Pest Management Professional, September 2017

Added VAlue Photo Ray Johnson By Ray Johnson Contributor Big Blue Bug becomes brilliant branding idea I t was 1979 in Providence R I when not only the worlds largest bug was born but one of the worlds best branding ideas was conceived by New England Pest Control Founder Leonard Goldman and his son Stephan By 1980 Nibbles Woodaway a replica of an Eastern subterranean termite Reticulitermes flavipes that is 58 ft long 9 ft tall and 4000 lbs was installed on the companys roof Because the business is located just beside Interstate 95 its visible to millions every year In New England Nibbles is as iconic as Mickey Mouse and known by all who live there Hes not only well known but loved by many too as evidenced by the social media support given to him after a recent vandalism event The company has sent more than 50000 8x10 photos to fans by request It dresses up Nibbles for various holidays an Uncle Sam hat for July 4 a witchs hat and broom for Halloween and a red blinking nose and antlers for Christmas I had the pleasure of visiting with Stephan now president and CEO and his sons Scott and Brian recently I met most of the friendly staff and enjoyed a wonderful seafood lunch with great friends Stephan loves to tell the story of how a marketing firm was helping to figure out what message to put on a proposed billboard above the companys new building when someone said Lets put a big termite on the roof Boom Right there was birthed the most amazing idea that would help sculpt the future of the company Originally the Big Blue Bug was supposed to be purple the true color of a swarming termite but the purple paint kept fading to blue Its 920 times the actual size of a termite constructed of steel and covered in fiberglass Named Nibbles Woodaway in a local radio contest the Big Blue Bug was so special that after 75 years in business Stephan and his sons decided to change the name of the company from New England Pest Control to Big Blue Bug Solutions Nibbles has been showcased on The Today Show Oprah and Good Morning America He received an incredible 13 seconds of majestic aerial footage in the first Dumb and Dumber movie in 1994 and was included in the 2014 sequel Dumb and Dumber To Hes been featured in dozens of cartoons You can reach Johnson a past president of the National Pest Management Association NPMA president of Sevierville Tenn based Johnson Pest Control and founder of ACES for Business at ray@ johnsonpestcontrol com From left Big Blue Solutions Brian Stephan and Scott Goldman show off the iconic termite that appears to have landed on top of the companys Providence R I building and at least one tattoo Numerous marriage proposals have been made under the approving landmark Nibbles has been featured in newspapers and magazine articles worldwide and Rhode Island is proudly represented by the Big Blue Bug in a mural at the Denver International Airport The extent of the coverage is huge lets just say Nibbles rocks big time More importantly the Goldmans take pride in the smiles letters and drawings they get from children when the Big Blue Bug appears at various events as a mascot in costume Nibbles youre a special bug and youve got a special family to care for you well into the future pmp 120 September 2017 pest management professional mypmp net