Employee Spotlight: Kate Gould

Kate Gould is the other owner of Mosquito Joe of Northwest Houston. She started the business with her husband, Paul, in 2015. Originally from the UK, Kate moved to Texas in the late 90’s and settled first in The Woodlands, then Magnolia and Montgomery. She has 4 children, now all adults. All four of them have worked at Mosquito Joe at one point; Abby (now in Malaysia with a Ph.D. in Forensic Entomology) and Molly (in her final semester at TAMUCC) both worked in the office over summer breaks while in high school and college, Harrison is a part-time technician when we need the extra muscle power and Tanner, who has been a technician for 3 years.
 
 

What made you want to work at Mosquito Joe of NW Houston & S Brazos?

I last worked at a brokerage firm and, when it came time for partnership, things fell through. I didn’t want to work for someone else and Paul encouraged me to look at franchising. With the help of a franchise coach and a lot of research, we landed on Mosquito Joe.

What’s one word to describe your time at Mosquito Joe?

One word is tough, maybe immersive is the best word for it? I am grateful for every single customer we have and making sure we do the right thing for them is paramount. My time has been exciting, exhilarating, scary, and everything in between.

Do you have a favorite customer story?

I think the customer who had West Nile sticks with me the most. She had been so ill for so long and had been so afraid of going outside since that time. It was lovely to be able to give her the confidence to use her yard again and see how much it lifted her mood. There have been many customers that I have loved meeting and a lot of stories, but she really stuck with me.

Fun fact about you?

I grew up in Belgium in a tiny little village. The headmaster of the school was also the gym teacher and the bus driver, which was a VW van. I had 5 people in my grade, so it was very, very small.

Do you have any hobbies?

Crocheting is something I love and do it most evenings. I have a hard time sitting still and it keeps my hands busy (and my family members covered in blankets and hats).

What are some of the most common misconceptions customers have about mosquitoes?

Most people think mosquitoes die when we have a rare freeze, or when it gets cooler here. I would like to point to Alaska as that state has the worst mosquito problem in the US. In Texas mosquitoes never go away. They do calm down a bit when it’s cooler, but cooler here never lasts long, sometimes not even a whole day.

What is a typical day at Mosquito Joe like?

The fun part of owning your own business is that every day is different. I’m always speaking with customers and my technicians, but beyond that, there is marketing and forecasting ordering and accounting, routing, and more. I love the diversity of my days and keeping everything in order and running smoothly.

What’s your best piece of advice for someone wanting to control mosquitoes in their yard?

Appreciate the power of water when it comes to mosquitoes: one teaspoon will breed 300 mosquitoes in 2-3 days. Half of those 300 mosquitoes (the females) will do the same over the next few days, giving you 45,000 mosquitoes. Those females will produce 6.7 million mosquitoes a few days later. Remove the water and you remove a hospitable habitat for egg laying.

When in doubt give Mosquito Joe of NW Houston a call at 281-815-0228 to get a free quote for our pest control services.