MerleFest, considered one of the premier music festivals in the country, serves as an annual homecoming for musicians and music fans. Held on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, MerleFest was founded in 1988 in memory of the late Eddy Merle Watson, son of American music legend Doc Watson. MerleFest is a celebration of ‘traditional plus’ music, a unique mix of music based on the traditional, roots-oriented sounds of the Appalachian region, including bluegrass and old-time music, and expanded to include Americana, country, blues, rock and many other styles. The festival hosts numerous artists, performing on 13 stages during the course of the four-day event.
Scott McNeely says there’s no secret formula to his company’s success. “We work hard and play hard, genuinely care about our customers and employees, pay everyone as much as we can, outfit them with the best equipment we can, and always try to be fair. Everything else just falls into place.”
Shortly after Frank Fowler walked into his empty office on his first day with USDA APHIS in 1989, his phone rang. It was Scott McNeely, then technical director for Wilson Pest Control in Winston-Salem, N.C. McNeely was looking for a different department, and Fowler admitted he wasn’t quite sure where to transfer him. McNeely asked, “How long have you been working at the USDA?”
“Thirty minutes,” Fowler replied.
The two talked for a bit, and within a week, Fowler received a letter from McNeely introducing him to the area’s best duck-hunting lakes. The biologist and entomologist went on to become fast friends, frequently hunting, fishing and comparing notes about their career aspirations.
That’s the kind of person Scott McNeely is: the guy who reaches out to welcome you, openly shares everything he knows and follows through with friendship and support.
“When we first met, Scott confirmed what I kept observing during my visits to North Carolina: that Southern hospitality is alive and well,” says North Carolina State University Department of Entomology Distinguished Professor Coby Schal, who met McNeely in 1993, prior to joining the faculty at NC State. “As I got to know him better, I was delighted to discover that he was also incredibly enthusiastic about building NC State’s urban entomology program.”
Indeed, enthusiasm shows up in whatever McNeely sets his mind to do — whether building his business, participating in research projects, developing his employees or supporting industry efforts. He has, over the past three-plus decades, become widely respected for his wildlife and entomological expertise, as well as the business acumen that has put his company, McNeely Pest Control, Inc, on an enviable growth trajectory. His company moved up nine notches in the PCT Top 100 this year, and its momentum continues.
McNeely says there’s no secret formula to his company’s success. “We work hard and play hard, genuinely care about our customers and employees, pay everyone as much as we can, outfit them with the best equipment we can, and always try to be fair. Everything else just falls into place,” he says, pointing out the strong influence of Christian beliefs, faith and principles on his company’s culture. “We encourage employees to take care of their families, to have good work-life balance and to enjoy the work they do,” he says. “We treat our clients with great respect, too. Remembering to ‘do unto others’ is an important pa
rt of building relationships.” Fowler, who became a partner in McNeely Pest in its second year in business, credits McNeely’s knowledge and attitude as well. “I can’t think of anyone I’d rather be in business with,” he says. “I never doubt Scott’s knowledge or integrity. He’s smart, consistent and resourceful, always focused on seeing solutions rather than obstacles.”
McNeely and Fowler are also focused on the future. Believing that every person should have the opportunity for upward mobility and growth, and that the next generation has the potential to take the business to even greater heights, they have built an infrastructure that supports employee development and a management team that represents the millennial generation.
Zack Benge, Manager of McNeely Pest Control, Inc’s Statesville, North Carolina office recently attended the 2016 Pest
Academy hosted by the NPMA (National Pest Management Association).
The annual event was held July 20 -22 in Orlando, Florida, all attendees are pest control company employees. While at the conference, the attendees are divided into individual groups to prepare for competitions (which are set up similar to the Olympic programs); focusing on team building, leadership skills and networking. Each group earns points from their accomplishments and is awarded Gold, Silver or Bronze metals.
McNeely Pest Control, Inc is a locally owned and operated pest and wildlife management firm that strives to provide environmentally responsible pest management. McNeely Pest Control, Inc, combines science with experience, offering superior pest and wildlife remediation services for clients in a wide variety of both commercial and residential settings. McNeely’s highly trained employees are supported daily by a staff entomologist, biologist, and wildlife biologist.
McNeely Pest Control, Inc offers residential and commercial pest management including ants, carpenter ants and fire ants; crickets, spiders, cockroaches, silverfish, bed bugs, wasp nests and all forms of stinging insects; mice and rats; termites and wood destroying insects, wood boring beetles, wildlife remediation, and inspections for real estate
transactions. Other services include TAP attic insulation, closed crawl space installation, dehumidifier installation, and GutterLock Extreme Flow products.
McNeely Pest Control, Inc also specializes in both commercial and residential wildlife remediation with a team of North Carolina and Virginia certified Animal Damage Control agents on staff to solve any nuisance wildlife concerns.
The McNeely Family has been providing services for clients throughout the Triad, North Carolina, and Southwest Virginia since 1944.
McNeely Pest Control, Inc’s Statesville office is located at 1620 D Davie Avenue in Statesville and is providing service to
Lake Norman, Troutman, and Huntersville communities.
