Good Neighbor Podcast South Charlotte
Bringing Together Local Businesses and Neighbors of South Charlotte.
Good Neighbor Podcast South Charlotte
Ep. #17 From San Francisco Screens to Charlotte Pest Solutions
How does one transition from pest control in San Francisco to the film industry, and then back to pest control in Charlotte? Caleb Maggi, the owner-operator of Grey Wolf Pest Control, shares his inspiring and unconventional journey on this episode of the Good Neighbor Podcast. Caleb discusses the inspiration behind the unique name of his company and his commitment to using safe, organic products. With a focus on customer service and rigorous industry standards, Caleb's story offers valuable insights into the pest control business and his passion for creating a safer environment for families and pets.
But the episode isn't just about pests. Caleb opens up about his family life in South Charlotte, revealing the joys and challenges of raising three children in this dynamic community. He shares heartwarming stories about school routines and the vibrant local scene in downtown Matthews. This episode is a beautiful blend of professional wisdom and personal anecdotes, providing a comprehensive look at Caleb's life and work. Don't miss out on this captivating conversation that paints a full picture of what it means to be a dedicated business owner and a loving parent in South Charlotte.
Grey Wolf Pest Control
Caleb Maggi
(704) 222-0570
admin@greywolfpestcontrol.com
greywolfpestcontrol.com
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Regina League.
Speaker 2:Well, good morning everyone. Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast in South Charlotte this morning I'm excited to speak to Caleb. Is it Maggi? It's Maggi, yes, Maggi okay, he is the owner-operator of Grey Wolf Pest Control. Welcome this morning. How are you?
Speaker 3:I'm doing great. Thank you for having me.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. So I was reading a little bit about you and I understand you started or you went to college, put yourself through college in San Francisco and you were doing pest control as a side gig to take care of your family. So tell us a little bit about that time in your life.
Speaker 3:Yeah, definitely. It was actually very tiring. So I was going to college all day and then I was doing pest control at night and then I got a degree in film and television production. I used it for a little while and it was stressful. It was you know gigs for a couple of months and then you get a break and you know. So I needed something really steady, and pest control was always I mean, you know, anywhere you live there's a need for pest control. So it was a steady job to help with the family. So stuck with that.
Speaker 2:That's wonderful, so tell me about the name Grey Wolf Pest.
Speaker 3:How did you come about with that neat name? Yeah, so I've always had a fascination with wolves. A friend of mine that I worked with in San Francisco he moved to LA and I went down there with him to help his company grow. He named his primate pest elimination and his logo was just a gorilla. Had nothing to do with pest control, but so many people would call just because they loved the gorilla. So I figured you know what I'm going to go the same route and it's been working. So I figured you know what I'm going to I'm going to go the same route and it's been working.
Speaker 2:So how did you end up in Charlotte from San Francisco LA film business? Now you're in Charlotte area Matthews specifically.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so we actually targeted Charlotte and the Matthews area specifically. We loved the the family aspect of it. You know it was tighter knit communities really geared towards family and kids. I have three kids so I mean we just we loved it. So it was a great fit for us and it's a huge market for bugs too.
Speaker 2:Well, it is, and you know we're lucky here. We have four seasons, but yes, we do have bugs here, yes, so let's talk about your services. I see you do indoor and outdoor pests, so all the traditional things, but walk us through your services.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so indoor, outdoor and mosquitoes, which are huge this year, huge this year, and we kind of leave the indoor version, the indoor aspect of it, to the customers. So outdoor is always a must and our goal is to keep bugs from getting in. So if a customer really needs something inside or, you know, if they have something very specific, we'll do the inside for them. You know, just as a kind of a last line of defense. But ideally we keep them out before they even get in. But you know we'll do whatever a customer is looking for or what the job requires.
Speaker 2:So let's talk about the kind of products you use. You know organic. Walk us through that piece of it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, definitely. So I like to use a lot of. They're classified as botanicals. Basically, a lot of stuff is plant plant derived, so, like pyrethrins, they come from chrysanthemum plants and and products like that that work great. They're very safe to be around. Um cause, again, I have kids, I have pets, so I don't really want to do stuff in someone's house that I wouldn't do in my own house. So I really I really push that Um and again. When customers sometimes are a little reluctant, you know they don't. They don't know if that's that approach is going to work. But it works great and I've been using it for years and I really stand by the, the natural method.
Speaker 2:That's wonderful. So, you know, I think everyone is so much more aware these days of chemicals and being careful around it. So that's wonderful that that's just part of your approach, day in, day out.
Speaker 3:Yes, yeah.
Speaker 2:So your mission, your vision. It's very clear on your website that you are all about customer service, so you know what makes you different. What? How do you stand separate from other pest control businesses?
