APM Termite & Pest Control

It was the end of a long day, a long week and seemingly never ending year of crisis for Jeremy Kreer and the Kreer family business. Jeremy Kreer, President and co-owner with his brother Nam Kreer of Advanced Pest Management was looking for help in transitioning the family business from 2nd to 3rd generation. The odds are stacked against family businesses to the tune of 18 to 1 that they will not survive into the 3rd generation. The odds were stacked even further against Jeremy, who at the time was only 26 and was in the midst of taking over from his father Phil Kreer as the acting president. The company had enjoyed a great run spanning 4 decades since its’ inception in 1964 when Jeremy’s grandfather, Francis Kreer, started the company to provide for his family at that time. “I was scared, unsure, indecisive, and anything else that would describe what not to be if you want to be heading up a successful organization”. The company was in dire need of an overhaul to become relevant in the business world of today. What worked in the past was not going to allow APM to beat the odds.

Despite working diligently with his father and brother on a succession plan, there was still a lot of unfinished business to attend to. “We needed to confront tough issues head on and so I reached out to SCORE who assigned me a counselor named Steve DeVeber. Steve worked with my family and our people to unite us around a common vision for the company’s future and also gave insight into the pragmatic work that needed to be done.” The company had grown to over 3 million dollars in revenue and over 40 employees in 2002 when Jeremy and Nam started to work with their father Phil to take on more of a leadership role in the company. It was important to Phil that he leave the reigns knowing that his sons would carry on the legacy of integrity and service, and that they had earned the right to lead the organization. “Working with SCORE Counselor Steve DeVeber enabled me to grow and develop into the leader I needed to be. He brought in additional mentors for me in the areas of accounting through SCORE’s Dave Vogel, and Human Resources through SCORE’s Bill Landmesser. It was their guidance and faith in me that helped me propel the organization forward and earn the trust and confidence of my people as their new president.” Working hand in hand, SCORE and APM have successfully converted the accounting systems from manual to a much needed computerized program. They have also updated many of their Human Resource functions to ensure better benefits for their people and better protection for the company. They also now have strong and steady leadership in Jeremy Kreer and Nam Kreer. It has now been six years since the transition and company’s future is brighter than ever. “The best part for me in working with Steve and others in SCORE, is they helped me be comfortable in my own skin. I now have an advisory board consisting of SCORE counselors that I can turn to for anything under the sun. I also like the results I am seeing in the company. We now employ over 50 people and our revenues are approaching 4.5 million this year.” Advanced Pest Management has beaten the odds and grown considerably and now services Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia.

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