] Well let’s go into detail. There was talk about insects let’s talk about cockroaches. Let’s talk about ants spiders rats mice earwigs silverfish you know whatever bugs. Oh you brought up the B word bedbugs. Very very significant problem these days. Bedbugs have come back a lot of the materials that we used to use back back in the day back in back in Grampa time aren’t available to us anymore because they weren’t terribly environmentally friendly but now we’ve got bedbugs back and travelers really do need to beware of picking them up and bringing them home because they’re not easy to control.
[David] And you rid the home of all of those critters. I mean every pass that we can conceive that we have for having issues seen and unseen it’s important as homeowners that we really quite frankly protect our investment. Absolutely. It’s usually someone’s biggest investment at make in their life. And it is important. Now do you offer. Like if there’s people listening in the KLRA family right now who have commercial properties who own apartment buildings you address that as business is concerned.
[Chip] Absolutely we’re specialists in restaurants. We do an awful lot of work in the food processing arena slaughterhouses indeed warehouses. You know just about every business in just about every business or service out there.
[00:12:50] [David] In addition to homes they all have a need for pest control at one point or another and we’re here to help 800-209-0900 it’s 800-209-0900you can click do we deweypest.com we pass dot com. Let’s talk about I mean you you guys grew up in in the family in the in the heritage of of doing in the shadow of your grandfather your father purchasing from your grandfather. Do you have any anecdotes from the years that you’ve been in when you when you were growing up being boys stories about but you’ve not shared before as far as growing up Dewey with Dewey passed?
[Brock] Well some of it’s pretty gross I don’t know how much detail you want me to get into. Go ahead. Fun story my earliest memories was having a steam cleaner or a steam cleaner is it. It’s under pressure and pressure shoots top water out. It’s one of my jobs was steam cleaning rat traps used rat traps and one little secret code on the subject of Rat is that the more you use them the better the better job is because of the odors and whatnot on there. But then that’s one of my fun stories because the right there is good times man. Boy if you think nothing about a kid wants to do more than go down to the shop and steam sight it’s certainly a every complaint about your job at McDonald’s. All right. All right come on. ChipDewey what’s here is you’ve got a story here for us. Come on man. [Chip] Any opportunity he could have ruined my hands was there no windows about 800-209-0900.
[00:14:21] Again eighty seven dollars off any maintenance plan. Talk about the mission of the company. Talk about the mission in the core of what has kept Dewey going for 89 years. We’ve got to get to arch Pinault to business men speechless.
[Brock] No no no no. It’s really about helping people with their problems and quite honestly us being third generations in the business. I think we do everything we can to keep the reputation of the business at at the highest level possible. You know we want to do the right thing and we want to help people. You know if you go on our Web site and you watch some of the videos we have now one of our managers says be slow to say no. Because people people are usually at the end of the rope by the time they call us in that they’ve got they’ve got a problem that they can’t take care of themselves right and they need help. And that’s probably the biggest satisfaction I get from being in this business is that we help people everyday.
[Chip] When we started from the ground and we’ve held just about every position in this company and that’s the best way to really get our arms around any business. And so you know both Brock Dewey and I I mean you pretty much name it we’ve done it. And I think that is a huge contributor to the success of our company but it really boils down to our people. We have some phenomenal people out there that have been with us for years and years.
[00:15:48] [Chip] As a matter of fact next week Brock and I are going to be cooking for two of our employees at different locations that are celebrating their 30 plus years working with doing pest control.
[Brock] I think once a 30 year anniversary in Los Angeles and there’s a 40 year and up in Fresno you know people don’t just stick around with companies just to stick around.
[David] I mean obviously I mean that that’s again a precedent that you’ve set in holding a standard up for not only your employees but being able to 89 years be able to work in Southern California and then spread throughout the state. I mean that’s testament to the hard work that you are dedicated to not only to your employees which you’re talking about cooking for them but having you know 89 years of a heritage of working in Southern California and now the whole state. I mean that’s testament to you guys. I mean just be a firm that way and obviously things to the mission that you’ve got to make sure that our KLRA listeners are taking care of precedent and obviously you take care of your employees.
[David] What are you cooking?
[Chip] Have you figured out what you’re cooking your employees the burgers. No you’re wrong. Stay right there. I think asado for one. Yeah. All right. So what’s going to be good no matter where I’ve got a free calendar and I think KLRA family does too 800-209-0900 is the phone number you can click Duey pass dot com eighty seven dollars off any maintenance plan right now.
[00:17:21] [David] 800-209-0900 If you if you call right now at 80 800-209-0900or click Duey pass dot com and let them know you’re hearing the program here on Carol. I’ve got Brock and Chip Dewey here. David James. And let’s just talk about the elephant in the room Brock you brought this up talking about chemicals used back in the day that can’t be used now and bedbugs have come to come back with a vengeance. Talk chemicals in protection of our kids of our pets. Yet they are effective in ridding the past from our home.
