Universal Pest Control is on a Roll: Volusia/Flagler Company is in Growth Mode
Florida SBDC at Daytona State College Assists Local Business Owner
January 13, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Hal Thayer, Communications Director, FSBDC at UCF, 407.420.4850 or hthayer@ucf.edu
Margaret Incandela, Consultant, FSBDC at UCF, 407.420.4850 or margaret.incandela@ucf.edu
Orlando, FL – Smart business owners have a saying: “You don’t know what you don’t know.” They recognize their strengths and their limitations and, paradoxically, in so doing position themselves and their businesses for growth and success. Seeking help to refine the areas where they find themselves to be weak is considered “wisdom’ by most people, and precisely what Todd Stebleton, owner with his wife Natalie of Universal Pest Control, did when he turned for assistance to the Florida Small Business Development Center at Daytona State College (FSBDC at DSC), a sub-center of the Florida SBDC at the University of Central Florida (FSBDC at UCF).
Serving Volusia and Flagler Counties, Universal Pest Control is a full-service pest control company that prides itself in its customer-oriented philosophy built on integrity, honesty, and openness. Offering a wide range of residential and commercial pest control programs, Universal Pest Control protects its clients’ homes, businesses, campers/RVs or boats from termites and other pests, including bed bugs.
“We saw a lot of opportunity for the company,” recalls Stebleton, “but I wasn’t sure how to achieve the growth we wanted. I don’t have a lot of history running a business and felt the need for some guidance. When I shared my concerns with a friend, he referred me to the FSBDC because he’s had great luck with their services. I contacted them and received immediate help. I felt like I’d fallen into some very capable hands.”
At the FSBDC, Stebleton worked with consultant Margaret ‘Maggie’ Incandela who mobilized all the center’s services for him, including its no-cost, expert consulting; business training and seminars; and access to market research and data. Incandela also provided significant assistance in obtaining critical capital including a line of credit and a bank loan that funded an acquisition of a lawn and shrub care business and allowed Universal Pest Control to expand its services.
“My experience with the FSBDC has been broad and advantageous, but I have benefited most from my work with my consultant Maggie,” says Stebleton. “She’s helped me understand my financials and focus where I needed to. From a marketing standpoint, I’ve been able to identify new avenues for my particular business thanks to her. Most important, she and the FSBDC challenged me to be a better businessperson overall and I think that’s what they have helped me become. I feel inspired to go to work now. It used to be that my business ran me; it was a grind. Now I come in enthusiastic and ready to go.”
“Since starting with the FSBDC, my business and I have grown in many different ways, and not just financially, although that’s certainly been a plus” Stebleton continued. “We have achieved the controlled growth we wanted: running at 10% year-to-date which is far better than last year, no question. But I’ve also seen advances in my management and the efficiency of the business. Working with the FSBDC has been very positive. It’s offered me great opportunities to grow.”
For information about Universal Pest Control, please visit https://bugandtermitecontrol.com/.
— FSBDC —
About the FSBDC at UCF
Hosted by the University of Central Florida (UCF), and with its main office in the National Entrepreneur Center located at the Fashion Square Mall in Orlando, the Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida (FSBDC at UCF) is part of the UCF Office of Partnership & Innovation and the Florida SBDC Network.
The Florida SBDC at UCF provides aspiring and existing small businesses with no-cost consulting, low-cost training, and access to business data and research resources. In addition to its core service offering, the Florida SBDC at UCF also offers specialized services to qualifying companies, including capital access, market growth, government contracting, international trade, business continuation, cybersecurity, disaster planning and recovery, and more. The FSBDC at UCF serves an eight-county area that includes Brevard, Flagler, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Sumter, and Volusia counties and maintains 10 service centers across Central Florida.
In 2018, the FSBDC at UCF served over 2,500 entrepreneurs in Central Florida with consulting services, resulting in more than 6,500 jobs created, retained or saved; $749 million in sales growth; $36.1 million in capital formation; $178.3 million in government contract awards; and 277 new businesses started. For more information, please visit www.sbdcorlando.com.
About the Florida SBDC Network
For over forty years, the Florida SBDC Network, the state’s principal provider of business assistance [Fl. Stat. 288.001], has nourished a statewide partnership between higher education and economic development to provide existing and emerging small and medium-sized business owners with management and knowledge resources that enable overall growth, increased profitability, and economic prosperity for Florida’s economy.
In 2018, Florida SBDCs have provided professional business consulting to 11,500 client businesses, resulting in more than 38,400 jobs impacted; $4.4 billion in sales generated; $520 million in government contracts acquired; $201.8 million in capital accessed; and 665 new businesses started.
A statewide network of over 40 offices, the Florida SBDC is funded in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration, Defense Logistics Agency, State of Florida and other private and public partners. The Florida SBDC Network, headquartered at the University of West Florida, is nationally accredited by the Association of SBDCs and is a 2016 recipient of the President’s E Award for Export Service. Florida SBDC services are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. Language assistance services are available for individuals with limited English proficiency. For more information, please visit www.FloridaSBDC.org.
FSBDC at UCF | 3201 E. Colonial Drive | Orlando, FL 32801 | p 407.420.4850 | f 407.420.4862
sbdc@ucf.edu | www.sbdcorlando.com