Here at BMK Concrete and Masonry Contractors, we work alongside a lot of local tradespeople in Delaware County, and one thing we have learned over the years is that the best businesses are not built on equipment or marketing budgets. They are built on people. That is exactly why we wanted to take a moment to spotlight our neighbors at Bug Away Exterminating and Termite Control Co., and specifically the two technicians who are doing the hard work on the ground every single day.
Ken, the owner and operator of Bug Away Exterminating, has been in the pest control industry since 1987. He has worked for small family-run companies, briefly tried a corporate route with Terminix, and ultimately launched Bug Away on his own in 1995 with a paid-off Toyota pickup truck and every piece of equipment the previous owner was willing to hand over. That origin story says a lot about who Ken is. He has always done things the right way, built slowly, and invested in the people around him. That is exactly what you see when you look at his team today.
Anthony Giorgio: Eight Years of Growing the Right Way
Anthony Giorgio has been with Bug Away for approximately eight years, and his story is one of the most genuine examples of mentorship we have heard in any trade. Anthony started out as a subcontractor, picking up work from Ken on the side. A couple of years in, things got uncertain. Pest control can be seasonal, especially when you are building a client base from scratch, and Anthony was seriously considering going back to work for a larger company.
Ken sat down with him and gave it to him straight. He told Anthony he was too far along to walk away, that the seasonal slump was temporary, and that the long game was worth playing. Ken backed that advice up with action, offering Anthony a full-time arrangement through the slower fall and winter months so he could build a stable year-round income. That kind of mentorship is rare in any industry.
Today, Anthony holds his Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture license in both category 11 and category 12, covering residential and commercial pests as well as wood-destroying insects. He handles all of Bug Away's termite work, bed bug treatments, and stinging insect services. Ken has even sold him a significant real estate account and the two now operate on a mutual percentage agreement, with plans for Anthony to eventually merge with Bug Away entirely. This is not an employee-employer relationship. It is a real partnership, built over eight years of showing up and doing the job right.
Ryan Farrow: Fresh Eyes, Five-Star Effort
If Anthony's story is about loyalty and longevity, Ryan Farrow's story is about potential and the power of starting with the right attitude. Ryan came to Bug Away with zero pest control experience. His background was in landscaping, and Ken had actually known him for several years through a family connection before bringing him on board.
Ken will tell you himself that some of his trickiest hires over the years have been people who already had pest control experience, because their old habits were hard to undo. Ken has a specific, careful way he wants treatments done, and someone who has been doing it differently for years at another company is not always the easiest person to retrain. Ryan came in without any of that baggage. He was curious, hardworking, and ready to learn.
In just 60 days, Ryan completed Ken's technician training program through Bug Away and earned his registered technician license under the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, also covering categories 11 and 12. According to Ken, Ryan earned five stars across every single training benchmark. He reads trade publications on his own time, brings questions to Ken, and approaches each new service call with genuine enthusiasm. Ken plans to keep training him across all seasonal cycles for at least another ten months, because pest control changes depending on the time of year and each month brings new insects, new challenges, and new things to learn.
Why This Matters for Delaware County Residents
We are in the trades ourselves here at BMK Concrete and Masonry, and we recognize quality craftsmanship when we see it, whether it shows up in poured concrete or pest control. What Ken has built at Bug Away Exterminating is a team that genuinely cares about doing the job right, even when no one is watching. Ken calls that integrity, and he means it.
If you are a homeowner, renter, property manager, or commercial business owner in Delaware County, Philadelphia, or the surrounding Pennsylvania area in need of a reliable pest control service, we encourage you to reach out to Bug Away Exterminating and Termite Control Co. You will be working with real people who were trained by someone who has been doing this since before most of us had smartphones. Give Ken and his team a call and see for yourself what intentional, community-rooted pest control looks like.