Termite Department Manager’s “glass half empty” outlook helps him strive for excellence
Dave Laster’s mom called it. When he was a child, she told him he’d probably work in pest control someday. The prediction was spot on and Laster celebrated his 25-year anniversary at Slug-A-Bug in September 2021.
Currently the Termite Department Manager, Laster has had a longstanding fascination with insects. His mother watched her young son fixate on fire ant mounds when she made the forecast about his adulthood vocation.
Born and raised in Brevard County, Laster joined the U.S. Air Force as soon as he was old enough. But a knee injury forced him out of service.
“After that, I ended up working different jobs: house painting and things like that, and found out that it just wasn’t steady work,” he said. “If the weather got bad or the jobs ran out, then I was out of work. So, I started looking at the pest control industry.”
Laster worked for many years at several other pest control companies around town before asking Slug-A-Bug founder, Doug Vander Poest, for a job at his company. The two had worked together briefly at another company and Laster was impressed with him.
It took a couple tries. Vander Poest didn’t have a position available at first. But only a few weeks later, a sales job opened up at Slug-A-Bug and Laster started what would become a long career there.
“I told him I was looking for a place that I could stay with and retire,” Laster said. “I knew Doug and I knew what an outstanding individual he was. He hired me on, and I made him a commitment at that time that I would be with Slug-A-Bug for life.”
An important part of Laster’s philosophy of work is a “glass half empty” perspective. By looking at what remains to be done, he finds motivation for constant improvement. “That can be seen as a negative but I keep trying to fill it up,” he said. “It’s all part of striving for perfection, to reach excellence.”
Outside of the office, Laster enjoys fishing on occasion but says his favorite pastime is just being with his family.
Slug-A-Bug President Steve Lum honored Laster recently with a special lunch consisting of racks of ribs (his favorite), a check for $3,125 as part of the company’s rewards program, and a plaque to commemorate his 25th anniversary. It reads, “Faithful, tenacious and excellent to the core.”
“Dave Laster is an amazing guy … I have the highest respect for Dave,” Lum said. “I honestly don’t know what I would do without him.”