TOMMY COLLINS
Collins Pest Control Founder Uses Native Knowledge to Keep Customers Bug-free
story by JEANNE REYNOLDS photos by SUSAN DELOACH
What are you afraid of? Going to the dentist, public speaking, and high places are common phobias, but for many people two things top the list: spiders and snakes.
Lucky for us, there’s Tommy Collins and Collins Pest Control. Spiders and snakes — plus ants, palmetto bugs, and termites — are just a few of the pests his company deals with on a daily basis.
Tommy entered the pest control business right after graduating from Beaufort High School. After eight years of working for local pest control companies, it became clear he wanted to open his own business.
“I knew the business, and I knew I wanted to be self-employed,” Tommy recalls.
The first few years, he was the sole technician at the young company. The days were long, but the will to succeed was strong: This year, Collins Pest Control is celebrating its 25th anniversary in business. Today, the company employs eight technicians and two office staff members, including Tommy’s two sons and his sister, Deon Furman.
“The biggest draw to changing careers was the opportunity to work alongside my brother,” Deon says. “He does a phenomenal job and it’s exciting to be part of it.”
“Our employees are the real secret to our success,” Tommy adds. The team includes Clemson University Department of Pesticide Regulation Master Termite Technicians, certified and experienced pest control technicians. Being a pest control technician may seem like a fairly ordinary job, but there are lots of surprises along the way. Whether crawling through attics or under houses, they never know what they may encounter.
Tommy shared stories of a technician being surprised by a very healthy rattlesnake in a Fripp Island garage, and another of a hornet’s nest attempting to overtake the entire end of a home. “Our technicians often go places no one else wants to go, looking for things no one else really wants to find,” Tommy laughed.
But the customer service begins well before a technician heads to a customer’s home — starting with the office staff.
“Being local is everything. When a customer calls, they’re speaking to someone right down the street, not across the country,” Deon says.
The Collins team serves both commercial and residential clients in Beaufort and Jasper counties, including Fripp Island, Palmetto Bluff, Yemassee, Bluffton, Spring Island, Callawassie Island, Brays Island, and all points in between.
NATIVE KNOWLEDGE
The Collins family has lived in Beaufort for generations, making him a proud (and increasingly rare) native “Beaufortonian.” Growing up in the Lowcountry boating, fishing, and hunting has put Tommy up close and personal with about every kind of creature and pest found here. That’s not usually the case for Collins’ customers, especially the growing tide of new residents.
“The biggest issue for customers tends to be palmetto bugs, and the vast number of different insects we have in the Lowcountry,” Tommy says. “But residents’ biggest concern really should be termites. My advice to homeowners is to protect your property. Termite protection is an investment in your biggest asset.”
The warm, humid climate makes the Lowcountry a haven for termites. The company provides termite pre-treats for builders as well as termite treatments and warranties to existing structures.
“Where termite protection is concerned, it’s more important to compare warranties than prices,” Deon adds. “Increasingly, termite warranties don’t include repair costs. They’ll retreat, but the repair is at the homeowner’s expense. Be sure to compare apples to apples.”
A LABOR OF LOVE
A business with its doors open for a quarter of a century is unusual in any industry — the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics pegs the 10-year survival rate for small businesses at just 35% — but it’s even more impressive for a local company that competes with big national franchises with big advertising budgets. Tommy and Deon agree the key to Collins’ growth and success has been a combination of expertise, personal customer service, and community investment.
“Bonding with our customers, helping protect our community, and providing service to our neighbors is the best part of this job,” Tommy says. “We provide the kind of service we would want for our own homes.”
“Growing up and living in a small town, there’s a strong sense of accountability to your customers. As a local operation, we 
like to support the community. You don’t see that with big corporate companies.”
The company also supports a wide variety of local causes, including the USCB Center for the Arts, Habitat for Humanity, United Way, Historic Beaufort Foundation, Beaufort Young Life, schools, sports, and many other organizations. The Child Abuse Prevention Association is especially near and dear to Tommy’s heart, even convincing him to participate in its “Dancing with Our Stars” fundraiser.
“We’ve supported CAPA for years,” he says. “I’ve got three children, so it’s important to me. I certainly didn’t do it because I wanted to get up there on the stage!”
“We try to do as much as we can for as many as we can,” he adds. “I believe if you’re in a position to do something, you should do it.”
WHAT COLLINS PEST CONTROL DOES
• Residential Pest Control — Even the cleanest home will experience issues with pests. Changes in temperature, available water or food supply, and precipitation can all influence the movement of pests into a home. Collins gets rid of pests at the source with the industry’s safest, most minimally invasive products with a strategic approach that not only eliminates pests but keeps them away.
• Commercial Pest Control — Pest infestations can impact a business’s bottom line and affect its reputation. Collins works with restaurants, offices, retail, medical, apartment complexes, condominiums, and other businesses to assess their needs and create a pest control plan that provides a safe, sanitary environment for customers and staff.
• Rodent Control — The best way to prevent diseases spread by rodents is to practice effective rodent control in and around a home. Collins can discourage rodents from entering a home with its safe bait box system: discreet black boxes filled with rodenticide placed around the perimeter of the building. The boxes are locked and secured in place, only rodents can access the bait. Rats and mice eat the bait, take it back to their nests to share, and effectively poison the entire mischief (yes, that’s really the name for a group of rats).
• Termite control for new construction — Proper termite pretreatment is necessary to provide maximum protection against termite infestation. Collins provides pretreatments to the Lowcountry’s finest custom home builders and commercial contractors for new constructions as well as additions.
• Termite warranty — Most homeowners’ insurance policies do not cover termite damage. A termite warranty will insure your home and business while ensuring your peace of mind. Collins preventively treats your home or business against infestations of native subterranean termites and nonnative Formosan termites. Both species are present in the Lowcountry, but not all companies’ warranties cover both species as Collins does. Warranties are available for up to $250,000 to cover repair costs in the unlikely event of an infestation. A termite warranty with Collins can also be a tremendous asset in selling property because it’s completely transferable at no additional cost to the buyer.
• Real estate CL-100 inspections — Also known as a Wood Infestation Report, CL stands for “clear letter,” indicating there are no current termite infestations in the home. A CL-100 is a mandatory report at the time of closing during a sale of structural property in South Carolina involving a lending institution.
COLLINS 4-POINT ADVANTAGE SERVICE
1. Inspect and identify — From your initial call, Collins asks detailed questions to develop a personalized control plan to target your property’s individual needs.
2. Interior application — The interior treatment of your home is tailored to your specific needs. Our pesticides are approved for use in veterinary clinics, and day care and medical facilities, so you can be confident they’re safe for your home.
3. Exterior application — The exterior treatment includes removing and treating webs and nests to disrupt pests and discourage their return. The technician applies a pesticide barrier surrounding your home, with focused attention on cracks and crevices to discourage pests from entering.
4. Review and report — The technician provides a detailed service report and preventive tips to keep your home pest-free between scheduled treatments, as well as a list of chemicals used in the treatment of your home.