Speaker 3:So I think our service really speaks for itself. I mean, we, we really listen to customers. I think sometimes, when you know if someone's been doing something for a long time, they kind of go on autopilot and they, you know, might not hear customers as much and just kind of, all right, this is what I always do, so I'm going to do this Whereas we really try to focus on, you know, pest control as a whole and then also address every, you know, everything that they're, they're looking for and customers really notice. You know, when you go to them after a job and point out all the little things that they mentioned and they're like, oh, he was, you know, he was really listening. That's great. You know he, he's doing what we need to be done. So it really really shows.
Speaker 2:What does what is required of you to be in pest control as far as licenses or credentials? Tell us about that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so the first thing to as a business owner, you have to have a minimum of two years experience I mean, I have a lot more than that, but a minimum of two. And then you have to go through several classes through the state and then actually every year you have to do continuing education. So every year I'm going to classes getting more credits it's almost like college and then you report to the state. They go over your records. Sometimes they'll talk to your customers and things like that. So there's a lot of good checks and balances, I think. So they're not just sending people out and letting them spray things and and not, you know, not checking on them. So it's, I think it's a good balance of that.
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, you're dealing with. You know strong things, so that makes sense very much. So what are some of the misconceptions in your industry?
Speaker 3:So I get it a lot. When someone calls me for the first time, they tell me I've never had pest control service where we've always been nervous we don't want our kids or we don't want our pets around harsh chemicals. And sometimes people are really surprised that. You know, when I show them like, look, there's other options, like we have botanicals, we have natural, organic products that are completely safe to be around and they work great, so it's it's a big shock and you know when we use them and they they do see the results. I think people really appreciate that.
Speaker 2:That's amazing. How big of an area do you service and you're based in Matthews, south Charlotte, so how far do you go for your customers?
Speaker 3:So right now I do basically the whole area of Charlotte, we do Mint Hill, pineville, and I go down south as far as Indian land, south Carolina. Okay, for now we would love to expand, but we're getting there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. Well, it's important. What is the most common insect or problem that you treat here in the Charlotte area? Because I'm sure it's very different from where you came from on the West Coast.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it is. I would say the biggest one is cockroaches or palmetto bugs. That are still cockroaches, but that is probably year round that's the biggest one. Certain times of year mosquitoes get bad, ants get bad, but it's, it's roaches, they're, they're always there and they're, they're strong.
Speaker 2:So yeah, they are, and it seems. Is it true that moisture, like after a big rain, is that when they become more prevalent, it helps.
Speaker 3:So moisture temperature, you know the the temperature really helps with them being more active. I mean you'll you'll see them in the winter, but when it gets warmer they're active. I mean you'll see them in the winter, but when it gets warmer they're moving around a lot more.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they're totally disgusting too.
Speaker 3:They are.
Speaker 2:And fire ants. Can you do fire ants.
Speaker 3:Yes, I deal with fire ants quite a bit and they're mean, they're vicious.
Speaker 2:Do they have fire ants in California?
Speaker 3:So in LA they did. In San Francisco no fire ants, very few bugs in San Francisco.
Speaker 2:So I think that's pretty cool, that you know you can look, and you could probably look at a list of insects by region and be able to go okay, that's the South, that's the West.
Speaker 2:Everything is very different. Well, this is awesome. So how can our listeners reach you if they're interested in working with you? Caleb and Grey Wolf Pest.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so they can either go to our website, greywolfpestcontrol. com, or they can call us directly. Phone number is 704-222-0570. I have a great assistant. Her name's Jen. She takes all the calls. You can text, you can email and she is really on top of it. So she'll get back to you right away and that's the quickest way.
Speaker 2:Perfect, perfect. I left off one question. Tell us about your family. I know you're a big family man. I can see you smiling.
Speaker 3:Yes, yes, I have three kids and one of them is one of them's finishing elementary school, another is finishing uh, middle school, and then I have one going into sophomore year of high school. Um, so we have, you know, three different schools. It's a drop off and pickup times are a little rough, but but it's, it's great, I love it and they've, they've, they love Matthews. We're always downtown Matthews, we explore Charlotte a lot, but downtown Matthews is growing so much that we really love hanging out down there and it's been a great change for us.
Speaker 2:The whole South Charlotte area is actually amazing. It is a great place to call home. So thank you very much. It's been a pleasure talking to you. I hope to meet you out in the community one day and thank you for being part of the Good Neighbor podcast.
Speaker 3:Thank you for having me. I really appreciate it.
Speaker 2:Absolutely.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNPSouthCharlotte. com. That's GNPSouthCharlotte. com, or call 980-351-5719.