Business Magazine | BABM | Featurestory l Seth Garber of Nvirotect Pest Control

An early hands-on introduction to crafting pottery inspired Seth Garber’s interest to attend art school…but his parents preferred a career path for their son that was more practical.

Armed with a University of Tampa degree in finance, Seth ultimately took up another form of art, crafting an entrepreneurial niche for himself and two partners—the business version of a modern masterpiece. His year-old company, Nvirotect Pest Control Services, illustrates the grand design of a comprehensive business plan founded on strong principles followed up with effective action—and a lot of hard work. Not a surprising result coming from this high energy Generation Y dynamo whose favorite job once was jumping out of bed at 4 a.m. to make bagels before heading off to school and then clocking in for his p.m. stint at Pottery Barn.

Years later, at Cintas Corporation, Seth shot to the top as its number one salesman during his first eligible year. Soon he was participating in a variety of elite groups, developing special programs for the company. Cintas turned out to be a rich and rewarding experience; this uniform and business service provider has ranked among Fortune magazine’s “Most Admired Companies” for nine consecutive years. While at Cintas, Seth made the acquaintance of Christoph Nord, who oversaw document shredding operations for the southwest Florida region. The two became good friends and the wheels started turning to develop a new business of their own.

“Cintas was a great place to work,” Seth said, “but I wanted an opportunity to create a future for others. I also truly believed that if I created my own company it would be a huge success—no one will ever work harder for me than I can work for myself.”

At first, Seth and Christoph were not exactly sure what they wanted to do, but they knew the venture had to encompass these three key points:

And most importantly, it had to be an industry innovator, something that was not being done anywhere else. “We looked at 15-20 different types of businesses that fit the first three criteria—including light bulb recycling, dry cleaning, pool services,” he recalled, but nothing offered that opportunity for innovation.

The elusive “Eureka!” moment came when they least expected it.

As Seth and Christoph enjoyed a casual, purely social lunch with a friend, Craig Kurrack, conversation turned to Craig’s business, Neighborhood Pest Control. “Everything clicked,” Seth said. The idea to create what they’ve tagged “EFE”—environmentally friendly and effective—pest control was born.

Craig’s Neighborhood Pest Control, based in Lutz, would become the parent company, continuing to handle the Lawn and Ornamental Division, while Nvirotect would handle residential, which also includes healthcare, hospitality and commercial services. “We knew that if we wanted to compete nationally, we’d have to be the best,” Seth said.

As part of their research, the partners arranged for some of the country’s top pest control companies to visit their homes, walking through the procedure as they asked specific questions based on EPA standards. “The companies all said the same thing—yes, they use chemicals,” he said. “My wife pointed out, ‘If you want to be innovative, stop using chemicals.’”

They talked to Texas A & M and the University of Florida’s Entomology Departments, learning about the behavior of bugs.“They come in through holes in the walls, ‘harborage areas,’” he explained. “Why treat the whole area and not just the problem spots?” They developed integrated pest management that minimized pest control—treating only specific spots using the least toxic methods, only moving toward more conventional methods when greater infestation required it.

Their goal is “to decrease the impact of harmful chemicals in the environment.” They believe their program can be 100% effective in eliminating pests and safe enough to use in sensitive environments. A peppermint and rosemary oil treatment, for example, could quell an insect problem because it reacts negatively with the bug’s system while being harmless to humans.“ One advantage Christoph and I had,” Seth said, “was that we weren’t coming at it from a pest control angle—we could see the innovation and the opportunities.”

Each partner in the business plays a different role, allowing them to excel in their individual areas while working together as an effective team. Seth oversees the brand identity and develops marketing. Craig brings his pest control knowledge and expertise to the group and Christoph provides the operational savvy. “They both have a lot of business experience,” Seth said of his partners’ value as a sounding board and their penchant for balancing accountability with success.

Seth feels they’ve exceeded the learning curve while admitting they made some mistakes along the way: “We’ve developed the learning curve for our industry, we’ve tested everything, we’re focused.”

