Rose Pest Solutions Learns from the Next Generation of Leaders

Editor's note: This article originally appeared under the heading "Teaching (and Learning from) the Next Generation."

For most pest control companies, the summer months are the busiest, characterized by heightened pest pressure, longer service routes and phones ringing off the hook. Rose Pest Solutions, Chicago, is no different in that respect, but their busy season comes with some additional help — namely, interns looking to spend their summer break learning the ropes of the business.

Since 2019, Rose has welcomed these interns, training and sending them out into the field as they would any other new hire. Where the experience differs, however, is the focus on learning — not just best practices or tried-and-true industry methods, but an exchange that runs even deeper.

“When we started the Leadership Intern program seven years ago, we wanted to bring in a college student to make sure we were up to speed on social media. We thought, ‘Let’s get a young brain in here, someone who will know all this stuff,’” said Curtis Rand, president of Rose Pest Solutions. “But then I realized there was another opportunity there. In pest control, whether on the PCO or manufacturing side, it can be a struggle to get young people to think about our industry as a viable career path. I wanted to do something about that.”

The idea was simple: Rose Pest Solutions would recruit a few interns every summer, show them what it’s like to be part of the business and then send them back to school with new perspectives. “That became my goal, spreading the word about our industry to the younger generations,” Rand said. “What we’ve found is that not only are they eager to learn from us, but then they take those lessons into their college classrooms, writing papers or giving presentations on what they did over the summer. The more young people hear about our industry, the better their perceptions of it will become.”

CLASS IS IN SESSION. This learning experience has proven to be a two-way street: The interns go home with a better understanding of what it takes to run a successful pest control business, and the team at Rose feels enlightened about what the next generation can bring to the industry. “When we work with these younger individuals, we challenge ourselves as a company to embrace change,” Rand said. “They share ideas that rock the system a little bit; we have to be open to those new ways of thinking.”

As it turns out, rocking the system can be a great catalyst for growth. With help from the interns, Rose has experimented with new technology to find what works for them — and what doesn’t. “There are some tools we’ve decided not to continue with, not because they don’t work, but because they don’t work for us,” Rand said. “You don’t want to invest resources into something that doesn’t work for your situation.”

What has worked for them is X-Rai, an AI-powered tool that assesses and transcribes customer calls to flag potential cancellations and ensure the highest- quality communication from sales representatives, as well as Yodeck, another AI-driven program that boosts employee recognition and fosters a greater sense of connection within Rose. They plan to continue leveraging these technologies to help the business continue to thrive.

Also, thanks to feedback from interns, the company recently launched Rose University, an online platform offering seminars, training modules and other educational resources for an updated experience. “Our interns told us that, while our training gave them the information they needed, it wasn’t always presented in the way they wanted to learn,” Rand said. “We realized they had a point — today, people don’t always want to be sitting in a classroom, reading through lessons. Now, training can be done from anywhere, anytime!”

The lessons keep coming. In setting up Rose University, the company has added another useful tech tool to their arsenal: a learning management system (LMS). The LMS serves as centralized education hub that provides access to training materials and tracks employee progress. The best part? It’s not cost-prohibitive, even for smaller companies, and the programs come loaded with basic materials to get you up and running, according to Rand.

LESSON PLANNING. Interested in starting an internship program of your own but don’t know where to start? Here are some key considerations:

Timing. When it comes to recruiting interns, Rand’s advice is clear. “Going to college campuses is the best way to do it, just remember — it’s all about timing,” he said. Planning an internship program to coincide with summer break will give you more time with your interns and provide greater opportunities for them to learn on the job. Out in the field, there will be a wider array of pests for them to see; in the office, there will be more customers to interact with. They’ll be able to get a better idea of what the busy months entail, and you can rest assured they have plenty of time in their schedules for you.

Investment. While Rose pays their interns for their time, giving them a salary roughly on par with what a service manager might receive, Rand emphasizes the importance of a different sort of investment. “It’s more an investment in patience,” he said. “You’re paying service manager dollars, but you can’t expect service manager return. Your goal during the internship should be helping them learn, so when they go back to school, they’re opening their friends’ and classmates’ eyes to the industry.”

Mindset. More than anything else, Rand says it’s your mindset that matters when hosting interns. “If you’re looking for a worker, well, that’s an employee, not an intern,” he said. Instead of expecting them to fulfill the duties of a new hire, you should aim to help each intern develop their leadership style, marketing skillset and knowledge base.

LOOKING AHEAD. When asked whether the Leadership Intern program has benefited their business, Rand said, “Of course! The biggest benefit to the company has been learning to think outside the box and embrace new ideas. Recognizing that good ideas can come from anywhere and anyone is the key to progress — not only at Rose, but across the industry.”

Unsurprisingly, plans are already underway for future internship opportunities. “The more interaction we have with the younger generations, the more likely it is that word about our business and industry spread, and if our industry grows, that benefits all of us,” Rand said.

The author is a PCT contributing writer.