About Aaron Steen, Owner
January 28, 2008 by Aaron Webb · Leave a Comment
I thought I’d share just a little bit about myself. I’m an Indianola native. After high school I went to Mankato State. I went to college on a baseball scholarship. Growing up, baseball was huge in my family. My dad, Tom Steen, owner of Transition Capital Management, played for the Iowa Hawkeyes and went on to play minor league ball for the Houston Astros. My younger brother, Adam, also went to Mankato State on a baseball scholarship and went on to play minor league for the Philadelphia Phillies. As for me, I tore a ligament in my elbow and had Tommy John’s surgery. Maybe if I’d done steroids I’d had a better baseball career. Ha, ha.
I graduated from Mankato State with a degree in Resource Management. I went on to work for the federal government and the Army Corps of Engineers. I worked summer internships at Leech Lake in northern Minnesota and also at Upper Saint Anthony Falls in Minneapolis. After school, I found a permanent job at the Army Corps at Saylorville Lake, just north of Des Moines. While I loved my field, I decided to move on. I chose to enter the pest management field. I had many experiences that paved the way for this decision and I’ve never looked back. I worked for a company in Johnston Iowa for a time and then decided to go it on my own.
I fell right into the steps of owning my own business, along with the support of my wife Ashley Steen. I never tire of performing services for people when you can see hands on results. The pest management industry has been very rewarding as I get to meet and network with so many people. Furthermore, it’s been thrilling to see my business thrive on a primarily word of mouth basis.
Gift Card from Smart Pest Solutions!
November 27, 2007 by Aaron Webb · Leave a Comment
So, it’s that time of year again. Holiday preparations and shopping are officially underway. Some of you amazingly enjoy the dreaded trip to the shopping mall to endlessly search for the “perfect” gift, all the while scoring great “bargains” and “finds.” I commend these shoppers and bargain hunters. But truly, I must confess this is not my version of successful holiday shopping.
What I do enjoy is finding gifts that are thoughtful, personal, and greatly appreciated. That’s why Smart Pest Solutions is offering gift cards this holiday season. Instead of buying yet another something to hang on the wall or clutter the house for that person on your list, consider a Smart Pest Solutions Gift Card. A gift card says I care about you, your health, your safety, and your most important possession, your home. A gift card may be a great present for an older parent or children who don’t have the resources to purchase such important health and property protection.
Smart Pest Solutions will work with you to develop a gift card that fits your needs. For example, we could set up a gift card with a dollar amount that can be applied to services or purchase a specific number of services for that important person in your life. Contact us today to discuss options for your perfect present this year.
Merry Christmas!
Smart Pest Solutions
Brown Recluse Spiders
November 19, 2007 by Aaron Webb · 1 Comment
Brown recluse spiders are currently a more frequent pest to Iowa than in the past. Brown Recluse spiders, identifiable by a brown fiddle marking on their back, are oftentimes a large fear amongst those of you who fear the creepy spider. The fear of the brown recluse stems in the fact that they excrete cytotoxic venom when they bite. The initial bite is absolutely painless so victims have no idea when they’ve been bitten, rendering an anti-venom absolutely pointless.
The venom yields chronic symptoms frequently taking weeks to months to clear. Symptoms typically include enlarged reddened areas with pus filled blisters. The brown recluse’s venom causes blood clotting and affected tissues to die. The upside, you may be wondering if there is an upside, is that 90% of all bites heal without severe problems. Additionally, the brown recluse is a passive hunting spider. Basically, the brown recluse is a slacker. It does not hunt for prey or spin webs and is lazy. You are much more likely to find a brown recluse in an undisturbed space, such as an unworn shoe in a closet or hiding behind pipes in your basement. A brown recluse, like all spiders does not attack humans as prey but rather out of defense and fear.
One of the best defenses against such pests, is regulating your overall pest population. If the recluse has no food supply, the chances of survival are grim.