One challenge they’ve come up against is the trend toward “greenwashing”—when companies profess to practice environmentally sensitive methods but don’t. “If you called a particular company and asked if they’re ‘green,’ they’d say yes, but they can’t back it up,” Seth said. “Nvirotect is certified by the National Pest Management Association as ‘QualityPro Green.’ We try to educate our customers and back it up with information.”

In fact, Seth frequently speaks to groups about the subject of greenwashing as more and more businesses try to get on the bandwagon. Companies can say they use “organic” or “natural” products, but because consistent regulation is still being developed to meet this growing demand, some are getting by without any kind of official certification as proof.

Seth sees Nvirotect as a leader in helping residents and businesses alike create safe and healthy environments for their families, employees and customers, although “it can be tough to convince some people to switch after they’ve had the same pest control guy for 25 years.” But that’s changing now that more consumers are becoming aware of healthier alternatives. His company strives to teach people that developing green initiatives doesn’t have to be a huge and expensive undertaking.

What’s it like to be a part of the Nvirotect team?

“There has to be a work-life balance,” Seth said. “We know family is number one. Our technicians are done by 4 p.m. and aren’t required to work weekends. We focus on providing great customer service, not a sales quota. And they see that (management) will do what it takes to get the job done.”

Potential employees go through a careful screening process. By the end of three to five different interviews with a candidate, “you know who these people are,” Seth said. The result? The company gets employees as driven as their leaders and, in turn, they are rewarded with great benefits and job security.

“A tremendous amount of reading” helps Seth keep up with the business world, from several daily newspapers to books by authors such as leadership guru John Maxwell. Diligence in maintaining good relationships with Nvirotect’s vendors pays off as well—often they’re the first ones to learn about new products and new operations. “We plan to be the innovative leader in our industry by 2014, locally and, hopefully, statewide” Seth said, explaining Nvirotect’s growth strategy.

At first they tried blanket-marketing the region from Brooksville to Sarasota, and eastward almost to Orlando. The ROI was coming out even, at best. “Now, we’re tailoring our marketing to one community at a time by advertising our services in their publications, participating in local associations and supporting events, offering extreme incentives,” he said. “As we get established, we’ll put a representative in each community so we have a constant presence.”

Seth is also a big believer in joining industry and business organizations. It provides an avenue for educating consumers about one’s business. People are willing to trust fellow members of their organization—it increases credibility. It can be expensive but it’s 100% worth it, he said. Nvirotect is a member of the west coast chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, the National Pest Management Association, the Building Owners and Managers Association and “quite a few chambers of commerce.”

A model for Seth’s pathway to entrepreneurship can be seen in his father Jeff Garber. Originally a teacher, Mr. Garber returned to school in the 1980s to study health care, which took him from Tampa General Hospital’s administration to HealthSouth’s Middle Eastern division, and then on to form his own advisory group. His father’s support of charitable causes also influenced Seth’s active participation in giving back to the community whenever possible. While at Tampa General, Mr. Garber served as liaison between the hospital and the Ronald McDonald House and was involved in other volunteer work.

The USO and Toys for Tots are just two organizations of many that Nvirotect supports. Earlier this year, Nvirotect participated in Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay, a non-profit organization that assists in housing rehab for low income families, particularly seniors and persons with disabilities. Volunteers and sponsors fixed up 25 homes in an older West Tampa neighborhood at no cost to the families, and included roofing, plumbing and electrical repairs and pest control by Nvirotect.

Seth, a Tampa native, understands the region’s unique business environment: “It has its own pace, you get stuff done, but you have a lot of fun too. There’s always something going on.” At the same time, it can be hard for a new company to work itself into existing business circles, in his opinion. “It can be very hard to break into the old school traditions, especially when you have a truly innovative product.”

But what keeps him going is a sentiment that he believes fuels Generation Y’s desire to “go real big or not at all” when it comes to being an entrepreneur: “We’re motivated by creating something for other people.” And as for his love of art? Sadly, Seth doesn’t have much time to throw a lump of clay on the wheel these days, but he has become an avid collector.

Seth Garber: Nvirotect Building a Greener Mousetrap

Seth Garber: Nvirotect
Building a Greener Mousetrap