Franchisee Spotlight: Eric and Rita Blackwell of Mosquito Joe

Rita and Eric Blackwell were both born and raised in the Upstate--a region in the westernmost part of South Carolina. Rita went on to spend 14 years abroad in England, working as a nurse. She eventually returned to the United States to work for the business her uncle founded, Liberty Tax Service, in Virginia Beach, Virginia. She later returned home to South Carolina to be closer to family, and that’s when she and Eric met.

Eric, meanwhile, upon graduating from high school in Inman, had spent the past 20 years working for the family business Scenic Tool & Stamping, a manufacturing facility. All along, the two knew that they wanted to create a business for themselves and their children. After a little bit of research, they knew Mosquito Joe fit their outdoor lifestyle. The couple is preparing to bring the mosquito prevention business to Spartanburg County, and parts of North Carolina, in early April 2017. 

What's your background in? Where do you come from?

Rita: I am originally from the Spartanburg area, though I attended Wade Hampton High in Greenville, but spent 14 years in England, graduated from Chester University there and worked as a Registered Nurse in the Operating Room at the Countess of Chester Hospital. Since I moved back, I began to work for Liberty Tax Service Corporate office in Virginia Beach, Virginia–which was founded by my uncle, John Hewitt. In the six years that I actually worked there, I learned a lot about franchising from him, my aunt, my cousins and the other people I worked with. I eventually left Liberty Tax to be near my family in South Carolina. That’s when I met Eric, through family and friends.

Fast forward about 10 years, I was a stay-at-home mom and ready for a change. I learned that a colleague from Liberty, Jodi Ramoino, was now employed by Mosquito Joe. I contacted Jodi to find out more about her job and was excited about the sound of this company.

Eric and I knew we wanted to start a business of our own. We have an outdoor entertaining area with a pool, but during the summers, my kids and I get eaten alive by mosquitoes. We were committed to doing something outside that could benefit my family and our community. Our kids attend the local schools in the area, Campobello Gramling. My daughter dances, my son plays football, and we’re constantly running around outside. Part of the reason we’re starting this business is to involve them as part of a family-run operation. Hopefully, they will learn to achieve great things and have fun working with family at the same time.

Eric: I was born and raised in Campobello. To me, this is God’s country. We’re two hours from the mountains, four from the beach, we still get all four seasons, and we’re also near several large cities. I attended Chapman High School in Inman and obtained my associate’s degree from Spartanburg Community College. Soon afterward, my family started Scenic Tool & Stamping, a manufacturing facility. I spent the next 20 years there. It was amazing. We were just one big family. When I met Rita, I knew I wanted to create something similar for us and our kids. I wanted my new family to be involved in a business environment that I got to experience. That was about two years ago, and today we’re here.

How did you hear about the brand and why did you choose to get involved?

Rita: We loved everything about Mosquito Joe – from the branding to the colors. We visited the company for the first time and it was just young, vibrant and upbeat. We wanted to be in the outdoor industry and this was the perfect opportunity.

We’re tucked into the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and three of our zip code coverage areas include Tryon, Columbus and Mill Spring, North Carolina. We believe there will be a market for our services in North Carolina, too, especially with the Tryon International Equestrian Center nearby. Like I mentioned before, I was a stay-at-home mom looking for something different. I was so excited about the company after speaking to Jodi, I had to figure out how we could get involved.

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