About the Owner
Thomas Tramel
Thomas Tramel is a self-made Family man who has been in the Pest Industry for over 20+ Years. He continues doing his part to keep termites and other pesky pests at bay. As the owner of Family Termite and Environmental Inc. in Brandon, Thomas says he handles termite inspections and treatments statewide, and pest control in the metro area,
A native of Wilmer, AL, Thomas left his hometown at the age of 15. “It was 1998, and I felt a real need to get out of that town, so I started driving west until I ran out of gas in Florence, MI.” There was a help-wanted sign in the window of the gas station where he was stranded. “Inside was a Baskin-Robbins ice cream shop. I went in and got the job. I found a place to crash for the next couple of years.”
Thomas saved his money and brought his mom from Wilmer to live in a trailer in Brandon. “It was during that time that I started my first business. I started a lawn-service company.” Wanting to learn more about business, Thomas went to work for a pest-control company in 2003. “I started as a helper, picking up garbage, washing trucks and anything else they needed me to do for $7.50 an hour. I eventually did everything from answering the phone to working on the computers.” He worked for the company until 2010.
“I planned for my business for three years before starting it,” Thomas says. “I decided I knew enough about the business after working in it for seven years to open my own business in 2011.” Two months after he started his business, he bought out the company he had worked for. “I wanted my business to be different. I named it Family Termite, because I wanted my employees to be like family, and to treat our customers like family. I always tell my employees that if they wouldn’t say or do something around their grandma, they shouldn’t say or do it around anyone else.” The business truly was a family affair at first. “My wife, Allison, worked with me for a while but returned to school. She is now a surgical tech at Women’s Hospital.”
Family Termite’s contracts are simple and basic, says Thomas. “We offer the most value, hands down. Our termite contracts are for life. Our customers don’t have to pay to have their home re-treated every five to 10 years. The treatment of a building is good for as long as the chemical says it’s good. Then it’s time to re-treat, at no additional cost to the customer. We also do year-to-year contracts, and we do preventative treatments. People obviously like the way we do business – we have over 70,000 accounts!”
The initial cost of the contract is based on lineal footage. Yearly renewal is based on square footage. “We work with at least 200 different REALTORS®,” says Thomas. “We do a lot of WDIR reports for closings. We have a full WDIR department, and we offer a fully digital report for $79. Each house is digitally rendered along with a full interior and exterior visual inspection. We send the report right away, which helps when a REALTOR® is trying to gather up everything for closing.”
Thomas says that Family Termite contracts with houses, not people. “That’s because we treat houses, we don’t treat people. If a home is under contract with us, the contract is automatically transferred at no charge to the new homeowner.”
While he ran out of gas in Florence, Thomas calls Brandon home. “I can’t think of a better place to live than Brandon. I love it here.” Thomas and Allison have two children, ages 11 and 14.
