Management Software for Pest Control CompaniesAbout Us
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A History Rooted in Real-World Experience
In 2014, Adam’s Pest Control, a trusted name in pest management since 1971, went looking for software capable of handling the complexities of their growing business. When existing solutions fell short, Adam’s Pest Control, Inc. established Collabetive Services, LLC to create Blu Star. From the very first line of code, Blu Star was designed to address the specific challenges faced by pest control businesses.
Collabetive: The Power to be Collaborative and Innovative
At Collabetive, we believe in the power of collaboration. That’s why we work closely with our clients, incorporating their feedback and practical insights to continually improve Blu Star. This approach ensures Blu Star evolves alongside the industry's needs, integrating new technologies and addressing emerging challenges. Before any new version or improvement of Blu Star is released to clients, it’s rigorously tested in the field by Adam’s Pest Control. This process guarantees that the software isn’t just innovative—it’s proven reliable in real-world scenarios. Through this rigorous testing, Blu Star remains finely tuned to meet the daily demands of pest control professionals like you.
Our Mission: Helping Pest Control Businesses Thrive
Todd Leyse
Founder & President
Todd Leyse is the visionary behind Blu Star. With a B.A. degree in Computer Science and Information Technology (IT) experience at Honeywell and Emerson, two Fortune Top 100 companies, managing 25 people from mainframe operators, PC support, and networking staff, Todd returned to lead his family’s business, Adam’s Pest Control after the death of his dad’s partner. Under his leadership, Adam’s has grown 10x and into the 49th largest pest control company in the U.S., recognized for its innovation and service quality.
Todd’s industry expertise is demonstrated through his leadership roles in both the Minnesota Pest Management Association and the National Pest Management Association, along with numerous industry awards. His technical background and deep industry understanding led him to recognize the gap in software solutions tailored to the specific needs of a growing pest control business. In response, Todd founded Collabetive Services, LLC, and built Blu Star from the ground up, integrating his real-world experience into every aspect of its design.
Todd's deep and broad experience in both the pest control and IT industries makes Collabetive unique. He’s able to talk with and understand developers and pest control operators. He gets it and can translate between the two when needed. When he asks “Why do you want to do that?” to a pest control owner or key stakeholder, he truly wants to understand your use case scenario so that Blu Star can be built in a way to support your business, perhaps in a way better than you are requesting.
Jason Kochel
Chief Technologist
Jason Kochel is the Chief Technologist at Collabetive Services, bringing decades of leadership and innovation in technology to the Blu Star development team. A Magna Cum Laude graduate of Dartmouth College with a B.A. in Computer Science and Economics, Jason has been at the forefront of software development for the pest control industry.
Before joining Collabetive in 2022, Jason served as Chief Technology Officer and Chief Solutions Architect at WorkWave, where he was the architect and lead developer of PestPac, the first web-based Customer Relationship Management (CRM)/Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) tool for the pest control industry. His expertise in creating industry-leading software solutions has continued at Collabetive, where he has introduced cutting-edge technologies, including Serverless and Single Page Application architectures. Jason also redeveloped the GPSlogix vehicle tracking system and pioneered Orion, designed to save schedulers time and build optimized routes, using our vision and our development environment. Not only did we want more efficient routes, we wanted to make Orion easy to learn and easy to use by removing the complications other tools are known for by having the tool change to the various use case scenarios, outlined below.
Jason is a strong advocate for integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into development workflows and within Blu Star, ensuring that Blu Star remains at the forefront of innovation in the field service management industry.
Marlin Stimpson
Lead Developer
Marlin Stimpson brings over three decades of programming and development experience to the team. A Summa Cum Laude graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology from the Minnesota School of Business, Marlin has specialized expertise in web development and database management.
Since 2014, Marlin has been instrumental in Blu Star's evolution, leveraging his proficiency in HTML, ASP.NET, JavaScript, C#, SQL, and more to drive the platform’s growth and versatility. His strong foundation in problem-solving and software development has been pivotal in delivering a robust solution tailored to the complex requirements of pest control businesses. Notably, Marlin excels in interfacing with diverse software packages, developing web services efficiently, and integrating seamlessly with third-party APIs.
