Cowleys Pest Services in Howell NJ is a successful brother team - Asbury Park Press

Susan Bloom  |  Special to the Asbury Park Press

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As kids, brothers Bill and Drew Cowley had no fear of the insects and animals living in the woods that surrounded their Manalapan home.

Years later, as adults, they ended up channeling that ease — combined with their entrepreneurial know-how — into the launch of Cowleys Pest Services, a Howell-based business that's been serving residential and commercial clients since 1991.

"Growing up, we were typical boys. We liked nature and wildlife and bugs never bothered us," recalled Bill, 59, a resident of the Oakhurst section of Ocean Township, of life growing up with younger brother Drew, 57, who lives in Brielle.

After graduating from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, with a degree in history, Bill bought and operated an athletic footwear store at Freehold Raceway Mall. Drew graduated from what is now known as Rowan University with a degree in criminal justice and landed a job selling ads for a trade magazine, but was soon downsized during the recession of the late 1980s.

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"During my brother's search for a new job, an old friend of ours who was a sales manager for a local pest management company tried to recruit him," Bill said. "Drew had no interest, but our friend persisted and in 1990, Drew joined that company as a commercial salesperson selling pest management services to restaurants, hotels and other businesses. He enjoyed the job and, as I was in the process of trying to sell my store, I joined Drew at the company as well and learned the pest control business."

"Within several months, however, Drew left to start his own pest management business and I returned to work at my store," Bill said. "Drew launched Cowleys Pest Services in 1991 on his own, working crazy hours and wearing every hat. Three or four years in and after I finally sold my store and was looking for a new opportunity, Drew suggested that we become partners in his business because he thought we'd make a good team, and I agreed. I bought half of the company from him in spring 1996 and we went right to work growing it from a small mom-and-pop business to a corporate enterprise."

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Delivering peace of mind

Over 30 years later, "we offer both residential and commercial clients a broad range of pest control treatments for everything from ants, roaches, ticks, bedbugs and wood-destroying pests like termites and beetles to flies, silverfish, stinging insects like hornets, wasps and bees, and mice and rats," said Bill, who added that the company's wildlife division (overseen by Drew) addresses raccoons, squirrels, bats, groundhogs, moles, chipmunks and more.

According to Bill, "ticks and mosquitos are the fastest-growing segment of our pest control business and are a big public health concern because they spread illnesses such as Lyme disease and West Nile virus to both people and pets."

Now supported by 45 to 50 employees, "we started out serving Monmouth and Ocean County, but in the last 10 years we expanded to serve Middlesex, Mercer and Somerset counties as well and opened a second office in Somerville in January 2021," Bill said.

Among their services, "we offer a preventative maintenance program to help homeowners get ahead of pest problems," Bill said. "These home protection plans are available in three levels (silver, gold and platinum), involve treatments in the spring, summer and fall, and cost from $600 to $900 a year depending on the size of the house and the level of service provided."

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He's quick to note, however, that customers can also call Cowleys anytime should a pest issue arise.

"When you have an emergency — a hornet's nest, a swarm of termites, mice or rats in the house, or squirrels in the attic, for example — you want someone to take care of it immediately," Bill said. "We have 35 vehicles in our fleet and can be there that day to address any problem."

As experts on a range of pests and corresponding treatments, training and education are paramount at Cowleys.

"New technicians undergo a two-week onboarding and orientation process, spend a month going on calls with a supervisor, then study for their tests and typically get licensed within three months," said Bill, whose company hosts monthly seminars and technical trainings as part of the team's continuing education.

While their core business is pest control, "we also have a contracting division that offers pest-related services like crawl space encapsulations, attic insulation, and gutter guard installation to prevent pest or wildlife infestations and/or the damage they leave behind," Bill said.

To help offset downtime from November through March, the company additionally owns a Christmas décor franchise called Christmas Décor by Cowleys, through which they decorate the outside of homes and businesses for the holidays.

"Though it's not directly related to pest control, it's helped diversify our business and has been a thriving venture for 20 years," he said.

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Trusted, go-to pros

Among industry trends, Bill said that the products his team uses are safer than they've ever been.

"The concentration of active ingredients is both lower and more effective than ever by miles," he said. "However, some customers today prefer more environmentally conscious products, and while 100% green products don't always last as long as conventional treatments, we offer green products in any of our protection plans if customers request them."

Bill also said the industry contends with new invasive pests on a regular basis.

"We don't know what species will come over in a storage container from Asia, Europe or South America due to international trade," he said, noting such recent nuisances as stink bugs and spotted lanternflies. "They're not native here, end up in our ecosystem, and suddenly we have a new invader."

As for challenges, Bill said that his company — like so many others across all industries — struggles to find good people.

"We sell a service, so the challenge is finding great people with a servant heart who want to solve problems for others and do it with a smile on their face," he said. "Happily, this past winter we were able to hire 10 great new people through employee referrals and online recruiting sites."

He attributes this development to the recognition Cowleys Pest Services received as one of NJBiz's Top 10 2021 Best Places to Work in New Jersey last June.

"People want to work at great companies where the employees are happy and this award was a powerful vehicle that helped us attract good candidates," he said.  

Looking ahead, "our hope for the business is to continue to be the trusted, go-to pros in the community who are here to help people with their pest problems," said Bill. "Our brand is well-recognized in the Shore area and Drew and I have been doing this for a long time.  We have a great team of technicians behind us and people know that when they call our company, we'll rectify their situation ASAP."

Among his favorite parts of his job, Bill said that he especially enjoys working with his brother. "Drew and I trust each other completely, have always gotten along well, and have a really strong partnership," he said.

"We also love helping others and our customers are always so relieved and appreciative," he added. "It's very rewarding to be able to deliver peace of mind to fellow community members."  

Cowleys Pest Services

Location: 1145 Route 33, Howell

Phone: 732-908-1458

Owners: Bill and Drew Cowley

Founded: 1991

Website: www.cowleys.com