It’s My Job: Tommie Campbell, employee at a pest control company

Name: Tommie Campbell

Age: 60

Job: Pest technician and trainer at J&J Pest Solutions.

How long have you worked for J&J Pest Solutions? "I've worked here on and off since 2010."

How long have you been in the pest control business? "Overall? It's been 40 years. I started working for the government and did that for about 37 years. I retired in 2010 after I met Jim," Campbell said. Jim Campbell is the owner of J&J Pest Solutions. "And then (I) started helping him and giving advice." Campbell figured out different ways to remove pests without using pesticides during his time with the government.

What do you do at J&J? "Pest (removal), mostly. I take care of general pests. Everyone here has their own territory; one's strictly termite. I do a little of everything."

What's a typical day like? "Over the summer, some days go long into the night, sometimes. I start around 8 a.m. and end up going on for who knows how long. You can go to your first place with four stops for the day, and end up with 10 or more. It all depends what's going on and what calls you get. You never really know."

What's the biggest pest problem here? "Bedbugs have made a tremendous comeback. We thought we had them eradicated for 30 years, and they've just made a huge comeback. They're one of our biggest concerns. And eradicating them can be hard. They can lay dormant for two years and then, boom! They're just crawling all over."

What's the most surprising part of your job? "You gotta love people. You can't just get a job and not get connected. You have to get on their level, listen to their complaints. It's very people-oriented. They know you, trust you. It wasn't my dream job to be in pest control all my life, but it's a very fulfilling job."

- Derek Wickham

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It's My Job: Tommie Campbell, employee at a pest control company