Imagine. That’s what John Brezden did on December 8, 1980. On the very day that John Lennon was shot, John and Maria Brezden were beginning their business out of their garage. It was a day to go down in history for the Brezden family in more ways than one. John and Maria’s son had been born and named John Lennon prior to this date, making the day even more meaningful to them.
That was 37 years ago now. Looking back John attributes his success to a lot of hard work and good employees. He relies on distributor reps for input and advice and has a base of competitors that share information and ideas as well. The Brezden’s are up to 21 employees now. Treating employees fairly is clearly a top priority for the Brezden’s. Paying well and investing in employees have kept the Brezden’s retention rates high, some employees have been with them for 14 years!
The Brezden’s are committed to doing things differently to ensure employee retention. They recognize the importance of good employees and how costly it is to hire and train new ones. John and Maria recently realized a dream of theirs: to offer Profit Sharing to their employees. John is excited about this and feels there is enough profit to go around. He feels strongly that the company will prosper when everyone has an investment in how the company performs. Profit sharing is paid out as an end of the year bonus. He feels it really sets his business apart from other employers out there and will help to attract industry talent to his company.
Beyond being a good payer, another one of John’s secrets to retention is to regularly build up his employee’s morale. He is a big believer in the professionalism of the pest management technician. He wants his employees to be proud of what they do for a living, their specialized knowledge about pests that ensures a healthy environment for their client’s homes and businesses. He also looks to hire people that are likable and reminds his technicians regularly of their ‘bedside manner’. “If you are likable and know how to talk to people, a few ants that may appear after treatment won’t bother a client. Knowing how to talk to people is a big part of the business,” comments John.
In his free time John plays guitar and sings in a band called Under the Garage. His love of music is just another parallel in his life to the late John Lennon. Perhaps a famous Lennon quote sums up the Brezden’s philosophy in business:
“A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.”
― John Lennon
