LOAD-N-LOCK keeps rodents out of Missouri's Independence Events Center

When John and Nancy Kimak, owners of Kimak Pest Management, learned that the city of Independence, Mo., was planning to build a state-of-the-art events center, they did their research before bidding on the facility's pest management contract.

Serving the greater Kansas City metro area since 1981, the Kimaks talked to key people to find out how the facility would operate. After surveying the site, they put together a comprehensive bid, complete with color charts showing the proposed placement of pest management devices inside the building and out. They even instituted a log book for facility personnel to write down concerns or potential problems. Their work paid off. In November 2009, when the $68 million Independence Events Center opened, Kimak Pest Management was hired to keep the facility free of pests.

With its unofficial motto of "Let us amaze you," the multi-purpose Events Center has a high profile in the Kansas City area. Home to the Central Hockey League franchise, the Missouri Mavericks, the facility boasts two ice skating rinks - one for the professional team and another for community skating. It also hosts special events, fundraising galas, trade shows, festivals and international entertainment artists.

Although it was "nice to start fresh," John Kimak noted that the Center needed clean-out work initially, followed by conscientious servicing to keep the facility in tip-top shape, rodent-wise. Typical of most new construction, Kimak found mice indoors, drawn to the food left over from construction workers' lunches. He baited with Bell's FINAL BLOX in PROTECTA RTU Bait Stations in the warehouse and set multiple-catch traps in other areas indoors.

LOAD-N-LOCK Protects Events Center
The main defense against intruding rodents, however, was on the outside of the building which is situated in a natural setting with a lower basin and a creek nearby. "Our emphasis was on exterior baiting," said Kimak, who set up a protective barrier around the Center with 20 or so bait stations. "Proactive before they (rodents) get inside the building," he stressed.

Kimak baits with Bell's FINAL BLOX which he secures in the new PROTECTA LOAD-N-LOCK Anchoring System with PROTECTA Sidekick Bait Stations. He had seen ads for the new anchoring system last fall when Bell introduced it. When he finally got his hands on one, he thought, "Wow!"

He wasn't happy with the anchoring methods they were using - driving a stake through the bait station. "You had to get the pining unhooked. And, we always had trouble with water sitting in the stations. If you don't drill holes, you get moldy bait. LOAD-N-LOCK sits off the ground and we don't have that trouble anymore." Kimak pointed out. Instead of stakes or patio blocks, the LOAD-N-LOCK Anchoring System holds two bricks in its base for weight. The bait station snaps into place, and once the station lid is closed, the base and bait station cannot be separated.

Easy to Service new LOAD-N-LOCK
Kimak chose Bell's LOAD-N-LOCK anchoring system because he also likes the convenience in service. "The LOAD-N-LOCK cuts down on service time. The stations sits off the ground. They don't get dirty so you're not putting up with near the amount of debris that you do at ground level," he explained. "It's a simple procedure, put in a couple of bricks and lock it in. The Load-N-Lock is so much better." Hitting rodents hard on the outside of the Center proved to be the right technique. "Initially every bait station on the exterior was cleaned out of bait," Kimak recalled. "So we baited again. I came back after a week and we still had bait eaten. Then, there were just a couple of bait stations cleaned out. From that point on, we've been proactive."

Integral Part of Pest Management
The LOAD-N-LOCK anchoring system is getting to be an integral part of Kimak's pest management services. Kimak uses it at other accounts, including one of the metropolitan museums. And, as older bait stations need replacing, he plans to change over to the LOAD-N-LOCK. His wife and partner in the business, Nancy, echoes his sentiments, "We've had great results with the stations."

Kimak Pest Management, a family business, provides pest management and structural termite services to residential, commercial and industrial clients in the greater Kansas City metro area. The company maintains a 3,000 sq. ft. office and 8,000 sq. ft. warehouse in Independence, the hometown of Harry S. Truman, the 33rd president of the United States.

Carrying on the tradition of his father, who Nancy described as a jack-of-all-trades, John Kimak as a young boy used to accompany his father on termite and pest management jobs. His dad eventually sold the business but when John and Nancy, graduates of the University of Missouri-Kansas, later decided to be entrepreneurs, they returned to pest management. Active in the industry, John Kimak is past president of the Missouri Pest Management Association and the Pest Control Association of Greater Kansas City. He also served as a regional vice president on the National Pest Management Association Board.

Among the many awards the Kimaks have received over the years, they are especially honored to be the recipients of the 2010 Humanitarian of the Year award presented by the Truman Heartland Community Foundation. "Our tagline is Science • Service • Solutions," Nancy pointed out. "Service to the community is the cornerstone of Kimak Pest Management."