Memorial Day: A Chat with Former Marine Drew Denon

In preparation for this weekend, you’ve probably been picking up supplies for a barbecue. Maybe you are planning to catch a couple of sporting events, or perhaps you just plan on relaxing for your extra day off of work and enjoy life in your backyard. Through all the relaxation, Netflix, good food, and hanging out with friends, it is important to remember the reason for Memorial Day and take a little time to pay homage to all the men and women who have sacrificed their own lives for all of us.

This weekend, Mosquito Squad of Chicago wants to honor everyone who has fallen while serving our great country by focusing on Mosquito Squad’s very own veteran Marine and the President of Mosquito Squad of Chicago. I had a chance to sit and have a conversation with Drew Denon, the man who oversees all Mosquito Squad operations from the northern border of Illinois to parts of western Indiana. He firmly believes that you should take care of your people first because they are your family. And for Drew, Chicagoland is apart of that family.

Drew comes from a family of Military service; his father served as a Marine in World War II and was a major inspiration in Drew’s life and choices to join the military. A true patriot, Drew possesses a great love for America, signing on in 1976, he attended boot camp at Parris Island in South Carolina and was then stationed in Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. He was serving in the United States Marine Corp for 6 years. He originally joined seeking to develop skills in the auto-mechanical industry. Serving in the Marine Corp with his high school buddy, Drew’s patriotism and loyalty to his fellow servicemen didn’t stop with his military service. After the service, they went into business together, eventually leading each of them to become franchisees of Mosquito Squad. Regrettably, Drew’s best friend has since passed away. Drew continues to take care of his own, however, assisting his friend’s widow Patty, in the regular operations of Mosquito Squad Huntsville. This is not only a testament to Drew’s loyalty to his friends and family, but also his personal duty to serve those in need.

Drew attributes the majority of both his business success and the skills necessary to manage such a large operation to his time serving in the military. It was there that he first learned management skills that have continued to pay dividends in his day-to-day work. During his service in the military spent more time climbing poles and stringing telephone wire instead of auto-mechanics. Drew doesn’t consider himself to be anyone particularly special, just a man doing his job and enjoying his work. Ever since Drew was a child, he knew that he wanted to manage his own business. And when I asked Drew what one of the most unexpected hurdles in franchising Mosquito Squad to the Chicagoland area, he told me that one particular challenge was to figure out how to logistically cover an area as large as Chicago and the surrounding areas. But that hurdle was no match for the man with a mission to protect his own. And he is proud to be steadily increasing the number of people he protects. He has grown the Mosquito Squad business from 330 houses served in the Chicagoland area in 2010, to 2,800 during the 2014 season. When it comes to working, whether it is misting for mosquitoes or installing a mosquito misting system, Drew is going to get it done, one way or another.

So this weekend, Mosquito Squad invites you to take some time to remember those who have fallen in service to our country, whether it is someone you know personally, an ancestor you never met, or even a man or woman that you’ve never heard of. Let us never forget the men and women that have given their lives to protect our country and our freedom.

Mosquito Squad of Chicago is a mosquito control services company that provides professional mosquito extermination in the Chicagoland area. Give us a call at (630) 556-8315 to find out how we can help you with your mosquito problem.