Melissa Stenson
Onboarding and Training Manager
Melissa brings over a decade of hands-on experience in customer service and field service operations to her role as Onboarding and Training Manager at Collabetive Services. Since joining Adam’s Pest Control in 2009, after having been the office manager for another pest control company, Melissa has built an impressive track record, initially serving as the Contact Center/Branch Manager, where she honed her skills in customer relationship management and operational efficiency.
Since moving to Collabetive in 2015, Melissa has been integral to the success of Blu Star from its inception. Her practical, real-world experience using three different CRMs including Blu Star in the daily operations of Adam’s Pest Control gives her a deep understanding of the software’s capabilities and how it can be tailored to meet the specific needs of pest control businesses.
In her current role, Melissa is responsible for new client onsite training, client support, testing, and documentation. Her goal is to ensure each client is fully equipped to use Blu Star efficiently and effectively. Her customer-first approach, combined with her vast experience, ensures that each user’s transition to Blu Star is smooth and that they receive the tailored support they need to thrive.
Monica Niemann
Client Development Manager
Throughout her career, she has helped bring multiple programs and product lines to market while collaborating with cross-functional teams to achieve successful outcomes. Monica is also passionate about developing people, working alongside teams to foster growth, strengthen collaboration, and support long-term success. Driven by a heart for continual improvement, she is committed to enhancing processes, elevating customer experiences, and helping both people and organizations reach their full potential.
The Team
Five lead the way. A whole team backs them.
These four lead the way, but they don't do it alone.
Behind Blu Star is a wider team of developers, support specialists, and trainers building, testing, supporting, and improving the software every day.
And before a release ever reaches you, the technicians and office staff at Adam's Pest Control put it to work in the field—helping make sure Blu Star works where it matters most.
Integrated Third-Party Software
| Software Name | Description | Website | License |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avalara | Avalara provides tax compliance automation solutions | avalara.com | License |
| Smarty Streets | Smarty Streets offers address validation and geocoding services. | smartystreets.com | License |
| Data247 | Data247 delivers real-time data solutions. | data247.com | License |
| Google Maps | Provides maps and geolocation services | developers.google.com | License |
| HERE Waypoint Distance & Drive Time | HERE Technologies provides location-based services. | here.com | License |
| Mandrill/Mailchimp | Mandrill is a transactional email API for Mailchimp. | mandrill.com | License |
| eSign | Electronic signature solutions are provided by eSign. | esign.com | License |
| OpenWeatherMap | Weather data provided by OpenWeatherMap. | openweathermap.org | License |
| Sharpspring | Marketing automation platform by SharpSpring. | sharpspring.com | License |
| GPSlogix | GPS tracking solutions by GPSlogix | gpslogix.com | N/A |
| PBXact | Telephony Software | pbxact.com | License |
| Amazon AWS | Amazon cloud hosting used in Blu Star | aws.amazon.com | License |
Development Tools
| Software Name | Description | Website | License |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visual Studio 2026 | Primary IDE used for Blu Star development | visualstudio.microsoft.com | License |
| Visual Studio Code | Editor used for Blu Star front-end and API development | code.visualstudio.com | License |
| SQL Server Management Studio 22 | Database management and query tooling for Blu Star | learn.microsoft.com | License |
| C# | Programming language used across the Blu Star API and services | learn.microsoft.com | N/A |
| React | UI library the modern Blu Star interface is built in | react.dev | License |
| Mantine | React component library used for the Blu Star interface | mantine.dev | License |
| Telerik | UI framework used in the classic Blu Star interface | telerik.com | License |
| JavaScript | Open-source programming language used in development of Blu Star | javascript.com | N/A |
| Visual Basic | Programming language used in the classic Blu Star interface | N/A | N/A |
| Microsoft Azure | Cloud hosting service used in Blu Star | azure.microsoft.com | License |