Stuart`s Not So Little

Newsmaker
Photo courtesy of Fred Miller
Stuart Aust —
aka Bug Doctor —
stands tall with his
high energy,
world-class
showmanship,
entrepreneurial
spirit and
old-fashioned
family values
By Marty Whitford • Senior Editor
Stuart’s Not So Little
Y
ou can tell a lot about a person by sharing a cup of coffee with him.
For instance, I quickly learned not only how fitting it is that Stuart Aust
likes his coffee bold, but also that it’s the understatement of the year when
the founder and president of Paramus, N.J.-based Bug Doctor Termite & Pest
Control, says, “I’ve cut back on my caffeine intake. I have a bit of built-in energy.”
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The cherry wood desk and conference table and floor in
Aust’s office all are carpeted with paperwork and folders.
“Please excuse the apparent mess, but this is my filing
system,” Aust says smiling. “These are our To Do’s. As you
can see, I’m hands-on — I try to stay on top of everything.
I’m the same way at home. My wife Donna says, ‘At least
you’re consistent.’”
What initially looks a bit like command central soon
becomes Grand Central Station.
“Let’s grab a cup of coffee at Starbucks while we still can,”
Aust says. “If we don’t grab one-on-one time now, the day
will be over before either of us knows it. Trust me.”
Walking to his company vehicle, we meet two coworkers
on their way in.
“Morning, ladies. We’re headed to Starbucks. Would you
like me to bring you back something? … Bold with cream
on the side — you got it.”
I’ve interviewed hundreds of company presidents over the
past 15 years and can’t remember too many of them picking
up coffee for their employees.
It’s quite a step up into Aust’s white Hummer H2 adorned
with a white-on-blue Bug Doctor cross and white-on-red
Bird Doctor cross. The ride flies by, supercharged by Aust’s
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Photo Courtesy of: Fred Miller
Stuart’s Not So Little
Stuart and Donna Aust treasure time with their four blessings from above:
Nick, Mike, Chris and Dan (pictured from left to right).
Married With Children
Having hit the half-century mark earlier this year, Stuart Aust looks back on his
life and readily admits he was somewhat of a career drifter early on — that is
until Donna, his college sweetheart-turned-wife, urged the entrepreneurial spirit to
pick a profession and stick with it.
In 1990, shortly after being gently prodded by Donna, Aust at age 33 embarked
down the pest management career path. After serving stints with Terminix and
Western Pest Services, Aust struck out on his own and struck gold.
Aust founded Paramus, N.J.-based Bug Doctor Termite & Pest Control 15 years
ago. Like his marriage to Donna, which produced four boys, The Doctor’s marriage
to the industry also has spawned four offspring: Bird Doctor (1987), Mosquito
Doctor (2001), Animal Doctor (2006) and a soon-to-be-announced fourth
subsidiary, Stadium Doctor.
“Some folks kid me about all of the Doctors we’ve added to our growing family
of pest management businesses, but how can you argue with success?” Aust asks.
“Bird, mosquito and nuisance wildlife management are three of the fastest-growing
sectors of our service industry, and we’re a leader in servicing sports complexes.”
“It wasn’t long ago that we first added the Bird Doctor moniker to our vehicles
and marketing collateral,” Aust adds. “That value-added business alone now brings
in more than $1 million a year in additional revenue. Our other service offshoots
aren’t quite there yet, but we’ll get there. The Doctor’s making house calls, and
there’s no shortage of patients.”
Aust has a 50-year track record of boldly pursuing and achieving what he wants,
as evidenced by his 29-year relationship with his wife.
“I met Donna during junior year at William Paterson College in Wayne, N.J.,”
Aust recalls. “It was love at first sight — for me. I couldn’t stop myself from
walking up to her and saying, ‘Hi.’ As fate would have it, we both went to
Westwood High School but had never met before that.
“Walking away from that initial meet-and-greet, I immediately told my friend
Jack that I was going to marry Donna,” Aust adds. “There was just one small
problem: I had walked away without her last name, nevermind her phone number.
But I got my hands on a Westwood High School yearbook, did my homework and
the rest is history.”
That’s not to say Aust didn’t have competition. The playing field at William
Paterson was as crowded as his competitive set is these days in the pest management business.
