Business Briefs
Couple gives back to its senior supporters
Triad Pest Control gets rid of what's bugging you
By PATRICIA SMITH-DEER1NG
Community N?w Editor
Spring is a time for cleaning
out those basements and attics. It's
also the time when those tiny crea- ~
Hires that have lain dormant through
the winter become active making
life at home less than comfortable.
James "Bo" and Marilyn Gilliam
have just the solution with their
nine-year-old firm, Triad Pest Con
trol.
Gilliam, president of the firm,
was working for a local pest control
company, when in 1982, he decided
it was time for him to venture out
into his own business. "They (the
company) were making preuy good
revenue," he said. He couldn't see
why he shouldn't do the same. "He's
- always wanted to go into business
for himself," his wife and vice pres
. ident of Triad added.
There was an additional reason
that the Gilliams saw the need for
their business, particularly in the -
African-American community. "I
saw how (other companies) would
come into the black community and
charge more," he said, adding, "I
figured they needed a black in the
area to offer service at a fair price."
With that in mind, he quit his job
and with "$25 that I borrowed from
my daddy to open a checking
account," he recalled, he got started.
"I remember it was a Saturday," he
said, "She (Marilyn) was away at
the time." Although he had not told
her that he was going to resign right
then, when she found out, she was a
firm supporter. He said, "She told
me; -I'm behind you.' When she said
that* i . that meant a lot"
'Since that time, the two have
worked together to build the busi
ness which customizes its services
for the growing number of residen
tial and commercial clients that it
has. "We've been blessed," Marilyn
said, "never having to get a loan
from the bank." The profits were
position as a city/county personnel
specialist. In 1986 she accepted a
position as personnel director for
Catawba County, and Bo traveled
between his business in Winston
Salem and their new home. "We
Photo by U.B. Speas Jr.
"Bo" and Marilyn Gilliam have turned a $25 venture into a suc
cessful pest control company ? Triad.
simply returned to the business. made an agreement when she
Initial ly, she was working only accepted the job there that we'd go
parttime in the firm, handling the for two years," he said. "1 was very
paperwork while maintaining a supportive of her career." They
returned to Winston-Salem in 1988,
and Marilyn joined Triad fulltime.
"I think that the only way I could
have come fulltime with him was to
have had the time to pursue my
career. 1 went the limit of what I
wanted to do before joining him,"
she said.
Remembering with a smile
how her husband got started, Mari
lyn said, "He's very good in sales. It
was himself and a blue Volkswagen
(working) from the basement of our?
home." The Volkswagen was traded
for a white Ford Ranger. Now, Triad
has five technicians and a secretary.
Bo, who is also a technician, said he
is also "salesperson and bill collec
tor."
Bo believes that dressing fo?
success has been an important con
tributor to the growth of his clien
tele over the years. "I looked sharp;
people trusted that uniform," he
said. "I talked to people, they fell
the warmness." In the beginning he
knocked on many doors, some for
customers who knew him in his pre
vious job. "It was that blue and
white uniform that worked," he said
with a broad grin. His customers are
not limited to the African^AmericaiL
community and are evenly split
between residences and commercial
firms.
"Personally, I don't think it
matters if you're black or white in a
service-oriented business," Bo said.
Believing that often race is used as
an excuse that can handicap a per
son, he reasoned, "It's the way you
present yourself. Prejudice will be
out there, it will never die."
The couple is thahkful for the
support they have received from the
senior citizens in the African-Amer
ican community. "We give the black
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FREE XISTING
for all
Minority Businesses
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There is no cost to list your business in this directory:
1. NAME * ' '
2. MAILING ADDRESS
3. BUSINESS NAME _
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4. BUSINESS ADDRESS
5. CONTACT PERSON _
6. Home Telephone
Tssar
(County)
_ TITLE
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Business Telephone
7. Date Business Established
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Please bring or mail your completed form to:
Winston-Salem Chronicle, 617 N. Liberty St.,
Winston-Salem, NC 27101 (919) 722-8624
Cheek hers If you are Interested In advertising
your services in the directory.
"1|1 W
Working Together
r Business Community
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community a lot of credit," said
Marilyn.
Every year Triad offers a
month of free pest control service to
the senior citizens in the communi
ty. She explained, "He (Bo) feels
that's a way we give back to the
community . . . You can't beat that
by giving to those senior citizens. It
makes me feel good." The couple
also credits a number of the area
churches for sticking by them in
business and encouraging, including
their own, United Metropolitan
Baptist Church, pastored by the
Reverend J . Donald Ballard.
One of the community services
that Bo and Marilyn sponsor is a
"Pest of the Week" advertising spot
*on radio station WSMX. This
week's pest, Bo said, is the Jjc, very
prevalent this time of year, particu
larly in North Carolina^ He cau
tioned people to be acutely aware
that they cause Rocky Mountain
fever (which can be fatal).
Triad Pest Control is located in
a neat, two-story, sky-blue frame
house at 1535 Martin Luther King
Jr. Drive. You can reach Bo and
Marilyn in their offices there or on
(919) 788-3020. They have a North
Carolina Watts line, 1-800-TRIAD
99.
1' O R I () I
AFRICA
Reebok International
and the
East Winston Community Development Corp.
Are ? The ? Proud ? Sponsors ? Of .
i . 1 -d ? r : i ~
Diggs Gallery exhibitions are enriching
PATRICIA SMITH-DEERING 25-picce retrospective of Diggs's works "We've Come This Far By Faith: A
' - ? editor was on display which included abstract Historical View of the Black Church
paintings, landscape watercolors, etch- ?orsy\h County" was an exhibition
ings, and drawings. curated by Winston-Salem Delta Fine
Two historic exhibitions that Aits, Inc. Delta Fine Arts and the Diggs
' ? " of the Africa - GaDery co-presented both exhibitions.
The current sprin;
? ^Hition itatares th
TlUnu/ . .
In a city known nationally for its
commitment to the arts, the Diggs
Gallery, located on the campus of Win- recref
ston-Salem State Uni- ________
versity, offers a con- V ?
temporary showcase
for some of the finest
artistic works in the
country.
The gallery was
named for James
Thackeray Diggs Jr.,
former chairman of the
art department and a
professor emeritus. He
j taught at WSSU for
more than 40 years
before his retirement
in 1979.
Diggs, who died
in April 1989, was
also co-founder of the
Associate Arts of Win
ston-Salem and helped
establish what is now
the Southeastern Cen
j tcr for Contemporary
1 Art, SECCA.
fin
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^ r ^ Winston
^Ctn T "The Sp^ ?*
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