Gunter Pest and Lawn just celebrated its 70th anniversary! We are extremely proud of this remarkable milestone. As a Kansas City small business, we’ve spent every one of our 70 years as a community cornerstone, offering new services and affordable residential and commercial pest control solutions to our neighbors including:
- Prairie Village (KS)
- Overland Park (KS)
- Blue Springs (MO)
- Lee’s Summit (MO)
- Parkville (MO)
- Mission Hills (KS)
- Leawood (KS)
- Olathe (KS)
However, after becoming a septuagenarian company some things are bound to have changed along the way.
Let’s take a look at some of the biggest changes for Gunter in the past 70 years, and some of the things that we promise to never change as we continue to serve the people of Kansas City.
New Iconic Wheels
For a long time, Gunter employees would turn heads with our iconic green VW Beetle service cars. Driving around the Kansas City area with our previous slogan “Ask Your Neighbor” our cars reminded people that the best service for protecting your home or business started with the people who shared neighborhoods with them. To us, local matters.
And after 70 years, local still very much matters. However, we’ve transitioned away from our precious Beetles to new all-electric Tesla service cars. In 2021, serving local interests also means looking out for the local environment. Our new slogan “Go Gunter. Go Green!” reminds us that focusing on environmentally safe treatments and low emissions infrastructure helps protect Kansas City home and business owners from more than just pests. But, we still believe in showing up in a truly sweet vehicle.
More Competition
After 70 years of business, it’s very hard to consider yourself the new kid on the block. Just as we’ve seen the area change over time, we’ve also seen remarkable growth in the presence of other Pest Control and Lawn companies in the city. For us, we welcome the increase in competition because it forces us to continually evolve. We’d hate to think that we spent seven decades stagnant.
Instead, we’ve spent our time refining our process, our services, and procedures to better cater to our customers’ needs. From introducing comprehensive quarterly pest and lawn treatment plans to developing the ability for people to schedule an appointment completely online, we’ve made every effort to stay relevant and innovative in the city’s business landscape.
Next Generation of Gunter
It’s up for debate if even Reggie Gunter knew that his Kansas City Pest Control company would span four generations when he founded Gunter in the 1950s. Reggie handed the company off to his son-in-law, Norman Besheer, who still is making it into work every day in 2021. In turn, Norman’s son, and our current President Jay Besheer was involved in the family business from a young age and took the reins in 1979. From our headquarters in Waldo, (where we’ve resided in the heart of Kansas City for over 40 years) Jay leads our efforts and continues to grow Gunter into a neighborhood and metro-wide institution.
Of course, it doesn’t stop there. Jay’s son Noah now serves as our VP of marketing after having done a stint in the corporate world and returning to apply those talents to the family enterprise. And Jay’s daughter Hayley serves as Director of Business Development. Throughout all of those years and changed hands, the formula hasn’t changed. By focusing on providing safe and quality pest and lawn services to the people and neighborhoods of Kansas City, we ensure that we all take care of a place we love to call home.
Here’s to (70?) more years of growth, change, memories, and ideals that never waver.
Be Sure To Check Out Our Services:
Residential Pest Control — Commercial Pest Control — Ants — Bed Bugs — Sanitation