“At the time, Donna already had a boyfriend and had several other would-besuitors, including me, tripping over each other, vying to replace him,” Aust adds.
“How did I win Donna’s heart? I still don’t know. All I can attribute it to is that
all that’s truly good in life is worth praying, waiting and working hard for.”
— Marty Whitford, Senior Editor
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quick wit and gift of gab.
Aust takes great care backing the Hummer into a parking
space nowhere near any other vehicles — or Starbucks.
As we foot it a ways, I can’t help but ask, “Stuart, what’s
the deal with the Lone Wolf parking spot? Are you trying to
burn excess energy?”
“I always park there because our Bug Doctor/Bird Doctor
signage stands out from the crowd and faces Route 17,” Aust
answers. “Hundreds of cars pass by my Hummer and
signage every minute I’m parked in that spot. Now that’s
what I call cheap advertising — all for the price of a little
exercise and a cup of Joe.”
BASIC TRAINING
Aust was all of 12 years old when he landed his first job —
or should I say “jobs.”
“I took two paper routes instead of one because both
were available,” Aust says. “My Dad says, ‘I think that’s
where it all started with you, Stuart.’”
Two years later, Aust took a part-time job at a local
restaurant, serving as a bus boy and dishwasher. When he
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Staff on Stuart
Team members at Paramus, N.J.-based Bug Doctor Termite &
Pest Control concur that company founder and president Stuart
Aust is much more than the savvy showman our industry knows
him to be. They say the marketer extraordinaire also is a careful
listener, methodical thinker and hands-on leader who possesses
a heart of gold:
Photo Courtesy of: Fred Miller
Stuart’s Not So Little
New York’s Trump Place
and Brooklyn Bridge
(opening spread photo)
are among the long list
of big-name sites
treated by Bug Doctor.
n “Stuart honestly cares about each of his employees. I’ve
never met anyone who interacts so easily with so many
different people. Just as important, he has a rare passion and
real love for our business that’s absolutely contagious,” says
Sal Santamaria Jr., vice president of operations.
n “Stuart gives his work family a lot of leeway — as long as
we get our jobs done. He lets us really use our brains,” says
Louis Reyes, branch manager.
n “He’s extremely family oriented. He’s very caring and
easy-going — while at the same time somehow being an
incredibly driven leader. Stuart’s well-grounded and
well-balanced,” adds Margie Hernandez, training and
production manager.
n “Stuart is integrity. What you see is what you get —
without exception,” adds Nancy Madrid, accounting manager.
n “What’s different about Stuart? What’s not? My twin sister,
who worked here before moving to Michigan, told me this was a
one-of-a-kind company — that I should work here — and she was
right. When I started here, I had a one-and-a-half to two-hour
commute each way, each day — and it was worth every minute of
it,” concludes Karen Kretzmer, human resources manager.
— Marty Whitford, Senior Editor
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was 16, he became a year-round
peddler of Schwinn bicycles.
“An hourly employee, I also received
a $1 commission on every bike I sold,”
Aust adds. “I quickly learned the power
of a brand, how to sell the full value of
a product and how throwing in a valueadded like a free bike rack or water
bottle can be closing ammo. In short
order, the business named me store
manager, overseeing three salesman.”
Two years later, while still selling
Schwinns, Aust and his younger
brother Kurt started a successful
landscaping business they ran for three
years. (This experience probably
explains why Aust today holds the
rights to the Grass Doctor name.)
While at college, Aust worked as a
bouncer for a fine establishment
named What Ales Ya. Upon
graduating, he took a job with
Fotomat, eventually serving as assistant
supervisor of 17 stores — “These were
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Not So Little
strip mall stores, not those toll-booth-like Fotomats,” Aust adds.
“At Fotomat, I learned that when you make a mistake, you’re best served
readily admitting it to yourself and your customer, and doing whatever it takes in
your customer’s mind to make it right,” Aust says. “If photo development took
longer than promised, we’d automatically throw in three free rolls of film, or give
duplicates for free, or something along those lines.”
Same with Bug Doctor today. “We have red alerts and code blues,” Aust adds.
“Red alerts identify customers not completely satisfied. Code blues signal to
managers that they must visit the customers now and do whatever it takes to
resuscitate the patients’ loyalty and business.
