Meet the member | PPC106

Rob Long is the founder and owner of Sabre Kent Pest Control, and former BPCA Board member. He spoke to PPC about his time on BPCA Committees and why you should volunteer. 

PPC: How did you get started in pest control?

Initially I was a brickie by trade, but I started working in pest control for National Britannia in 1997. I loved the work, so I signed up for all the training courses they had going, just soaking it all up like a big sponge.

PPC: How did you go from being a technician to running your own pest control business? 

After National Britannia was bought by Terminix, I worked for them for a while and then went to work for Eagle. It was run by the Trotmans, and Pete Trotman was fantastic. 

I quickly became a zero tolerance and total riddance guy, and after a while we were eradicating pests on sites that had problems since the 60s. 

But I quickly realised that working for other companies, you sometimes ended up being bought and sold more times than a cow at market.

In 2005 I set up my own business, Absolute Pest Control, with my business partner. The first two years were very hard but eventually we had about 12 people working for us. 

Then, unfortunately, I had a health scare and decided to sell my business. I was going to retire but my son was devastated.

He said he had always planned to come and work for me, so I told him I would set up a small business and that he could take it over once he was ready. 

And that’s why I set up Sabre Kent in 2012. 

PPC: How did you end up volunteering for BPCA? 

While I was at Absolute in 2006 a great friend of mine, Ken Heseltine, spoke to me about the possibility of volunteering. 

I joined the Servicing Committee; there was myself, Jenny Humphrey and Dee, before she worked for BPCA, plus a few others. 

It was very rough around the edges back then. But it really started to improve when we got a change of CEO and Simon Forrester came in; he took the bull by the horns and made big strides to improve how the Committees were run. 

He attended the Committee meetings himself, he made them interesting and he got the right people in to speak. He created a really good baseline for how the committees should be run.

At around the same time we also had a change of Chair: Phil Halpin, the current BPCA President. 

PPC: What was being on the Board like for you? 

I don’t think I was ever quite prepared for the amount of work I’d be getting!

I’m dyslexic and so I struggle quite a bit, but I was never any less capable than other people on the Board, and I ended up doing some great work with my fellow board members.

It was brilliant, we were actually changing things and we could see them happening instead of talking about it. That’s the part I was really proud of. It was a lot of hard work but incredibly worthwhile.

It was brilliant, we were actually changing things and we could see them happening instead of talking about it.

Rob Long, Sabre Kent Pest Control

PPC: What are the achievements you’re most proud of from your time volunteering with BPCA?

I feel really proud of CEPA Certified and I was also involved in having the CPD requirement made mandatory.

Back in the early days, our big thing was about getting people on a professional register and making it mandatory for people to be on a CPD scheme. 

That was the first time I was involved in something that really changed the industry and I felt proud that I’d been a part of something important. 

PPC: Why do you think it’s important to volunteer for the Board and Committees?

The best thing about BPCA is that it’s run by members. The direction of the Association comes from the Board and Committees, and our vision is carried out by the Staff team.

You don’t always get things your own way, but your input is always valued and will be debated, and those different voices are important. 

Different minds operate in different ways, and the ones who are passionate are the ones you can learn the most from.

And it’s those passionate people who volunteer for BPCA who are the ones best placed to help improve an industry they’re so proud to be a part of. 

Knowing you’ve made changes for the good of the industry is a great feeling.

If you want to make a difference to the industry, stop whinging about it, volunteer and do something.

And it’s those passionate people who volunteer for BPCA who are the ones best placed to help improve an industry they’re so proud to be a part of. 

Rob Long, Sabre Kent Pest Control

PPC: And what would your advice be to people who are thinking of volunteering their time to BPCA? 

If you’re really passionate about joining up, go as a guest a few times before you commit to it. Get the feel for it. It’s always been a very friendly and welcoming environment. 

When some people take the volunteering on, I don’t think they realise how much work can be involved. 

But if you’re passionate and willing to put in the time, it is so worth it.

It’s also CPD; it helps your personal and professional development, which in turn helps your business. 

It’s not about sticking ‘board member’ on your CV or LinkedIn. It’s about taking part, contributing, doing your homework, pulling your weight with any of the projects. 

You’ll amass a wealth of knowledge in the process on something you’re very passionate about.

If you want to change things in the industry for the better, not just for the sake of changing them, then this is how. 

LEARN ABOUT VOLUNTEERING

Think you have the right stuff for volunteering on one of BPCA's committees or Board? Get in touch!

membership@bpca.org.uk

Source: PPC106