The company has also set up a Learning Centre for Pest Management in the Philippines to uplift industry standards with courses in Pest Management, Leadership, Sales, Marketing and various soft skills.
Sometimes a negative experience turns up to be a blessing in disguise. This was the case for Mr Thomas Fernandez, Founder Chairman and CEO of PestBusters.
As a young man, Mr Fernandez worked for a pest control company to help pay for his studies, but a mishap with chemical products nearly cost him his life. This incident inspired him to raise the standards in pest control management. His pursuit of obtaining the right expertise led him to Mr Ken Doty, a 20-year industry veteran who became his mentor. He also went back to school to further his knowledge, convinced that success comes from knowing every detail of one’s products and services.
Mr Fernandez’s deep sense of professionalism quickly distinguished PestBusters from its peers. Never one to take shortcuts, PestBusters takes an integrated and rigorous approach by inspecting the site of the infestation before recommending the right solution to minimise the potential harm to the surrounding environment. ,
Having reaped the benefits of rigorous training, Mr Fernandez is committed to equip his associates with the best possible training opportunities. In his vision, every associate should be an Ambassador of the company – ready to live up to the highest standards. Since the company’s founding in 1991, this exacting vision has won the trust of its clients, including the most renowned names in the Healthcare and Hospitality markets.
Under Mr Fernandez’s leadership, PestBusters has grown its presence in competitive markets across Southeast Asia, with offices in Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines. He has also set his sights on the wider Asian region – by 2020, PestBusters is set to expand its presence to Cambodia, India, Sri Lanka, China and Indonesia. The company has also set up a Learning Centre for Pest Management in the Philippines to uplift industry standards with courses in Pest Management, Leadership, Sales, Marketing and various soft skills.
As it grew from strength to strength, PestBusters racked up a growing number of accolades. The first pest management companyh to receive the ISO9002 quality assurance award, PestBusters has also been recognised as a Promising Small and Medium Enterprise by the Singapore Productivity and Standards Board (PSB). In addition, the company has also won the National Training Award, the People Developer Award, the National Model for Work Redesign, and the Singapore Promising Brand Award.
As the man behind this success story, Mr Fernandez’s excellence in entrepreneurship has not gone unnoticed. In 2001, he won the Top 10 Entrepreneur of the Year Award and added the Spirit of Enterprise Award to his mantle in 2004. In 2011, after leading PestBusters for over two decades, Mr Fernandez was E also honoured in the Outstanding Category at the Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards.
Throughout the years, Mr Fernandez has continued to stay active in the entrepreneurial scene. He served as the Vice President for Communications in the Association of Small and Medium Enterprise and has also represented ASME as a committee member in the Singapore Accreditation Council. A past president of SOE, Mr Fernandez could be found mentoring young entrepreneurs on various occasions.
Mr Fernandez is poised to add another feather to his cap by clinching the SOE-Nexia TS Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2018, which is presented annually to a past SOE Honouree who has taken their enterprise to new heights, the award is a testament of his enduring vision and achievements.
What advice would he give to young people keen to follow his path? Mr Fernandez believes that “perseverance is the key to success.” In his journey as an entrepreneur, he has also discovered the value of not resting on one’s laurels. “innovate, innovate, innovate,” he said. “Be ready for change and keep changing for the better.”
AUTHOR BIO
ALAN KOH
Alan Koh is the Founder and CEO of Impossible Marketing, a group of companies renowned for hyperlocal marketing strategies tailored to businesses in Singapore. His professional journey began in the banking sector, where he quickly rose through the ranks, garnering eight industry awards in just four years.
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