By Danny Teigman
and dispelled another - yes, cockroaches will likely endure long after humans are no more than a cosmic afterthought, and no, not all women are afraid of bugs.
In fact, for Jackie, 57, and Debby, 52, for as long as they can remember, whether it was helping out in their father Bernard Stegman's store, or sealing envelopes at home in Woodmere, working and talking about bugs while doing it was an immutable part of life. "I worked in the office since I was a little girl," Grabin said.
Throughout their lives, Grabin, who now lives in Oceanside and Tappan, of East Meadow, have watched their father's one-man business and dream, multiply into a 100-employee organization, serving some 25,000 customers across Nassau and Suffolk counties and the five boroughs. In February, New York Magazine awarded Arrow the best pest control company in the metropolitan area.
Possessing a Depression-era inspired need for financial security, Grabin said, her father was an aspiring entrepreneur seeking entrance to an industry that was less beholden to market forces. After returning from service in World War II, Stegman was taught the basics of the pest control industry by a close friend working in East New York, New Jersey. On Sept. 23, 1947 he launched his company, hoping that with an early alphabet name like Arrow - people would stumble on his business, first, before flipping deeper into the phone book. The name also gave rise to catchy slogans like "always on target" and "swift and sure," complementing the industry's long-established military-sounding jargon.
Any military euphemisms and style, however, are quickly left out in the field as the office atmosphere is casual and relaxed. Many of the company's employees have been on board for five to 10 years. If added up, Tappan says, their accumulated experience in bug busting totals 890 years - a credit to the company's management style. Arrow's President, Joseph Kennedy, who has been with the company for 47 years, was 22 when he started. "When I first started working here, I was the youngest employee," Kennedy said. "Today I am the oldest." When not making the world safe for entomology, he said, spring barbecues are held and softball games are played in Rockville Centre. An employee of the month is chosen regularly, and an in-house weight loss program has been popularity.
If a sense of family togetherness seems outdated, reminiscent of simpler times, the industry has grown far more complex, Grabin explained, undergoing as many changes and mutations as the increasingly chemical-resistant bugs themselves. Even the name "exterminator," has given way to the politically correct "pest control." Toxic chemicals like DDT, Chlordane and Warfarin - all of which were part of Stegman's early arsenal while carrying out "broad spectrum attacks" - an industry term according to on-staff Entomologist, Michael Deutsch - have since been banned by the Environmental Protection Agency. Now, more eco-friendly chemicals are used and trapping animals or preventing infestations in an "integrated pest management" system is just as important as any lethal options once were. Deutsch also presents a lecture to area elementary schools titled, "Good Bugs, Bad Bugs."
One aspect of the industry that remains constant, however, is that few women have become exterminators. Despite their uniqueness, both Grabin and Tappan said that has worked to their advantage. "Usually I met the wife [at the door]," Grabin said of when she used to do more field work. "When they would see that I knew what I was talking about, they'd probably be more comfortable with me because I'm a woman."
Sixty years on and Arrow shows no sign of missing its mark, nor has the demand for their services slackened. The family's next generation, consisting of Grabin's son, David, 18, and Tappan's children, Jessica, 16, and Daniel, 15, also plan on following their mothers' footsteps.
Besides, Kennedy added, "Everybody gets insects and people need to eliminate them some way."
Comments about this story? DTeigman@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 246.
