“Every business — industrial, commercial, hotels, restaurants, even homeowners — has certain needs that happen on occasion. When it comes to a homeowner, if a nice lady has a mouse in the house, well, people don't know how to deal with that, so we'll deal with that for them.”
This is the service that Gilles Lambert, the owner and founder of Gilles Lambert Pest Control, provides to the community. For Lambert, the process of restoring buildings and properties to pristine environments free of unwanted guests is more than a treatment. It’s structural problem-solving.
Removing pests isn’t the only strength of the company. Even before the pests make their appearance, Gilles Lambert Pest Control is equipped to help prevent their arrival in the first place.
It is here that businesses especially benefit from contracts with the business — it amounts to fewer chemicals and more peace of mind.
“A restaurant might need once-a-month service. A food plant might need weekly service, and it's more preventative, so there's a lot less insecticide or product used if you catch problems early,” says Lambert.
Proactive + Preventative = Fewer chemicals
Although it may run contrary to the standard expectations of pest control, preventative and proactive work that limits the need for chemicals is one important part of how Lambert’s business is updating what the pest control process looks like.
Businesses that send their products outside of the community especially see the convenience.
“You have farmers and are sending their products overseas with lots of rules and regulations, and we follow them,” says Lambert. “It’s conscious of the environment, and [our] business plan is really important for world trade.”
Rural service, structural thinking
As a part of its residential, industrial, and commercial services, Gilles Lambert Pest Control offers insect and rodent control as well as wildlife removal, including birds and raccoons.
Although the business is Winnipeg-based, the company’s expertise also stretches to more rural areas. Lambert says that in every area, there is a different trend of pests.
In the Pembina Valley, it’s usually mice or rabbits.
In Lambert’s view, the second the pests have arrived indicates that the problem is already in its second stage.
“When it comes to certain pests, if a client on the phone says, ‘Gilles, I have three bunny rabbits,’ if we get rid of them, then you won't have them, but you'll have more coming in, so it's basically a structural issue,” he says. “The [presence of the pest] is a secondary problem.”
Accordingly, Lambert says that if one sees a mouse, there is a hole in the structure, and if one sees a rabbit underneath the deck, the next step is to prevent access. Lambert says that the goal of his company, which has now grown to 12 trucks, is to treat the problem overall and not just settle with a band-aid solution of treating pest sightings.
“We're here to help you. We're not here to come back once a month,” he says. “We want to deal with your issue .... It’s simple.”
Building partnerships with a 100% Canadian business
As Gilles Lambert Pest Control becomes more and more involved in the Pembina Valley, it has become increasingly interested in forging connections with local businesses and building partnerships that benefit the community.
“I want to partner with businesses so that we can help each other out,” says Lambert. “In the past five years, I’ve supported two junior curling teams, I’ve supported minor hockey, I’ve supported Ronald McDonald House. There are a lot of things that I would like to give back to.”
To this end, Lambert is also in search of a “career-minded” individual to join his team locally. He is looking for someone who is as passionate about his company’s standards as he is.
Lambert adds that the funds generated from partnerships and business through Gilles Lambert Pest control stay in the community. From the company’s trucks to its service area and everything in between, it all stays in Manitoba.
Ten years of experience, even more of learning
Lambert’s wide range of services, expertise, and community involvement is the product of 20 years of building experience as a business owner.
The entrepreneur got his start before that, about 25 years ago, when he entered the industry through a national pest control business that offered him valuable experience but wasn’t quite the right fit.
“I became really good at what I did. I was confident in my ability, and it really worked out well for me,” he says. “[But] working for a large company, basically you found out that you're just a number. That's kind of cold.”
Even worse to Lambert, the clients were numbers, too. Despite this, he found that he established connections quickly, a natural inclination that ended up inspiring him to establish his own business.
“I was really close with my clients and became friends with a lot of them, and then it became fun,” he says. “So I took that business model, and I started my own business because of doing what I knew, well.”
Lambert, originally from St. Jean Baptiste, is the type of person with skills in various fields. Over the years, he has been involved with meat-cutting, construction, welding, and landscaping. He has taken what he has learned through each of his occupations and applied it to pest control.
“It came naturally to me,” he says.
‘At the end of the day, every technician has a story to tell their wife or husband’
In the end, Lambert is in his industry because he loves what he does, and he has a deep appreciation for both the work and the people it involves.
“You drive around and do your job, and then at the end of the day, every technician has a story to tell their wife or husband,” he says. “A good, bad, funny, or weird problem that you had to deal with and that you dealt with successfully.”
To read more about Lambert and the pest control services he provides, or to find contact information for a conversation with the pest control veteran, click here.