Washington Business Fall 2019 | Washington Business | Page 46

business backgrounder | industry
“He liked it a lot and we thought, ‘Maybe we
should have them on the other trucks.’”
— Larry Treleven
history of washington license plates
1905 The Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) was created by the
Legislature and put under the direction of the Secretary of
State. The Secretary of State personally signed all licenses.
1915
The Legislature changed the license laws, requiring applications
to be filed with a county auditor.
1958 License plates with a combination of three letters and three
numbers are issued.
1965 The Department of Motor Vehicles is created.
1973 Voters approve a referendum allowing personalized plates.
1975 Personalized plates are made available to the public.
1977 The Department of Motor Vehicles is changed to the
Department of Licensing.
2009 The passenger plate series 123ABC is exhausted. The
Department of Licensing begins issuing plates with the
format ABC1234.
Source: Washington State Department of Licensing
46 association of washington business
So, Larry got busy crafting more bug- and pest-related
plates for the company’s fleet of pickups, which was a
small fraction of what it is today.
At first, it was just Larry supplying the creativity for the
plates, which needed to contain 2-7 numbers or letters. As
the company grew, and the number of trucks grew with it,
more employees got to try their hand at writing bug- or
pest-themed plates.
To d a y, S p ra g u e Pe s t S o l u t i o n s h a s n e a r l y 1 8 0
personalized license plates on vehicles in six states and the
unique plates have become a hallmark for the company.
Ross Treleven, vice president of operations and a
member of the fourth-generation leadership at the
company, said the unique plates aren’t just for fun. They
help distinguish Sprague from competitors, and they help
establish the culture of the organization.
“When we go into a new state, it’s a really fun way we
create culture from the very beginning,” he said.
Most of the custom plates fall into one of several
c a t e g o r i e s. T h e re a re ro d e n t- t h e m e d p l a t e s l i ke
MOUSHNT, RATZILA and RATPAC.
There are bug and insect-themed plates like FLYS4U,
BUGDR, N0WASP, CYABUG and BUGPTRL.
Some send a message: BUGATAK, ITRAPEM and
GDBYBUG.
Others manage to tell a story in the space of seven
letters: IDBUG4U, IGETM4U and I8ABUG.
And some reveal something about the driver of the
vehicle: ZAGBUGS (on a vehicle driven by a Gonzaga
grad), BUGJEDI (a Star Wars enthusiast, presumably)
ADAMANT (either an employee named Adam or a fan of
the singer), and BUGBOSS (on the truck driven by CEO
Alfie Treleven).
“When we go into a new state, it’s a
really fun way we create culture from
the very beginning.”
— Ross Treleven
No matter what it says, each plate contributes to
the overall messaging of the company. Bob Treleven,
the original BUGMAN, was a Coast Guard pilot and
he impressed upon on his sons, Alfie and Larry, the
importance of being meticulous.
“Everything had to look good,” Larry Treleven said.
That explains why Sprague’s fleet of white Ford
pickups, with blue and red logo treatment, are almost
always spotless.
And it explains why, if you must get stuck in traffic, it’s
best to get stuck behind a Sprague pickup.