AGAWAM — Braman Termite & Pest Elimination, a family-owned and operated business serving residential and commercial customers across Southern New England since 1890, announced the promotion of John McCarthy from account manager to sales director.

“John has been with us for over a year now and quickly proved himself ready for additional responsibilities,” said Jerry Lazarus, third-generation owner of Braman Termite & Pest Elimination. “With his extensive experience and a commitment to customer satisfaction, he’s the perfect choice to lead our sales team.”

In his new role, McCarthy is directly responsible for leading and developing Braman’s sales team while cultivating customer relationships for long-term customer satisfaction and growth. This includes developing long-range sales goals and objectives, as well as sales plans and tactics to meet and exceed those goals.

McCarthy joined the Braman team in 2022 with 22 years of experience in a variety of leadership roles within the pest-control industry, including sales and service manager, branch manager, and district manager. He is a member of the National Pest Management Assoc.

AGAWAM — Braman Termite & Pest Elimination, a family-owned and operated business serving residential and commercial customers across Southern New England since 1890, announced the upcoming retirement of Senior Vice President of Business Development Robert Guyette.

“Rob’s contributions to Braman are too numerous to count — from the way he mentors and connects people to his dedication to our customers to his impressive work ethic,” said Jerry Lazarus, third-generation owner of Braman Termite & Pest Elimination. “I can’t say enough about him. He has been a tremendous asset to our company from both a business and culture perspective, and we will miss him greatly.”

During his more than 17 years at Braman, Guyette said he is proudest of achieving his ACE (associated certified entomologist) certification, one of the biggest professional challenges he has ever faced. Prior to joining Braman as general manager in 2006, he was production manager at HP Hood in the milk and ice-cream divisions for nearly 26 years. He recently transitioned into his current role in preparation for retirement.

A self-described networker, Guyette said he will miss the people the most. He has no specific plans for retirement but is looking forward to spending more time with his grandchildren as well as his hobbies, bowling and fishing.

“Retiring is bittersweet; I may or may not be counting the days until December 28,” he said. “It’s what you work your whole life for, but I have mixed emotions about it. I have been honored to take care of our customers — it’s always about them, not the money. And I get to go to bed every night knowing I have never done wrong by anyone. I love mentoring, and I hope I have helped at least one person in their career. I just like to work and make things better — that’s always been my heart and my passion, and I like to say I give 150%.”

AGAWAM — The Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Central New England announced the recipients of the 2023 Marketplace Excellence Awards, naming Braman Termite & Pest Elimination the winner of the Western Massachusetts Award for Marketplace Excellence, Mid-sized Business.

Based in Agawam, Braman serves residential and commercial customers across Southern New England, with additional Massachusetts locations in Auburn, Hampden, Lee, and Waltham, as well as Bloomfield, Conn.

“Our success was founded in 1890 on three key principles: pride, honesty, and quality,” said Jerry Lazarus, the third-generation owner and operator of Braman Termite & Pest Elimination. “These are the ideals we live by. While any business can say this, this recognition by the BBB underscores our commitment to these values.”

The BBB award recognizes both high standards of behavior toward customers, employees, and suppliers and a history of ethical business practices and community involvement.

Braman is a member of the National Pest Management Assoc. and has earned the association’s QualityPro and GreenPro designations. Its pest-control technicians are all licensed, certified, insured, and trained to observe all relevant federal, state, and local regulations pertaining to the services they provide.