Alternative Solutions, Healthier Lives
ECOLA’s “Termite Lady” Champions Eco-Friendly Pest Management
Life has a way of coaxing many of us along a path different from what we had originally planned. Such was the case for Sue Fries. Prior to her marriage, she utilized her energy volunteering in her church’s ministry and worked as an outside sales rep for Foster Grant Sunglasses and Max Factor. Sue’s father-in-law owned a pest control franchise business, and her husband asked her if she would like to go into business with his father. She agreed and became an office assistant. Over the course of 20 years (part of that time serving as Operations Manager for the firm), she learned a great deal about the pest management industry. Then, she decided to become an entrepreneur.
In 2000, Sue became acquainted with the owners of ECOLA Termite and Pest Management Services, two men who were preparing to retire from the business they had built. She purchased the business from them and, no longer bound by a franchise, Sue began expanding the firm’s specialized offerings of eco-friendly pest management solutions.
Today, Sue is the Owner of ECOLA Termite Alternatives and President of ECOLA Termite and Pest Management Services, a subsidiary of ECOLA Services Inc., which provides pest control services throughout California. Since 2000, the company has grown from 30 to 85 employees and now has seven offices serving areas from San Diego to Paso Robles.
“To get everything done, I work as efficiently as possible and I have a lot of good employees working with me,” Sue explains. Her challenge is finding employees with a good attitude, which is the first step to forming a well-functioning team. Sue sees her new mission as helping her employees develop their skills. “We send them to classes to get them the proper certifications. We try to help each person advance and learn their craft and acquire skills to get them educated and licensed in order to fulfill our clients’ needs.”
Now known as “The Termite Lady” throughout southern California and beyond, this award-winning author and dynamic speaker has built a successful reputation in the pest control industry, thanks in part to her experiences as a mom.
Shortly after the birth of her son, Tyson, symptoms of his asthma and allergy to dust mites appeared. While the chemicals associated with pest control were not considered to have contributed to his condition, her son’s medical issues prompted her to research non-chemical methods of pest control.
“We educate people that there is more than one way to take care of their pest infestation needs, and if we can do it less invasively, we can still get the problem solved.” Sue Fries, ECOLA Termite and Pest Management Services
“I had to learn how to manage his triggers, understand what was causing them, and try to minimize, if possible, what was going on,” says Sue. “In the process of doing that I learned there were other ways of dealing with common issues in people’s homes and businesses.”
Tyson, now an adult, is an active member of the ECOLA Termite and Pest Management Services staff. While Sue says that he is still “in training,” his duties are significant. He is responsible for maintaining the company’s fleet of 65 trucks, along with tracking the vehicles’ whereabouts for service calls. He also handles security and is instrumental in product and equipment purchasing along with onboarding of new employees.
Alternative Treatments
Learning about alternative treatments led Sue to an increased understanding that non-chemical pest control methods could improve quality of life for others as well. “Looking for a better way for my son started the whole process,” she explains.
Sue’s research into chemical-free pest control led her to alternative treatments such as ECOLA Heat, microwave technology and the Etex Electro-Gun—treatments that can be conducted in only a few hours and leave behind no residue harmful to humans or pets. Any treatments left behind are eco-sensitive, such as borates (salt), herbs such as rosemary, cottonwood, cedarwood and EcoSMART products made from tree oil extracts.
The Etex Electro-Gun, a device developed in the late 1970s, combines low and high frequency currents (up to 60,000 Hz) to target localized infestations. Although the voltage is high enough to be lethal to termites, its low current operation is harmless to humans and pets, unless a person has a pacemaker.
ECOLA Heat, a termite heat method originally developed in the 1980s at UCLA as an alternative to traditional fumigation, has been further engineered to treat infestations of many common insects and pests. The treatment uses propane-powered heaters to raise the air temperature to between 120 and 130 degrees, and blowing it into the affected area for one to three hours.
Although conducting the heat process does not require an applicator license, every technician who applies chemical treatments is required to have an applicator license.
Educating Others
The Termite Lady is a Director and former Chair of the Pest Control Operators of California in the San Fernando Valley District. She is also Director of United Against Indoor Air Pollution, an environmental activist for disadvantaged children with asthma, and a consultant and national spokesperson for the Indoor Allergen Control Network. She has been featured on Discovery Channel, History Channel and the syndicated talk radio show America Now, and she serves as a keynote speaker for Christian and women’s organizations.
“We educate people that there is more than one way to take care of their pest infestation needs, and if we can do it less invasively, we can still get the problem solved,” Sue says. While ECOLA Termite and Pest Management Services continues to offer traditional chemical termite control, the company custom tailors solutions for each individual client. Its clients include residential property owners and business establishments. Termite control frequently becomes a major issue in remodeling projects, both commercial and residential.
Remodeling construction must be performed in a certain sequence, and the time for termite and pest inspection and treatment is when the walls are open. As fumigation requires a property to be vacated for several days, downtime for a remodeling crew can turn into a significant expense. Time is money. Fortunately, the ECOLA Heat treatment can be performed in one day or less.
Not Just a Termite Lady
Although ECOLA Termite and Pest Management Services is Sue’s primary business, she is a woman of many interests and talents. For several years, the company was a regular business advertiser on a Christian radio station in southern California. After becoming acquainted with Sue, the station management recognized her passion for ministry and her charismatic personality. They requested that she start a regular show on their station. Never having hosted a syndicated radio program, Sue acquainted herself with other inspirational radio hosts who mentored her in this new endeavor. The radio program proved successful; now, eight years later, Sue has branched out to four radio stations and started a TV show that airs on LA 36. Her topics for both programs are based on life lessons and the pursuit of passion, purpose and connection.
In 2011, while recuperating from an accident that shattered her leg, Sue had the time to write a book about her family’s experiences in dealing with asthma. The book, “Learning to Breathe,” provides insight into the causes and preventions of asthma, little-known truths about asthma, and some surprising cures. One chapter includes steps people can take in their own homes to reduce harmful indoor allergens and asthma triggers. In 2016, her book was featured at the London Book Fair, an annual event where more than 25,000 publishing professionals gather to learn and network.
This mother of two also enjoys competitive dancing. One of her crowning achievements took place in 1978, when she and her dance partner won the American Bandstand Best Dancing Couple of the Year award, each winning a car. She now competes in 12 different couples dance styles.
No matter how busy life gets, Sue’s passion for clean, healthy air will continue to direct her mission to provide an eco-sensitive environment for her clients in the pest control industry.