Born in Livingston, NJ, in 1979 Laurie was the youngest of five AND the only girl. Her older brothers adored her and brought her everywhere they went, which was a great spring board for Laurie to grow into a strong, independent, self-reliant, driven, woman.
Laurie, living the majority of her life locally, graduated from James Caldwell High School in 1997. Shortly after graduating from high school Laurie’s career at Dial Pest Control began when she was hired by her older brother, Jerry Smith and friend Steve Adams, to work around the office. She started off cleaning the office, filing paperwork, taking the mail to the post office, and on occasion she would even pick up lunch for the guys. She conquered the office responsibilities and constantly sought out ways to provide value to the company. She even went out in the field to observe termite swarms so she could discuss knowledgeable options with customers without having to rely on Jerry or Steve.
Soon after she joined Dial, the business began to boom and Laurie went out independently to become licensed in pest management. Not satisfying her desire for continuous improvement, Laurie then graduated from the NJPMA leadership class of 2006. Meanwhile, Jerry and Steve invested in a software program to streamline business functions, allowing Laurie to direct and drive the business from the office.
During the next ten years, Laurie got married and had two beautiful children all while working steadfast to help build and ready the company for expansion. In 2015, Dial Pest Control bought Nature’s Pro Lawn Watch, now Dial Lawn Watch. Laurie, named Vice President of Operations, took the new division on her back, and with her constant presence, her compassion to do the right thing, and her desire to continue to grow, the new division in its second year is poised for growth. In January 2016, Laurie was named Partner in the Lawn Watch division.
“I didn’t the follow the same path most people do; I went right into the work force after high school. Anybody who knows me; knows I have a strong love for family, which made it an easy decision for me to go to work for Jerry; but we always kept our roles as siblings separate from our roles in the business. I worked hard to make a difference as an individual – for that I am very proud. I am also so very proud of my husband and children – they make it all worthwhile. I love what I do!”