Premier Pest Management just keeps growing.

The Fountain Hills company, co-owned by Becky Garr and Sandy Hellems, opened in 1997. The driving force behind the company has always been to “do what it takes to add value to their customers.” Reasonable prices, excellent customer service and knowledgeable employees have helped grow the business through the years.

The goal for its pest control clients is to help keep people’s homes safe from unwanted pests.

From rattlesnakes to scorpions, Premier offers more options than just chemical applications.

“We’re very willing to share information with people,” Hellems said. “The solution isn’t always to grab a can and start spraying.

“There should be careful consideration on the treatment approach and how to do it responsibly.”

Most of the solutions lie in just helping people understand the animals of the desert and how they live.

While scorpions and rattlesnakes don’t do much damage to the home, one insect that does is the termite.

Arizona has perfect conditions to support termites: low water tables and no frost give subterranean termites lots of space to forage. Additionally, the termite’s favorite food is dead roots. The desert provides a plentiful food source. Many homes are built right on top of scraped away bushes and trees with roots still in the soil.

Because of these conditions, it suggests that every home should have termite protection.

Termite treatment doesn’t have to be awful. Hellems states that chemicals alone don’t make for great termite service. Proper application is necessary to make sure the right amount of material is used. And when the chemical application is complete the real work has just begun.

“What separates termite companies, in our opinion, is their finish work and customer service,” Hellems said. “A customer’s home should be treated respectfully from making sure our boots are clean to putting everything back where it belongs.”

Most importantly, Premier provides written and guaranteed proposals for both their pest and termite control services.

When we have a termite contract, we inspect the complete home at least once annually.

“Many companies just collect the renewal fee and say, ‘Call us if you see a problem,’” Hellems says. “Well, we are the professionals. We should be looking for the termites on the customer’s behalf.”

“Our company and its employees take personal pride in their work,” Garr says.

The growth of the pest control side led to the creation of Premier Home Services, LLC, a landscape maintenance company.

Premier Home Services, LLC, meets the needs of its customers in three primary ways. The first is to communicate effectively with the crew and then to listen to how the customer would like their yard to look when finished.”

“We don’t just pay lip service to having an English speaker on the crew,” Hellems said. “At this point I am at every service. I may have to run out for supplies or a bid but I’m right back for quality control and final touch ups.”

Premier has standard service procedures for each plant/tree but that can be altered. Some customers prefer their trees or bushes to look more natural, not shaped.

“We do our best to follow the picture the customer paints for us,” Garr said. “We do make suggestions to help the customer see what’s best for the plant or tree in the long term.”

The other important feature for the home services business side is the irrigation system.

Hellems says many companies say they check the systems but she frequently finds improperly set timers, clogged drippers and leaks big and small.

“When we check the system and set the timers I create a Client Timer Sheet. I graph what plants or trees each valve operates, the start times and duration of each,” Hellems says. “That way when we show up at the appointment we can run through the system and really know what’s going on. Ineffective watering schedules waste water and create weak plants.”

For a free consultation and estimate for maintenance, new plantings, irrigation system check and repair, lighting install or repair, or for pest control services, call Premier at (480) 816-9388.