FSS, Inc. • 833-221-2979 • https://fsszone.com/
Almost every year, one or more people in the United States die from misuse of fumigants or unauthorized entry into fumigated areas. Although that number may not seem very high, even one life lost to accidental poisoning is too many.
That’s one of the reasons Westfield, IN-based Fumigation Service & Supply, Inc. (FSS) takes safety so seriously and why it has kept the company in business for 35 years.
FSS is proud to lead the fumigation industry with its endless commitment to provide a safe working environment. Each of the company’s employees is dedicated to performing each task in the most efficient and safe way possible through cutting-edge techniques in pest control and new safety initiatives.
FSS starts each project with a fumigator-in-charge who ensures all precautions are met, and the company safety manager provides support and training wherever possible. With job sites ranging from seed warehouses to food processing plants, FSS prides itself on the ability to adapt to the many environments that require special attention to safety.
The company doesn’t pay lip service to safety, either. FSS’ dedication is apparent in its low experience modification rating. This rate is attributed to employee implementation of the safety culture that FSS requires and preaches. Most employees hold an OSHA 10-hour or 30-hour certification, and the company keeps an OSHA-authorized trainer on staff.
While safety is paramount to the business, what keeps FSS ticking is keeping insects at bay, as its name suggests. And that means always looking for ways to improve on its products and practices.
“FSS is always trying to improve the effectiveness and safety in pest management,” explains Founder Dave Mueller. “We are concerned about the environment and have been recognized multiple times by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for our efforts to protect the environment. We are innovators with special techniques in sealing grain bins and monitoring gas readings to offer better results. We strive to be an educator and training leader in our industry,” he says.
To that end, the company has trained thousands of fumigators throughout the United States and in 60 countries, according to Mueller. In fact, FSS recently hosted a conference in Adelaide, South Australia. This biennial Fumigants & Pheromones Conference started in 1993, and the company has continued to offer it to a global audience 12 times since its inception.
Before growing into a global leader in safe pest management practices, FSS had far more humble beginnings. Mueller was 25 years old with no real business background, when he started the company with his wife, Mary Beth, a school teacher who handled the taxes and payroll. The young couple opened up shop on April 1, 1981, in Indianapolis, IN, knowing not much more than the value of a strong work ethic and an education – principles which were passed down from Mueller’s father, Albert, a flour miller in Evansville, IN and a veteran of World War II.
Mueller learned from his father that flour millers go to work early in the morning and work weekends and holidays for starters. Among his dad’s responsibilities as a miller was to fumigate the mill several times each year, as well as the wheat that he would grind.
“This was my first exposure to fumigation,” Mueller recalls. “While I was at Purdue University, he encouraged me to take an entomology class. The field of stored product protection was taught by Dr. John Osmun who eventually helped me find a job in the field of fumigation with Phostoxin Sales, Inc.,” he says.
In spite of those clearly-stated goals and values, Mueller says that success in many ways is a difficult word to pin down. Nevertheless, his measurement for success is a simple, yet profound one.
“My biggest accomplishment as a businessman has been to offer a paycheck to our 50 people we work with and my family,” he says. “Owners always get paid last. I always knew that making payroll was the ultimate gauge of accomplishment for a business. If you do the math, that’s over 1,820 weekly paydays in the last 35 years.”
Mueller says the work FSS does essentially boils down to one thing: “Our real job is to reduce customer complaints. Our customers include anyone handling grain from the time it leaves the field to the time it reaches the consumer. The closer to the end consumer, the more important it is to eliminate all potential for pest infestation. Fumigation is just one part of the equation to help our customer create a program that will achieve this goal,” he says.
But perhaps the most important thing Mueller learned from his father was how to treat people, which essentially formed the basis of the company’s customer service philosophy today.
“My father taught me to treat other people like you want to be treated. I often correct people who suggest they work for me. I tell them we work together,” Mueller points out.
“One of our goals at FSS is to establish a working environment that is fun, intellectually challenging, and foremost, safe for our employees, customers, and community,” he continues. “Our guiding principles are to strive for quality service, provide the absolute best products available worldwide, to be a respected world-class organization, and maintain profitability with innovation, alternatives, and education.”
As a provider of fumigation services to the grain industry, FSS currently services an area ranging from Kansas to Pennsylvania and Tennessee to Minnesota, with six offices serving the region. Mueller says the company anticipates growth from current trends in the market that are emerging due to tighter regulations from the EPA on all fumigants. For example, buffer zones and boundary line restrictions will offer a big opportunity for innovation in fumigant scrubbers, according to Mueller.
“FSS has been working on fumigant scrubbers for the past seven years,” he says. “We see New Zealand, Australia, The Netherlands, and Germany already requiring scrubbing of fumigants. We presently have three log fumigation facilities that have the capability of scrubbing fumigants.”
The company’s international presence is primarily in the field of education, and FSS continues to be a leader in the field by offering workshops both abroad and at home for fumigation professionals.
“We invite fumigators from around the world to join us for summer internships and to attend skill-building training programs,” says Mueller. “Our international educational programs draw 150 to 350 attendees. These conferences are normally two days in the classroom and one day in the field for hands-on workshops. The next conference will be held in Indianapolis in 2018,” he notes.
As the company celebrates 35 years of working with the grain, seed, and milling industries this year, Mueller says the company is also proud of Pete Mueller who was named the 2016 president of the Grain Elevator and Processing Society (GEAPS) Cornbelt chapter in Illinois and a newly-elected member of the GEAPS Associate Board of Directors.
In thinking about the future of the company, Mueller notes that it’s important to have a succession plan as a business owner. As such, his right-hand men, Jeff Waggoner and Pete Mueller, now are leading FSS on a daily basis.
“They have years of experience and my confidence they will lead FSS into the future,” Mueller explains. “We really never had a goal of getting bigger, but we sincerely want to maintain high integrity and fairness to our customers. If this is accomplished, we will grow, be successful, and make another payroll next Friday,” he concludes.
Reprinted from GRAIN JOURNAL January/February 2017 Issue
