Pest Management Professional, October 2016

Targeted growth SPONSORED BY RK Environmental Services delivers expert knowledge and customized solutions in the food industry By John Walsh Contributor R evenue growth Its what every company strives to achieve every year As the popular saying goes If youre not growing youre dying Doubledigit growth Even better And RK Environmental Services can confidently say its achieved double digit growth primarily through its proactive approach to service in the food industry We only service the food industry thats our niche and nobody does it better than we do says Hank Hirsch BCE president of RK Environmental RKE whose reputation is based on personal attention and proven results understands the food industry and that helps with the sales process It operates a sister company called Comprehensive Food Safety that offers food safety consulting training and customized audits Our dedicated approach to the food industry has definitely given us an advantage Hirsch says The companys sales and service has played a significant role in its growth the past several years With the Food Safety Modernization Act and the increasing need for a Global Food Safety Initiative audit there has been a considerable need for consulting services and a more professional formalized approach to integrated pest management services This need and our reputation for quality have definitely contributed to our growth Hirsch says When it comes to giving advice to others in the industry about sales and service tactics Hirsch suggests being professional and training sales staff to know in RKEs case the food industry and how different sectors are susceptible to different pest problems No two clients are alike so each scope of service must be customized he says In terms of the companys sales and service best practices each of RKEs sales staff holds the title of account executive and has relationship building responsibilities serving as an additional layer to ensure quality All the staff go through food safety training and because the company works with so many food processors theyre all well trained on the different audit standards with which RKE has to comply Looking ahead Hirsch wants to see RK Environmental evolve from paper documentation to cloud based record keeping using tablets The technology is available now and the company is beginning to use it but Hirsch anticipates it will take several years to get clients comfortably on board The company also is working toward using remote device monitoring so its service specialists can focus on inspection and preventive measures rather than spending so much time servicing devices So next year RKE just might be able to add technology to sales and service in the food sector as reasons why it reached its projected doubledigit growth PMP You can reach walsh at jwalsheditor@ gmail com RK Environmental Services HEadquaRTERS Westwood N J 2015 REvEnuE 72 million PRojEcTEd 2016 REvEnuE 86 million PRojEcTEd incREaSE 20 percent ToP 3 buSinESS TiPS 1Keep internal and external communication at a high level 2Challenge staff and implement incentive programs to help motivate and reward success 3Keep things in perspective at all times Dont let little things bother you and never make your staff feel bad People might not remember everything you say but theyll always remember how you made them feel mypmp net Pest Management Professional October 2016 GL11 Photo RK ENviRoNmENtal SERviCES RK Environmental President Hank Hirsch bcE