About Pete Schopen

Many moons ago, when I was a waiter at an exclusive country club in the Chicago suburbs, I worked with Luis, a Cuban chef who loved to swear at the......

When I was 19, I spent the summer as an outdoor technician for my dad’s company. I did all of the power sprays, wasp jobs and ant treatments. I had......

Have you noticed that hardly anyone volunteers anymore? It used to be that you’d have waiting lists to get into the Rotary and Lions Clubs. But now, you are more......

Years ago in Chicago, I inspected for termites at a brick bungalow with a cellar and an attached crawlspace. The home was about 45 ft. wide by 90 ft. long.......

Recently, within the span of a few days, three of my pest management brethren (in California, Wisconsin and Michigan, respectively) called and asked how I’ve been able to grow Schopen......

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been working. When I was 14 years old, I’d mow the grass of five clients every week during the summer. When I......

I love to play Scrabble. Growing up on a farm in Nebraska, our winter days were long and weekends even longer. (Imagine your cable was out and you only had......

A few years ago, I visited my chiropractor because my back was killing me. I explained to him I hurt it in a client’s home. He asked me what had happened,......

My brother Drake, owner of Mid Central Pest Control in East Dundee, Ill., recently asked me to help train our nephew Eric for a few days. Eric and Drake wanted......

I was reading an interesting interview in Sports Illustrated (my second-favorite magazine) a few months ago with the much-maligned commissioner of baseball, Bud Selig. One thing caught my attention more than......