After working in the pest control industry for several years, Brandon Clark realized that the rodent problem in the Portland/Vancouver Metro area was becoming an epidemic and he wanted to understand them better. He devoted himself to studying everything that he could about them and how they tick, and he wanted to create a company that focused mainly on rodent eradication.
And from that vision, Get Smart Rat Solutions was born.
Brandon and his son Asher started Get Smart Rat Solutions as a partnership about a year ago when Asher was 18 years old.
“He (Asher) graduated from the Running Start program with his associate degree and helped start a company all in the same year,” said Amber Clark, Brandon’s wife and office manager with Get Smart Rat Solutions. “Asher has been working with Brandon since he was about 15 years old. He started helping him out when Brandon injured his shoulder and was unable to do some of the more labor-intensive work. It proved to be a great thing for their relationship.”
Amber said that the time Brandon and Asher spent driving around together is ultimately where the vision of their company was birthed. Based out of Ridgefield, Get Smart Rat Solutions is the first company licensed in Oregon and Washington state to specialize in rodent and wildlife services, according to their website. The company serves the Portland/Vancouver Metro area, and their services cover diagnosis, elimination and prevention of rats, mice, ants and wildlife, as well as crawl space and attic restoration.
During his years of experience, Brandon has created a Get SMART process that encompasses the psychology, social systems, biology and anatomy of rodents, wildlife and ants. The process is designed to give the customer a full understanding of why their home or business has been infested so they can prevent future infestations.
As their client base continues to grow steadily, Amber said they added one other employee – their “son” Robbie.
“Robbie moved in with us a year ago and has no other family, and we consider him our own,” Amber said. “There are also several other young men, mostly friends of Asher, that we hire regularly to do full-day jobs when we need a crew.”
As a family owned business, Amber said there are unique challenges that they deal with on occasion. One that she pointed out is that there is no one else to hand anything off to – they are the bottom line.
“This last week was our yearly family camping trip and we had to stagger our time between the boys so that someone could be working,” Amber said. “It makes it hard to do things as a whole family because someone is always missing.”
On a personal note, Amber said that a challenge for her is that she is still a full-time mom. Brandon and Amber have six children of which Asher is the oldest, and their youngest is 8.
“I am still going to orthodontist appointments, Costco runs and field trips while simultaneously taking all the company calls and handling all the scheduling,” she said. “Also, I am currently planning a wedding. Asher and his fiancé Hailey are getting married this weekend.”
Although Amber said the business keeps the family busy, she also said it has really been a gift.
“To say this last year has been a season of stretching would be an understatement,” she said. “But it has also been a season of personal and family growth for us. It has challenged us on so many levels but also forced us to lean on each other and draw on each other for strength and support.”
Services from Get Smart Rat Solutions are available 24/7. They can be reached at 1-844-468-7287 or via email at amber@getsmartratsolutions.com.
