After 80 Years, Bugs Just Don't Get Old to Local Pest Control Firm

If you grew up around termites and roaches, you might not remember your childhood with complete fondness. But if you're Heather Bowers Dyrness, it wasn't just a great way to grow up, it was the only way. 

That's because bugs are the family business.

"I'm the fourth generation," said Heather, the vice president of , a premiere pest extermination company whose business goes far beyond Woodbridge where it is based. 

For Heather, there was nothing unusual in her choice of occupation. "Bugs and things like that are the norm," she said. "It's a little weird, being a girl, but it doesn't faze me or bother me at all."

Heather has had time to get used to the whole idea. The company "has been doing this for 80 years."

Company origins

The pest control firm got its start by the family patriarch, Fredrick Bowers, in 1932 in Rahway. His son, George, joined the business, and later, his sons, Robert and Barry, took up the company mantle in the 1960s.

By 1974, Bowco had expanded and was looking for new space. They found it on Freeman Street in Woodbridge, at the site of an old machine shop they converted into offices and garage space for their trucks and technicians. 

The company has continued, with various Bowers family members in charge. Robert Bowers passed away in 2006, and his brother, Barry, now serves as company president.

When it came time to hand the family firm onto the next generation, Heather, Barry's daughter and an only child, was the one that everyone looked to to keep the operation running into the decades ahead.

"I'm the last of the Bowers family. All eyes were on me," the pretty and petite blonde vice president said.

Joining the family business

Heather didn't initially start out with a goal of joining the family business. After high school, she went to college in North Carolina and took a job in a different industry. Her other career just wasn't cutting it.

"I started to realize, what am I doing? I have a family business that is so successful. Why waste that?" Heather said. She moved home and officially joined Bowco ten years ago.

Barry was glad to have her back.

"I look forward to her being in the office every day. We have a great working relationship," her proud father said.

Like all of Bowco's college educated upper echelon employees, Heather is licensed and also serves on the board of the directors of the NJ Pest Management Association.

Even in a new century, it's still somewhat unusual to have a female executive in charge of a pest control company.

"It's a male-dominated industry, but there are a few women. It can be intimidating at first, though, especially at a convention," Heather said. "There aren't that many women walking around."

Heather sees her gender as an advantage. "If one of our customers is a mom or a working woman, sometimes it's easier talking to another woman," she said. 

It's an issue because so many homeowners, particularly women upon whom much of the household cleaning revolves, are embarrassed if they have a bug or critter infestation.

A woman's touch

"They think it reflects upon them. It doesn't, and I tell them that," she said. "It can happen to anyone, and it doesn't mean you have a dirty home.

"People get hysterical when it comes to bugs. I understand, I have a home I maintain. If it were me, I'd say the same thing."

Trying to get bug stories out of the Bowers is tough. They take their customers' privacy very seriously, because so many people think calling a pest control company is a reflection on their cleanliness.

There aren't a whole lot of tales told out of school. Except maybe for the one about the bees that also has a lesson about "do it yourself" extermination projects.

"I've had people who have tried to seal up an area where bees had nested. it aggravated the bees. They came through the wall and sheetrock into the house," Heather said. 

The homeowner initially said that "they could do it themselves."

That was until the bees broke through the wall in the middle of the night. 

"You know you'll be talking to them again in about a day after they try to fix it themselves," she said.

Long term relationships

Many of the 35 Bowco employees have been with the firm for years. In the case of the office staff, one lady has been there 30 years and counting.

"Delores is 80 years old, but she comes in two or three days a week. She's sharp as a tack. I call her my grandma," Heather said.

Two other hard working employees of the four-legged variety deserve special mention. Madison, Heather's Golden retriever, chases geese for the company, while Luca, a highly trained canine, seeks out bedbugs, a special area of interest in recent years.

"Madison comes to work with me every day," said Heather, who was recently married and lives in Colonia. "She's the most popular person here."

As with their employees, the company has had relationships with families that go back decades. 

"We're doing work for the grandchildren of some original customers," Barry said.

Aside from residential work, commercial and industrial clients - such as the , pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, and others - fill a big part of the firm's business. Their service area includes the entire state of New Jersey, as well as parts of Pennsylvania and New York.

But on a smaller scale, Bowco is a good neighbor. They do lots of good in a quiet way.

"We give back. We support teams. We donate to charities," Heather said.

And if the Woodbridge Dog Park in Sewaren doesn't have fleas, thank Bowco. "We treat the dog park for free," Barry said.

It's been quite a ride, Barry said. 

"It's never not interesting. Every day brings something different. We work with so many different corporations and meet so many different people," he said. "Every day I enjoy coming to work."