[Brock] Well we’ve been in business for 89 years and a lot a lot has changed over 89 years and it’s changed for the better because we’re using safer products that are more environmentally friendly and have less impact on us humans or our pets. For example when I started back in let’s call it in the 1970s 1980s when we when we applied a material it was actually a repellent. It would last. It was persistent and it would last but the whole point was to set up a barrier between your home and the insects. The products we use now are low dosage the insects are not repelled and they just pick up the materials and take it back and die. So we’re using a lot less material support pinpoint as well. I mean and the analogy is you know the military with you know carpet bombing versus precision you know why he argues that there is no right.
[Brock] But it’s exactly it more pinpoint and really taking our time and inspecting as well. Talk about rodenticides now you know it’s a huge problem with protected animals and animals that humans really need to look after big big animals. And so we’re not just putting out rodenticides anymore.
[00:19:10] [Chip] We put out detectors it’s called. But it’s not non-lethal it’s just to see if the rodents are present and then we can pinpoint and go after them. So we’re doing everything we can to preserve that it’s really a science to a responsible approach really. And so we’re not putting in bait unless there is activity of rodents. So you actually come up with a strategy of breeding depending upon the need. Right. And it’s it’s not about. You’re absolutely right. And it’s not just about the material we put out we use an integrated approach.
[David] You know we try to exclude them and obviously inspect before we treat anything. And it is very scientific as you said 800-209-0900 it’s 800-209-0900 Do we pass dot com. We’ve talked about what makes Dewey different I mean family owned in California eighty nine years. Have you thought about it. Have you thought about going national?
[Chip] Well you know every every company has their specialty specialty is California right. Because I mean well in that.
[David] Yeah. And that’s awesome. I mean it’s worked well eighty nine years and you’ve not been bought. I think that’s just extraordinary. You guys have stayed a family owned business for eighty nine years and we’ve obviously grown as we mentioned 32 locations throughout the state.
[Brock] You know we try to be local to the communities where we are. That means we’re not driving as far as we can get to get to more quickly and try to leverage that to the best of our ability and you minimize cost that way. We do our best.
[00:20:46] [David] Absolutely. And these days you know that a lot of that is so important and being able to stay afloat. You know obviously again that’s something that you guys have done and continue to do. And it’s not easy if it was easy everyone would be in business 90 year right. Yeah.
[David] Specially in our state. [Brock] I think our aim 870 family would say yeah we get that we do have protocols in place so that we see that we don’t miss anything right because it is easy to get distracted things come up you interact with the clients. But we do have a protocol and it’s really effective for Pharmacia right 90 years almost.
[Chip] Interesting story. I was reading years ago about a company out there that was run by teenagers and it’s one of the largest companies in the world and that’s McDonald’s. And so how is it that you know one of the largest corporations can be run by teenagers. It’s because they had protocols in place you could get the same burger. You know Los Angeles has you could in London and with our protocols you can get the exact same service you can in Chula Vista as you can in Chieko all over the state. And again it’s tailored to the specific needs.
[David] Absolutely. Each harvester that calls you. It’s not just what you call it. I love that.
[00:22:00] [David] Now it was great analogy with the carpet bombing thing as opposed to streamlining and focusing in on the task and the minute that remains just share on why our families should call you to take advantage of that 87 dollar mean it’s plan and you know what your goal and your passion is again in a minute. Share both of you. What what your what your thoughts are for our AM 870 family to call you?
[Chip] Well we’re a family business and so I mean we that’s what we do. We take care of families and we also take care of businesses here and there is a difference there truly is a difference between pest control companies out there and you know we all pretty much drive the same vehicles you know wear the same uniforms but really the difference is what happens when there’s a problem and you know we strive for same day service. You know when you call a Dewey Pest Control branch you’re not calling out of state or out of the country you’re actually calling your local branch. And so there’s more of a personalized service. We believe in running it that way.
[Brock] Right now we don’t believe in call centers. We don’t believe in voicemail as much as it can be avoided. And it’s all about helping people with their problems. You know we’ve lived in Southern California our entire lives we’ve lived in California our entire lives and it’s not if it’s when you’re gonna come up with it with the issue you can’t solve it yourself. And we want to be here to help.
[David] Well eighty nine years guys I mean and going strong. Highly recommend. And and Jennifer Horn of course representing you officially here on this L.A. Jennifer Horn She’s so on Jennifer’s past as well as mine. Eighty seven dollar off any maintenance plan right now and called do let them earn your business. Eighty nine years. Right.
[00:23:48] [David] o in that amount of time you’re talking about Jennifer but we actually know her father we’ve worked for her father and that’s what happens with our clients.
[Brock] We actually have multi generations multi just like our family. We have families that have been through generation after generation with us.
[David] Well no reason not to call Dewey Pest Control local all throughout Southern California and the state northern California 32 off to 16. Here in Southern California called it doing 800-209-0900 and again call 800-209-0900
So just think of all the pests you’ve got around your house. Get rid of them! Eighty seven dollars off any maintenance plan doesn’t matter which one you sign up for you take eighty seven dollars off your service. Call 800-209-0900