McNeely Pest Control, Inc is listed in the top 100 pest control companies in the United States by Pest Control Technologies
Our own Frank Fowler discusses how to handle those nasty yellow jackets when they just won’t leave you alone:
Q: I have a problem with yellow jackets, in my yard and around the pool, as well as in the tall grass behind my house. How can I figure out where their nest might be, and what do I need to do to get rid of them?
A.M.
Answer: “Yellow jackets are a type of ground-nesting wasp that can be quite troublesome to the homeowner, especially late summer and early fall,” said Frank Fowler, a biologist and vice president at McNeely Pest Control, Inc. The yellow jacket colony starts with a single female in early spring, he said, and by this time of year the nest contains several hundred insects.
“This large colony becomes quite protective of their nest and will aggressively defend it,” Fowler said. “This is the reason that homeowners many times do not find (the) yellow jackets’ nest until late summer while mowing the grass.”
When yellow jackets are observed randomly flying around a yard, they are normally foraging for their favorite foods, which are soft-bodied insects.
They also can be found around pools drinking water, or leftover soda in drink cans. Fowler said that solitary foraging yellow jackets normally do not pose a threat unless they are stepped on barefooted or become a bother around a picnic table.
“The homeowner can be vigilant, and watch the flight paths of the yellow jackets, and many times trace the wasps back to their hole in the ground,” he said. “Most of the time it is best to try to treat these insects after dark when all of the colony is home for the night. This will ensure that you eliminate the entire colony. As always, read and follow label instructions on the insecticide and use caution. Many times it is best to call a pest management professional, especially if the wasps are in a wall void, or crawl space of a home.”
N.C. State University’s Department of Entomology as an 11-page document giving further details on “non-honey bee stinging insects in North Carolina,” including photos to help identify specific species and tips on controlling them.
As for yellow jackets specifically, “The first decision to make is whether control is actually necessary,” they recommend. “In spite of their reputation, yellow jackets are actually beneficial because they prey on many insects that we consider to be pests. They also serve as food for bears, skunks, birds and other insects. It is important to also note that these colonies die out each year. If a yellow jacket nest is built in a secluded area, you may choose to simply wait until the colony dies out in late fall or early winter. The nest will slowly deteriorate from weather or from attack by hungry birds.”
However, if the nest is where people may get stung — especially people who may be hypersensitive to wasp stings — then they say destroying the colony may be appropriate. Among the additional tips they provide, they point out that if you are spraying their nest, you do not use a flashlight, since that will attract the angry wasps to the source of the light. And also, “do not pour gasoline down the hole of a nest. This is extremely dangerous, as it is a flammable hazard and does immense damage to the surrounding environment.”
McNeely Pest Control, Inc has recently opened three (3) additional offices in Greensboro, Statesville, and Lexington.
McNeely Pest Control, Inc has moved their Greensboro office to an expanded location at 7707 Boeing Drive, Greensboro, occupying an 8500 square foot building, servicing the Greensboro and surrounding areas of Summerfield, Oak Ridge, High Point, Archdale, and Burlington. Jordan Myers is the Eastern Regional Manager.
The Statesville office is located at 1620 D Davie Avenue in Statesville and is providing service to Lake Norman, Troutman, and Huntersville communities. Zack Benge is the Manager of the Statesville office.
Serving Davidson County, and surrounding areas of Badin Lake, High Rock Lake, Salisbury, and Thomasville is the new Lexington office, at 25 W. 5th Street. Levi Reynolds is the Manager of the Lexington office.
With the addition of these three offices, McNeely Pest Control, Inc is pleased to be able to provide a positive economic impact to the Triad work force with the addition of 15 – 20 employees. McNeely Pest Control, Inc currently has approximately 100 employees.
McNeely Pest Control, Inc is a locally owned and operated pest and wildlife management firm that strives to provide environmentally responsible pest management with many years of experience and science to offer superior pest and wildlife remediation services for clients in a wide variety of both commercial and residential settings. McNeely’s highly trained employees are supported daily by a staff entomologist, biologist, and wildlife biologist.
McNeely Pest Control, Inc offers residential and commercial pest management including ants, carpenter ants and fire ants; crickets, cockroaches, silverfish, bed bugs, and all forms of stinging insects; mice and rats; termites and wood destroying insects, wood boring beetles, wildlife remediation, and inspections for real estate transactions. Other services include TAP attic insulation, closed crawl space installation, dehumidifier installation, and GutterLock Extreme Flow products.
McNeely Pest Control, Inc also specializes in both commercial and residential wildlife remediation with a team of North Carolina and Virginia certified Animal Damage Control agents on staff to solve any nuisance wildlife concerns.
McNeely Pest Control, Inc service area includes the Piedmont and northwest North Carolina (Burlington to Banner Elk), Lake Norman and High Rock Lake areas plus southwestern Virginia from Independence and Wytheville to Stuart.
McNeely Pest Control, Inc is listed in the top 100 pest control companies in the United States by Pest Control Technologies.
Your Pest Control Service is About to Change for the Better!
McNeely Pest Control, part of the Rentokil Initial family of brands, is joining forces with Bug Out, to serve your family, your community, and the planet better than ever before.
