By Jason Stromberg
Steve Jenkins will never forget the night he decided that he had to do something for his wife Eunice, who had been bitten by another mosquito. The 44-year-old Boca Raton resident remembers it like it was yesterday.
“My wife has always hated mosquitoes. She was the type where if there was a mosquito in the house, we had to turn the lights on and find it before we went to bed,” Jenkins said. “We wanted to solve an issue, and it ended up becoming a career — and a successful one.”
Jenkins is president and owner of SWAT Mosquito Systems & Outdoor Cooling. SWAT custom designs and installs mosquito misting systems that eliminate the need for screened enclosures, candles, zappers or propane devices.
To this day, Jenkins is still amazed at how it all got started, yet proud of its success and longevity.
“Just to solve our own family problem, that’s how we got into business,” Jenkins said. “This system has been around since the 1970s, but it was for fly control. We took that system and started installing it as a mosquito control system.”
Based in Broward County, SWAT’s territory ranges from Vero Beach to Marathon, and west to Naples. There are 20 employees on board, and there are opportunities for them to develop and be leaders in the industry.
Robert LeBlanc is one of them. As general manager, LeBlanc is proud of the company’s customer service. “Our guys are going to do the system the right way, perfectly,” LeBlanc said. “It’s all set up and ready to go. They don’t leave your property until everything is 100 percent good to go.”
If mosquitoes, no-see-ums and other biting insects are preventing you from enjoying your yard, pool or spa, it’s time to call the SWAT professionals. Their mission is to control and eliminate those pests.
“Our custom-designed mosquito misting system is completely outside,” Jenkins said. “The nozzles are located underground throughout the perimeter of the landscaping and they mist two to four times a day. We fill up the tank, which is typically located on the side of the house.”
When SWAT is finished with its installation, the typical response from each customer is “you’ve changed my life,” Jenkins said. “You changed how we use the outdoors.”
The threat of the Zika virus — an insect-borne illness that is believed to cause birth defects — is a growing concern in South Florida. While SWAT’s product was not designed with Zika in mind, controlling the biting pests will help keep the virus away.
“Our product will help get rid of the mosquitoes,” LeBlanc said. “The possibilities of getting the Zika virus are limited, as long as we take care of the mosquitoes.”
Brent Ball, vice president of project management, wants his SWAT team to continue to stay on top of its game. “We want our customers to take control of their own home again, and we are succeeding in that process,” Ball said. “Our company offers a lifetime warranty, satisfaction guaranteed.”
A privately held company, SWAT bills itself as the “largest mosquito company in South Florida.” Its unique misting system uses an environmentally friendly, non-toxic substance.
“We use pyrethrum, which is derived from the chrysanthemum, which gets rid of the mosquitoes,” Ball said. “The system is active at sunrise and sunset.”
Each SWAT tank is refilled by the company whenever it needs it.
“Customers don’t have to call us to have us fill up their tank,” LeBlanc said. “It’s a mathematical thing. We know when to go to you.”
When SWAT moves in, mosquitoes move out — and LeBlanc is on a mission to make sure that residents here in the western communities learn the benefits of the company’s misting pest control system.
“Our customers have been so grateful and thankful that they’ve recommended us to other people,” LeBlanc said. “Our system allowed them to enjoy themselves out in the back yard.”
Call (866) 900-SWAT today for a free estimate. For more information about SWAT Mosquito Systems & Outdoor Cooling, call (954) 437-1815 or visit www.swatmosquitosystems.com.
ABOVE: SWAT Mosquito Systems employs a highly trained staff. (Front row, L-R) Joel Echezabal, Joel Murray, Reinier Herrera, Steve Jenkins and Silvio Duarte; (back row) Shawn Hurst, Ezequiel Galan, Donny Orazi, Brent Ball, Robert LeBlanc, Raudel Dupeiron, Terry Parker and Cleo Hall.
