Georgia Exporter Spotlight: ORKIN PEST CONTROL
A Q&A interview with Tom Luczynski, President of Orkin Global Development & International Franchising
County: DeKalb
Industry: Pest Control
With more than 100 years of pest control experience, Orkin is the industry leader in specialized protection against common pests for residential and commercial areas. The company serves approximately 1.7 million customers across 60 countries.
How long has your company been exporting?
Orkin started its global franchise expansion in 2000 with Mexico. Prior to that we had been very active in Canada but not through franchising – we maintained ownership of all the in-country operations there. The franchise expansion model provided a different way for Orkin to grow internationally. Our initial efforts in Mexico allowed us to test the field and get our feet wet to see if it would work. It took a few years, but by 2004 we started to pursue the franchise expansion model in other countries and it just grew from there.
What motivated your company to start selling internationally?
In part, we saw great results with the U.S.-based franchise program we started back in 1992. That domestic model was seen as a successful vehicle to take our great brand and service outside of the United States. Food and health safety standards were on the rise everywhere impacting global industries such as hospitality and food processing. We saw opportunities for pest control growing out of these rising standards and wanted to be on the front lines of that movement.
The other compelling reason grew out of demand from our multi-national customer base here in the U.S. Orkin is a name that our clients trust and value, so they started asking if we could offer global protection in other markets where they operate. Many of our customers have a footprint in countries all around the world, and we want to be where they are as much as possible. As of today, Orkin services are available in 60 countries across the globe.
What is the biggest lesson your company has learned about exporting?
For us, finding the right partners is paramount. We have a thorough vetting process to qualify international franchise candidates and we’ve used GDEcD and the U.S. Commercial Service’s help to hone this process. It has been key for us to target franchise owners that fit the philosophical views and culture of our company with an emphasis on valuing employees and customers.
In terms of how we have adapted our service internationally, I think the fundamentals of our service are similar around the world – protecting facilities from rats, mice, and cockroaches, etc. doesn’t change very much from country to country. However, one difference we’ve noticed is the availability of product. Some of the countries we operate in don’t have all the same pesticides we use in the United States so that requires some adaptation.
Certainly Orkin has also had to adapt to local cultures, but that is the key to our franchising model’s success. As you can imagine, in the 60 countries where we operate business practices vary. A local franchise owner will know the cultural factors that play into business and service delivery. For example, here in the United States, it’s typical to just have one technician per service truck. In other parts of the world, it is sometimes two people traveling on service calls. In some cases, it’s as many as six technicians traveling together to deliver service. Having a local franchise owner helps us better understand those cultural differences.
How have GDEcD’s international trade team and its partners helped your company achieve success internationally?
We have been working with GDEcD’s trade team for many years now. One of your international trade managers, Taube Ponce, connected with us early on when we were starting to grow internationally and has been very helpful in providing assistance with due diligence and customer vetting. Having a trusted partner to help us navigate our international growth has been incredibly valuable and we appreciate what GDEcD’s trade team has been able to do for us in this regard.
We have also been very active with the U.S. Commercial Service (USCS) who has helped us identify partners in new markets. USCS has been instrumental in leveraging its network of contacts around the world through its gold key service to help us make connections and generate new business.
What advice do you have for companies that are just starting to export?
First, do your homework and prepare for legal costs – there isn’t one universal law, so everywhere we go we engage local attorneys to help us with the franchising process. The level of engagement will be different depending on your business model in each market – just make sure to cover your bases.
You also should prepare to adapt to local business practices. I mentioned the example earlier about the number of technicians per truck – you just need to adjust expectations and prepare for cultural differences.
And lastly, creating a good program to find the right partners is vital – there are a lot of good people in the world but there are some that do not share the business philosophies of employees first and strong customer satisfaction. Part of how we have structured our vetting process has been to involve resources like those offered by GDEcD and the USCS to help us find the right partners and make sure we aren’t getting ourselves into troubled relationships.
What has been your biggest export achievement?
I think our biggest achievement has been the overall acceptance and recognition of the Orkin brand as a global leader in pest control by customers around the world and the success of our global franchises. We’ve seen tremendous success in our franchising program and have received overwhelmingly positive responses from customers around the world regarding the high-quality service we offer.
To learn more about Orkin Pest Control, visit www.orkin.com or contact Tom Luczynski, President, global development and international franchising at [email protected].
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Are you a Georgia business looking for help growing your international sales? Find out how Georgia’s International Trade Team can help at Georgia.org/Trade.