Of Mice and Men
Pesky critters crawling and the military calling put this franchisee in a bind.
By Sara Wilson •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
As a member of the military, Ray Saucier's duty is to help his country, but when he got deployed to Iraq in October 2004 to serve as a military advisor to the new Iraqi army, he found he was the one in need of some urgent assistance. As the primary operator of his Critter Controlfranchise, he had no choice but to temporarily close his growing business--the main source of his family's income.
The franchise remained closed for nearly a year, but the Sauciers discovered they weren't alone in their battle. With help from corporate, which froze Saucier's obligations and took up a systemwide collection, Saucier and his family were able to survive the trying period. After being stationed in Fallujah, Mosul and Baghdad, Saucier returned home as a Bronze Star recipient in August 2005. He was happy to be back to serve the critter-control needs of southern Maine and select portions of eastern New Hampshire--a territory he had protected from unwanted skunk, moose and raccoon appearances since he opened the franchise in 2001.
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