Trad’s Pest Control
The Company
Betty and Lou Trad started the popular Trad’s Garden Center on Jacksonville’s Southside in 1971. Eight years later, taking their agricultural expertise a step further, they started Trad’s Pest Control, which has built a strong reputation for customer service with Jacksonville’s homeowners and businesses, a reputation that has grown along with the community.
“We decided years ago that we won’t go forward, we won’t do a thing in IT, without iVenture. They provide tremendous value, and we’ve been so happy.”
Denise Wartan
General Manager
Trad’s Pest Control
The Challenge
iVenture and Trad’s began working together a decade ago. According to General Manager Denise Wartan, another company had been managing Trad’s IT, but that company was disbanding. When Wartan asked for a recommendation, the previous firm pointed her towards iVenture. Before iVenture’s arrival, “We were having all sorts of issues: hardware problems, programming problems, you name it,” Wartan says.
iVenture “came in and fixed every single problem we had within a week,” and they suggested to Wartan, “‘Here’s what you need for hardware, here’s what you need for software,’ and we said to each other, ‘Where have you been all our lives?’ We were speechless. There was a woman we had working for us at the time and she said, ‘Do you know what a pleasure it is to come into the office knowing that your computer is going to work?’ And I said, ‘I know!’”
From that promising beginning, a close business relationship grew, which allowed Wartan to feel confident in the decision to shift from an hourly rate to full managed services with iVenture.
The Solution
iVenture assessed Trad’s needs and determined that the company would be better served by a managed services arrangement, from both a cost and operations perspective. “They laid it all out and we were on board because we trusted them when they told us why they thought it would work better for us,” Wartan says. “And they were right—we’ve been very happy.”
Through long-range IT planning, hardware and software updates, two smooth server transitions, technical consultations with Tran’s web site designer and specialized pest control software developers, and calming day-to-day IT monitoring, Wartan says, iVenture has “never once led me wrong.”
“We’re clueless about computers, basically, and they take care of us so we don’t have to worry about it. They don’t ask me to make decisions they know I don’t have the expertise to make. We take great comfort in that.”
The Return
“We decided years ago that we won’t go forward, we won’t do a thing in IT, without iVenture. They provide tremendous value, and we’ve been so happy,” says Wartan.
“One thing about us here at Trad’s: we value every customer, no matter whether they’re paying us ten dollars or a hundred. iVenture is the same way. I know we’re not one of their bigger customers, but we get just as much attention as the biggest clients they’ve got.”
“I have friends in business who have horror stories about their experiences, and I’ve never had any problems with iVenture. I refer people to them all the time; when someone is looking for IT help, I tell them, ‘Let me tell you who you need to call.’
