Life is filled with chances. Sometimes, you are just a few decisions away from turning your life around. A different perspective is just what you need to uncover what lies ahead on the other side. In this blog, we are telling a story of hard work, resilience, and passion.
At just 23 years old, Kody Zwilling has already made a significant milestone in his career as a Wildlife Technician at Abra Kadabra Environmental Services.
In less than a year, he’s carved out a reputation for his dedication, adaptability, and infectious enthusiasm for his work. However, Kody’s journey to this point hasn’t been easy, and it’s a testament to the resilience and power of second chances.
Opening a Door For New Perspectives
At some point in our lives, we experience feeling like we’re lost and losing touch with what we want out of our lives. No matter how much we try, we keep facing repetitive challenges, lack faith, and go on a darker path. But on the darkest nights, the stars burn bright. It might look so far, but following that star takes you to the light of day. Seeing someone opening their arms in your state of loss is the most relieving experience for anyone struggling with life’s challenges. In fact, Kody was on a dark path once in his life, and he was able to hold the helping hand that pulled him out of the darkness.
“Before I came to Abra Kadabra, my life was a mess,” Kody admits. “I used to have substance issues. I was broke, living in a crappy apartment with nothing to my name.” After being laid off from his previous job, Kody was referred to Abra Kadabra by his former employer, who was part of a business networking group with Matt (The CEO) and Phil (Operations Manager).
Kody vividly remembers his interview with Matt and Phil. “I told them, ‘My life is so crappy right now, but I’ll do whatever it takes. I’ll work day in and day out.’ And Phil gave me that opportunity,” he recalls. That opportunity turned out to be life-changing. “I’m sober now, I have healthy friends from work, and I can go to my boss anytime. They’re like friends who genuinely care about me.”
From then on, Kody grew to become one of our Abra Kadabra’s valued employees, and he has been really expressive about how much he thanks the whole team for giving him a chance to take back his life again. Last Jan 27, 2025, Kody celebrated his first year as a Wildlife Technician. He said that this date is significant because it was the time when his life had totally changed. Right now, Kody continues to climb up the corporate ladder and trains interns like him who want personal and professional growth. He’s young and fueled with passion. That’s what makes him more likely to succeed in his chosen career.
Kody’s Take On The Abra Kadabra Culture
For someone so young and with little experience in the field, Kody was hired for the job because he demonstrated how willing he is to learn about something new, even if it’s outside of his former career. In Abra Kadabra, everyone is welcome to join, and there is no discrimination of age, race, or even experience. The moment you’re hired by the company, you are welcomed warmly by your different colleagues who are ready to impart their knowledge and skills.
Kody expressed how much he loves being with the company. “This is my favorite job I’ve ever had,” he says. “Everybody here is so nice. There’s no yelling, no arguments, no bad blood. We’re all here to help people with their wildlife problems, and we have a great time doing it.”
By having a drama-free workplace, everybody gets to become real with everyone. There’s no version of yourself inside of work and outside of work. Everybody gets to be authentic, and the younger employees can even talk freely to their seniors for professional advice. And whenever you’re doing good at your job, there is no day that your colleagues will not praise you for the good job that you did.
“They’re great at recognizing good work,” he says. “You won’t walk out the door without getting a compliment. If you go above and beyond, they notice and show their appreciation.”
This supportive environment has had a profound impact on Kody. “For a long time, I hated myself,” he admits. “But coming to work every day and hearing ‘You’re doing a great job’ or ‘You’re a good guy’ made me start believing it. It made me want better for myself.”
Kody is a byproduct of healthy workplace culture, indeed.
Everybody at Abra Kadabra gets to express themselves and even better it in the long run. Each employee has their own designated task, and it’s designed for productivity, balance, and efficiency. Wildlife Technicians have their typical day, too. Now, let’s take a glimpse at what happens when they clock in.
A Day in the Life of a Wildlife Technician
A typical day for Kody starts early. “I usually head to the shop to get materials and prepare for the day. By 8 or 8:30, I’m on my first job,” he explains. The work varies daily, which is one of the reasons Kody enjoys it so much. “I do live removals, preventative work, and work on new and old houses. Every day is different, and I love that.”
Even on slow to normal days, The work isn’t without its challenges. “Wild animals don’t always behave the way you think they will,” Kody notes. “For example, trapping a stubborn squirrel that won’t leave a house can take days and multiple tries. But figuring it out is part of the job, and it keeps things interesting.”
No squirrel or any vicious rodent can stop Kody and all our Wildlife Technicians from doing the best that they can to prevent these pests from invading someone’s home and intervening with their peace of mind. What Kody has shared is one testament that everybody on his team is doing the same thing with their own personalized techniques. At the end of the day, everyone in the team aims to make every customer happy and get what they paid for the service.
