HOMETOWN PROTECTION: A TOVAR PUTS YOUR PESTS TO REST

August 18, 2011
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From left, Eddie Lemus, Yolanda Vazquez and owners Elsa and Luis Tovar make up part of the A Tovar Termite and Pest Control Team, which has proudly served the four-country area for the past 18 years.

From left, Eddie Lemus, Yolanda Vazquez and owners Elsa and Luis Tovar make up part of the A Tovar Termite and Pest Control Team, which has proudly served the four-country area for the past 18 years.

When the Defense Department scaled back its orders of C-17 military transport aircraft in the early 1990s, Luis Tovar, a loyal McDonnell Douglas employee of three years, was out of a job.

“I was one of about 30,000 workers who were let go,” Luis said.

The timing couldn’t have been worse.

“I had just bought a house and a new truck, and then I was without a job,” Luis added.

But he wasn’t without common sense. He decided to start a pest control and abatement service, a trade he learned before he decided he wanted to help build big transport planes. Acting quickly, he retooled his truck and outfitted it with a commercial sprayer and started soliciting accounts. In a month, he won a contract to exterminate pests for a large school district.

“Losing my job was the best thing to happen to me,” Luis said. “Getting laid off was a jolt, but right around the corner something better is waiting for you.”

Victor points up to some dry rot under the eaves of a Montclair home.

Victor points up to some dry rot under the eaves of a Montclair home.

Victor points up to some dry rot under the eaves of a Montclair home.

In Luis’s case, millions of pests and rodents were waiting for him in the form of ants, fleas, cockroaches, crickets, termites, rats, field mice and gophers.

His wife, Elsa, also cushioned the blow of his losing his job. She worked as a Family Support Representative with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office for 25 years. Her steady employed help buy Luis time while he built up his business.

“I already knew sales,” Luis said, and I basically knew everything about pest control, but going into business for myself gave me a little extra motivation to succeed.”

That he has done. In the last 18 years, he has bought and equipped several trucks and landed major accounts. Elsa also retired from her full-time job to go into the business – and the business has never stopped. Just this month, A Tovar Termite and Pest Control won pest termination contracts with the City of Pomona, including the Pomona jail, and the California Institute for Men and the California Institute for Women in Chino.

Damaged area under the eaves.

Damaged area under the eaves.

One of the Tovars’ secrets that they share with all would-be entrepreneurs is to seek help from the Small Business Administration and the Small Business Development Council. “They’re the ones who showed us how to get the big contracts,” Elsa said.

So, today, A Tovar has a mix of commercial, industrial, institutional and residential accounts. Indeed, many of their customers have been with them since those lean times when Luis was just starting out.

There are many reasons for their staying power in a highly competitive business. “Over the years, we’ve earned a reputation for being honest and doing thorough work for a fair price,” Luis said. “We do every type of fumigation. “We’re up on all the acts and ordinances, and we follow all the rules and all the safety labels for storage, treatment and disposal.”

In fact, every month, A Tovar files a monthly pesticide-use report for every county in which it operates, which includes Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside and Orange County.

The company also takes a more integrated pest management approach than it did when it started out. “We’ve changed with the times,” Luis said. “Whenever we can, we’re going to try to use natural remedies first and use chemicals as a last resort. We’re going to look at all sanitation issues involved. We want to know what is drawing the bugs in the first place.”

Ricardo addresses a homeowner's ant problem.

Ricardo addresses a homeowner's ant problem.

After almost 30 years of investigating, Luis and his team have a pretty good idea where termites, in particular, like to do the most damage. On a service call, he or one of his technicians checks eaves, joists, baseboards, sill plates, foundation posts and other favorite nesting and tunneling areas.

Quoting recent statistics, Luis said termites cause an estimated $2.5 billion in property damage annually. It’s easy to understand why. Subterranean termites work 24 hours a day from the inside out and are often difficult to detect since 80 percent of the wood they eat is hidden within the walls. A colony, depending on its age and health, can house millions of termites. Many colonies, in fact, can go undetected for five years or longer.

Termites chewed up this once beautiful parquet floor.

Termites chewed up this once beautiful parquet floor.

“There’s an old saying in our business, Luis said. “There are only two kinds of properties: those that have termites now and those that will.”

Because termites are so destructive, Luis and his team specialize in working with Realtors who must provide homebuyers with a comprehensive termite inspection report detailing any infestations and control measures taken to eradicate the infestation.

Often the report will call for structural repairs, another complete service that A Tovar offers. “We do a lot more than blast bugs,” Luis said.

Tovar offers free estimates, which list problem areas and recommend treatments. On site, Luis or one of his staff sketches the damaged areas on graph paper. A computerized estimate is then generated back at the office. In fact, they’re more computerized than most doctors’ offices.

Left untreated, termites destroyed these stairs.

Left untreated, termites destroyed these stairs.

With computers and more effective and efficient extermination treatments always being developed, it seems bugs hardly stand a chance anymore.

“I don’t like termites in the home,” Luis said, “but they actually play a useful role in nature. They help wood be recycled in the soil as humus. But when these wood-eating creatures start munching wood elements in human structures like your property, big problems are sure to follow.

“You can’t treat them with bug spray. You need to call in the professionals.”

And that’s exactly why home owners, business owners and Realtors have been calling A Tovar Termite and Pest Control for the last 18 years.

For more information about all of A Tovar’s Termite and Pest Control services, please call (909) 599-2345.

This sign makes pests and termites shudder. To control all your pest, rodent or termite problems, give Tovar a call today!

This sign makes pests and termites shudder. To control all your pest, rodent or termite problems, give A Tovar a call today!

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