Prescription Pyro Sparks Second Company Whose Mission is Wildfire Prevention
- published: 2024/05/16
- contact: NBDC Communications - Nebraska Business Development Center
- phone: 402.554.6256
- email: kjefferson@unomaha.edu
Broken Bow, Nebraska – This story originally appeared in the Nebraska Business Development Center 2023 Annual Report.
The proven need for wildfire suppression and prevention services offered by Prescription Pyro, LLC, is prompting founder and owner Bob Harrold of Broken Bow to launch a second company dedicated to prevention through the removal of woody encroachment.
Harrold’s success with Prescription Pyro and the mission of his new company, Prairie Fire Forestry, LLC have earned him the honor of being named Government Contractor of the Year for 2023 by the Nebraska Business Development Center.
“Bob’s story is one of heartache, hard work, and as he puts it, ‘trying to get better every day,’” says Chuck Beck, consultant with the Nebraska APEX Accelerator program of the NBDC. “Bob has, in a very real way, been tempered by fire – it has strengthened who he is as a person and as a business owner.”
Bob has, in a very real way, been tempered by fire – it has strengthened who he is as a person and as a business owner.
Harrold says woody encroachment, in particular the spread of the eastern red cedar, is threatening vital grasslands in Nebraska and throughout the Great Plains, extending from Texas to Montana. “We’re losing billions of dollars through woody encroachment, and people are finally coming to realize the impact,” he says.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Sandhills of Nebraska is the most intact prairie region in the world but is facing widespread losses from woody encroachment. “As valued grazing lands, these working grasslands are the backbone of the U.S. beef industry, but more than 419,000 tons of range production was lost in Nebraska to woody encroachment in 2019,” the USDA reports. “Nearly 8 million acres of Nebraska’s most intact grasslands are estimated to be at risk from woody encroachment.”
“APEX Accelerator consultants are trained and certified professionals who live and breathe government contracting every day,” Doga says. “They can assist a business with questions in any stage of the government contracting process, starting with ‘who buys what we sell?’ and ending with ‘how can we stay compliant with our contract clauses?’ The best part is that our services are free to Nebraska businesses.”
Harrold’s story is truly one of recovery that dates back to his youth and a tragic vehicle accident on May 11, 1994. His best friend was the driver and was not wearing a seat belt. He was thrown from the vehicle and died at age 20. Harrold was wearing a seat belt.
For Harrold, the event was his “rock bottom.” Supported by family and friends, he says he checked into an addiction treatment and recovery center four days after the accident and has been sober ever since. He was told “to find a way to give back to the community.” That advice has guided Harrold through nearly three decades of sobriety and a life where he gives back to the community and encourages others through training and business mentorship.
In January 1997, Harrold joined the volunteer fire department because his father had friends who were volunteer firefighters – and that decision also influenced his career path. He earned his GED and was working seven days a week at up to three different jobs, while also volunteering with area youth sports programs.
In 2010, Harrold purchased a used pickup truck and started to build the company that would evolve into Prescription Pyro. His initial services included custom burn and cedar tree removal for private landowners, and some contracting for the state of Nebraska. Prescription Pyro grew from a sole proprietorship with that one used truck to a successful federal contracting service with two wildland brush trucks and a team of seasonal employees.
Since late 2021, Harrold has worked with Beck and the NBDC as he continues to pursue and secure U.S. Forest Service and other federal, state, and local contracts.
Doga says creating lasting relationships with clients is not unusual for APEX Accelerator consultants. “We can be as involved as the business needs us to be,” she says. “In our experience, businesses that involve us more in their government contracting journey, attend our training, and participate in the Meet the Buyers government contracting conference, are well prepared and conditioned to understand what it takes to tackle government contracting the right way.”
Harrold says recognition as Government Contractor of the Year is an honor he shares with his team. “I couldn’t do all this by myself,” he says. “Broken Bow is an amazing place; especially the people and the work ethic here. I am very thankful for this community, and thankful for my parents and employees, past and present. Without the best employees, I could not have built a great company.”
He adds that through his faith, “I’ve always believed that there’s a purpose for everyone and everything. Now I’m starting to realize my purpose.”