Superior Exteriors
Bob Jenkins Pest & Lawn Services tackles stubborn insects and landscapes
For Bob Jenkins Pest & Lawn Services (Jenkins Pest & Lawn), an attractive and inviting home or business includes deterring visitors from the insect world and ensuring the surrounding grass and shrubs look great.
The company based in San Antonio, Texas, provides customers with expert pest and lawn services to accomplish that. Owner Bob Jenkins says that’s because the business has decades of experience, its employees are nonstop learners and service-oriented workers, and his team is committed to turning everyone into repeat customers.
The company provides a broad range of safe and eco-friendly pest and lawn services for residential and commercial customers. Lawn services include weed control, fertilization, lawn aeration, tree and shrub care and industrial vegetation management.
Additionally, Jenkins Pest & Lawn offers protection from an extensive list of pests and rodents that can enter or harm structures, inside or out.
“If you call our office, we’ll take care of your problem and make sure that whatever we do, you’ll be happy with our service,” Bob says.
Armed with Smarts
Making sure all team members are knowledgeable is a hallmark of the company, says Bob. “All employees have an in-depth understanding of the products and services we provide. Customers find this comforting,” he notes. “This is a profession that you can be in for 100 years and still not know it all. The more you learn, the more you want to learn, and the more prepared you are to answer the many questions from customers.”
Bob says that his team has in-depth knowledge on subjects/topics such as insect behavior, grass and weed characteristics, how various types of buildings attract different insects and how to properly treat nuisance vegetation that may be causing problems to a building or landscape.
For example, among the helpful information on the company’s website is the note about the importance of maintaining a lawn as an aspect of cooling off the high Texas temperatures: “The average lawn has the same cooling effect as 10 tons of air conditioning, while the average central air unit has only a three- to four-ton capacity.”
The Buzz About the Biz
Bob is a self-made man who, early on, saw the importance of education and hard work. Born into poverty in West Virginia, Bob was one of 14 children. As a young child, he dreamed of improving his lot in life and realized that taking chances and asserting himself was a much better choice than living a life of regret or apathy.
“I used all the good values I had or could obtain and added to that hard work every day,” he says.
As a young man, he joined the U.S. Army, which gave him a strong foundation and helped turn him into a lifelong learner. “In the Army, I received training to work with medical teams, which was both challenging and rewarding since we saw active combat,” he says. After serving in the military, Bob landed a job with a pest control company.
“I learned quickly and even took the exam to get a pest control license, even though a license wasn’t needed to work in the field,” he says.
Working at other companies was fine for a while, but after Bob’s boss told him he was making too much money as an incentivized employee, Bob began to think about starting his own business.
After discussing the situation with his wife, Cathy, the couple started Bob Jenkins Pest Control out of their home in 1987. The lawn services were added in 2009 and the company name was changed accordingly.
With more than three decades in the industry, the business is today a full-service pest control and lawn service. With a team of 28 employees, the company serves hundreds of clients in the San Antonio region.
Insect Intellect
Bob admits that the profession has changed since he first started, especially the way he and his employees stay informed of industry changes.
“In the old days, you go to a book or talk to some expert, but today you can find everything on the internet,” he says.
No small contribution to information on the internet is his company’s extensive facts about various aspects of pest control and lawn care. The company’s website provides helpful information on wasps, termites, bedbugs, spiders, roaches, and even rodents and other live animals that may seek to call a home or business address its abode.
The website’s lawn service information gives people information about residential or commercial tree and shrub care, lawn aeration and even a specialty concern called “industrial vegetation management.”
One area that has changed is lawn treatment. When Bob started the company, being environmentally conscious was not expected and not even an option. Most of the pesticides and lawn sprays were quite potent for humans or pets and questionable for the environment.
Jenkins Pest & Lawn takes pride in being “green” before it was cool, however.
“I searched out products that were safer, including plant-based products,” Bob says.
Since those days, there are many more products for pests and lawns that are eco-friendly and safe for humans. “The industry came along with a lot better products,” he adds.
Business is Soaring
Business has grown steadily over the years, according to Bob. In 2008, business was good, so he brought on General Manager Mike Davison, who is married to Bob’s daughter, Paula, the company’s Office Manager. Mike’s hire directly resulted in the start of the lawn division in 2009. “Jenkins Pest & Lawn is a family business. Together, they run the company,” Bob says.
The company also has five customer service representatives, four lawn technicians, one lawn care manager and 16 pest control technicians.
Bob believes that hiring quality individuals is one thing that sets his company apart. “We try to hire the best-quality people and then provide the best training,” he says.
One trait he seeks in new hires is a sense of caring about others. He believes that translates into exhibiting great care for the customer. “The key to excelling in the service industry is caring for your customers,” Bob adds.
As a veteran, Bob also looks to recruit former members of the military. “Those who have military training are dependable and reliable, have a good disposition and are team players. That’s the kind of environment we like to create here,” he says.
Bob ensures all employees receive on-the-job training. Additionally, the company hosts safety classes each month and conducts a full day of training two times a year, bringing in university professors and industry experts to educate employees on important subject areas.
It’s All in the Application
Bob says there is no job too big or too small for his business. “While residential services make up a large portion of our work, we can scale up for much larger commercial projects, too,” he says.
One of the company’s largest efforts involved termite prevention at a 400,000-square-foot food production facility. Additionally, the company has provided comprehensive services for Pearl, a 22-acre retail, dining and office space north of downtown San Antonio; and the 194-store open-air regional shopping mall called The Shops at La Cantera, also in San Antonio.
Size is also not an issue for large-scale lawn service projects. The company maintains 204 acres of lawn, plants and shrubs at the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery eight times a year.
Bob’s approach to life and business do not end with excellent customer service. He also leads his company in giving to worthy causes. Over the years, Jenkins Pest & Lawn has donated money to the Wounded Warrior Project, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the San Antonio Area Chapter of American Red Cross, and various charities supported through an annual tournament hosted by the Fort Sam Houston Golf Course.
One of Bob’s favorite nonprofits is the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). “We have donated money and provided services for several years to the VFW,” he notes.
Whether serving customers or serving in ways that help others in the community, Bob has a broad and people-oriented perspective on giving. He couples that with a commitment to hard work and being “the smartest leader you can” in ways that benefit his employees, his community and especially his customers.