“We phone survey 25 customers a day to bolster service and sales and stave off
cancellations,” he adds. “Twenty-four out of 25 are completely satisfied, but you
can’t discount that one on the fence. It costs a lot less to keep business than it does
to try and win it back.”
Aust left Fotomat to sell condominiums for a bank
for a few years. At age 33, after being nudged by his wife
Donna to commit to a career, and after being told by a
friend of good career opportunity, Aust joined Terminix
in 1990 as a service manager in Saddlebrook, N.J.
A year later, Western Pest Services recruited Aust, who
served for two years as an unrouted technician doubling
as a door-to-door commercial salesman.
“I observed and absorbed everything I could while
with Terminix and Western,” Aust adds. “I knew what a
route brought in — net, and what I was making, and
said to myself, ‘Why don’t I start my own business and
keep the difference? I think I finally found that career
Donna’s been talking about.’”
PLAYING TO WIN
Ever heard of Yankee Stadium? Shea Stadium? Nets
Champion Center? Madison Square Garden? Yonkers
Raceway? Rockefeller Center? Trump Place? New York
City Parks? The Brooklyn Bridge. The USS Intrepid?
New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art? The Federal
Reserve? All have received (and many still do receive) pest
management services from Stuart’s Not-So-Little firm.
It’s been 38 years since Aust first went door-to-door
delivering newspapers. Some things haven’t changed. Aust
was selling and servicing a growing base of customers
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Stuart’s Not So Little
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Stuart Aust On. . .
Favorite Comedy: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
I’m doing is the right thing for all concerned.”
Favorite Western: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
What Mom Taught Me: “She was a courageous, bold
communicator who moved people to think and take action. I’ve
been told that she passed that trait onto me.”
Favorite Drama: Jerry Maguire
Favorite Book: The Bible
How I Motivate People: “I don’t rule by fear. Being a fair boss
and true friend goes much further and has real staying power.”
Team: “I surround myself with good people who make each other
and us better. I don’t want ‘yes’ people. I want ‘yes, we can’ people.
Biggest Challenge: Time. “We have so much business coming our
way that sometimes it’s hard to fully capitalize on all of our
growth opportunities with everything we’re tackling day to day.”
Toughest Calls: “Some people say managers should be slow to
hire and quick to fire, but I need to see real proof — I don’t go
by hearsay — before I let someone go. I need to know that what
What Dad Teaches Me: “Dad taught me to work hard, every day,
and to embrace all people. He treats everyone as equal, from the
janitor to the CEO — with kindness.”
What My Kids Teach Me: Patience, unselfishness,
unconditional love and laughter.
What My Wife Teaches Me: “Donna gives me perspective —
often it’s a simple-but-needed reminder to turn things over to
God, whose wonders never cease. She herself is another great
source of strength for me, always working behind the scenes for
our work and home families. Last but not least, Donna has taught
me that we all have soul mates, life-long loves out there.”
— Marty Whitford, Senior Editor
back then, and he still is. Bug Doctor has started Bird
Doctor, Mosquito Doctor, Animal Doctor, and now
Stadium Doctor pest management businesses.
The paperboy from Jersey is making the news these days,
with a company that’s grown more than 50-fold in 15 years
— from $75,000 in 1992 revenue to one that employs 45,
has a customer base of more than 25,000 and is on target to
top the $4 million mark this year.
“We’re growing at a 15-percent annual clip, but we refuse
to rest on our laurels,” Aust says. “We’re currently looking at
a few potential acquisitions — four in four different states
— and we’re looking at adding branches in Manhattan
and/or South Jersey in the near future.”
Bug Doctor, Mosquito Doctor and Animal Doctor serve
New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, while Bird Doctor
serves those three states as well as Connecticut, Delaware,
New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Maryland, Washington
D.C., Virginia and West Virginia.
“Bird Doctor has really given us a shot in the arm,” Aust
adds. “In seven short years, that division has blossomed into
a $1-million-per-year business. If our other Doctors —
Mosquito, Animal and Stadium — follow suit and hit
homeruns, and we acquire a company or two, and open
another branch or two, I just might have to go back to
drinking four cups of Joe a day to keep up.” PC
You can reach Whitford at 216-706-3766, or e-mail mwhitford@questex.com.
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