Kody’s Involvement in Abra Kadabra’s Internship Program
Before Kody became an official Wildlife Technician, he underwent months of intensive training with some of Abra Kadabra’s tenured technicians. In that journey, Kody was able to learn the ropes by being exposed to actual jobs with his senior. In the next few months, Kody was able to master the requirements to become a regular Wildlife Technician and started to do jobs by himself in the locations assigned to him.
For Kody, the Internship Program was his stepping stone to actually have a permananed position in the company. He worked too hard and proven that he is deserving of a regular job.
“It’s a great program,” he says. “It gives young men and women the opportunity to learn a one-of-a-kind trade. I didn’t even know this kind of work existed before I joined.”
Kody now serves as a mentor for new apprentices. “I guide them to that next step,” he says. “It’s awesome to see them grow and learn. We recently hired two younger guys, and it’s exciting to be part of their journey.”
The path to becoming a full-time tech is gradual but rewarding. “From day one, you start with safety tests and paperwork,” Kody explains. “Then you work with Josh, our head tech, for a few months before partnering with a full-time tech. Slowly, you take on bigger responsibilities until you’re ready to run your own schedule. It took me five to six months to get my own truck, but I wanted to be 100% ready.”
One memorable experience that Kody had during his days as an intern was with the head tech, Josh Boyda. It was during his first month in the company as an intern and during that day, he was doing live removals with Josh. On those live removals, the Wildlife Technicians are assigned to successfully eliminate an animal inside someone’s house, whether it is a squirrel, raccoon, or a bat. They call Abra Kadabra, and the Wildlife Technicians come out there to extract the animals with their hands.
Kody shared that it was the first live removal he’s ever done. “We go into this person, we get up to this person’s house, and they’re like, “Yeah, the squirrel, he’s in our garage.”
“So we get in the garage, and we close the garage door, and we’re sitting in this garage and we see this squirrel just up on this carpet. And basically Josh just tells me we got to just chase this guy around and grab him when you can.”
During that time, Kody didn’t have his bite glove to protect him from the animal. It was a crazy chase for him and Josh to capture the squirrel where it’s ducking up and down the cars in the garage.
Kody said, “The squirrel jumps up on top of the car, and he’s sitting there. Josh and I are just standing there, waiting for him to make his next move. And the squirrel jumps at my face and Josh yells, “Don’t grab it.” Because I didn’t have any bite gloves on me, he would have bit m,e and I would have bled everywhere. and my reaction, I punched the squirrel in the face and then it fell on the ground, and Josh got it.”
In the end, of course, the squirrel got caught, and Kody recalls this experience as one of the funniest memories he’s ever had on the job.
Kody Outside of Work and Future Plans
Being an outdoorsman is a common denominator amongst the Abra Kadabra team members. Of course, it’s the job wherein most of them do their tasks outside the confines of an office. That’s why Kody thinks that his love for the outdoors perfectly aligns with his job.
“Being outside is one of my favorite parts of this work,” he says. “I love being on rooftops in places like Taylor’s Falls, surrounded by colorful fall leaves and crisp air. It’s an amazing feeling.” Kody shared one of his favorite parts of the job wherein he gets to work on the rural side, getting him exposed to homes or cabins up in the woods. He recalls these experiences as the best part of the job because he gets to do what he is passionate about, and at the same time, he gets to reconnect with nature.
Outside of work, Kody enjoys activities like rock climbing, foraging for mushrooms, and fishing. “I’m not someone who likes being cooped up inside,” he says. “I’m very extroverted and love spending time in nature.”
For anyone in the team, having a 5-year vision is somehow a way to become more driven and have more purpose in showing up every day to work. For Kody, planting an ambition in his head fuels him to do his best every day. “I’ve talked to Matt about opening a franchise in another state,” he reveals. “That’s the goal. I want to stay with this company and eventually run my own shop. It’s the dream.”
In Conclusion
Kody’s story is one of transformation, fueled by hard work, a supportive team, and a love for what he does. “This job changed my life,” he says. “I’ve gone from having nothing to having everything I need to succeed. And I’m just getting started.”
As Kody continues to grow in his role, it’s clear that he’s not just a Wildlife Technician—he’s a passionate advocate for the outdoors, a mentor to his peers, and a shining example of what’s possible when you’re given a chance to thrive.
This article is the eighth part of our employee spotlight series, where we get candid with Abra Kadabra’s personalities and uncover their stories. Stay tuned for more.
If you have any pest and wildlife-related concerns, feel free to call us at 763 – 363 – 4375 or schedule an appointment.
Be just like Kody and become part of Abra Kadabra’s summer internship program. We have a few openings, and everyone is open to apply. Learn more.
