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Christina Gaudino


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Rutgers alumnus launches mosquito prevention franchise in New Jersey

A current graduate student in the Rutgers Business School in Newark, Timothy Sorrentino, and his wife, Kristen, launched their first franchise of the national Mosquito Joe corporation yesterday. Mosquito Joe, a national corporation based in Virginia Beach, Virginia, provides mosquito and other bug control solutions for residential and commercial properties in 28 states, according to the company website. The focus of Sorrentino’s franchise will be in South Jersey, servicing Washington Township, Sicklerville, Gloucester Township, Pitman, Deptford, West Deptford and Wenonah. “It has been a rollercoaster,” Sorrentino said of kickstarting the franchise. Sorrentino, who is enrolled in the master’s program for supply chain management, said that he previously attended Villanova University before coming to the Business School at Rutgers—Newark. “Someone I met (at Villanova) who was also in the army with me, was looking into investing and opening a franchise for Mosquito Joe,” he said. Interested, Sorrentino contacted the company and began the vetting process to open his own franchise in New Jersey. “So my wife and I decided to take the plunge and give this a shot," he said. As part of the process, Sorrentino and his wife attended a week of training at the company headquarters in Virginia Beach, which included the financial aspect of running a small business, as well as learning about the technical services of spraying for mosquitoes, ticks and fleas, Sorrentino said. “I also started setting my targets in place for a customer base, obtaining all the equipment—the truck, the sprayers, getting a good financial plan and a good marketing plan,” he said. He started implementing the marketing plan about six weeks ago in anticipation of opening day, he said. Sorrentino’s franchise will be one of five franchises in New Jersey, according to the company website.Apr 18 2017