A pesky situation was the inspiration for Jason Verbeck to go into the weed and pest control business. Verbeck said he’s always been an entrepreneur, so when he tried to schedule an appointment and was told there would be a six-week wait and he would be charged several hundred dollars for a simple spray job, “it became very obvious to me that many area residents were being taken advantage of. We strive to get to all our our customers within 24 to 48 hours,” said Verbeck. “We use top of the line chemicals and have excellent equipment, and we still are almost always 50 to 75 percent less than what any other providers who will come to this area charge.”

Verbeck is from Brewster, and returned to the area after graduating from Washington State University.

“Most of my family is from the Tonasket/Oroville area, so I have been around this area my entire life,” Verbeck said.

He has been serving Okanogan County for the last year with his business, Columbia Weed and Pest Management; scheduling appointments for Monday through Saturday.

“We are the only full service weed and pest control spray company in the county,” Verbeck said. They offer many different services from interior and exterior pest prevention, as well as services for commercial businesses.

“Most of our customers sign up for our quarterly program where they have their homes sprayed every three to four months for year-round prevention.”

A new customer special of 25 percent off is offered to people who have never used their services before.

Asked what the future holds for Columbia Weed and Pest, Verbeck responded, “The future looks great for our company. We are rapidly growing and have already established ourselves as the top provider in Okanogan, Chelan, Douglas and Ferry Counties.”

Verbeck said his company has been doing a lot of bed bug treatments for the entire state of Washington and will continue to expand in that area. “However, our primary focus will remain to provide people in our area honest and affordable pest and weed control methods. We offer honest and dependable services with guaranteed work.”

Verbeck said his was the only company in his field with local ties and interests in keeping the money in the community.

“We buy all of our supplies locally and are a huge supporter of our local athletic teams,” said Verbeck.

He said the company’s main goal, however, was “to help educate people on why they are having the issues they are. We will not just show up and spray your weeds or pests. We will inspect it, educate you on why it is happening and what measures you can take to prevent the problem in the future.”

A large array of services is listed on their website at www.columbiaweedandpest.com.

“If anyone has any questions on a problem they are having, they are always more than welcome to call us with questions, and we will do our very best to help anyway that we can,” said Verbeck.