Top 100 News & Notes

Who’s Off the List?

Virtual M&A Conference in August

On Aug. 19, PCT will host its annual Mergers & Acquisitions Virtual Conference. To learn more about the event, visit http://manda.pctonline.com. Cost is $99 for the half-day program, which includes the following speakers:

• “Valuation and M&A in a Post-Coronavirus World” will be presented by Paul Giannamore, managing director, The Potomac Company
• “Profitability & Profitability Ratios: A Key Indicator of Your Company’s Managerial Efficiency” will be presented by Dan Gordon, owner and CPA, PCO M&A Specialists, a Division of PCO Bookkeepers.
• “Wealth Management” will be presented by Kemp Anderson, owner and president, Kemp Anderson Consulting; and Tony Anderson, managing partner/CEO, ARS Wealth Advisors.

Environmental Pest Service Acquires Knight Pest Control

Arrow Environmental Services, a subsidiary of Environmental Pest Service (EPS), acquired New Port Richey, Fla-based Knight Pest Control. The acquisition expands Arrow’s presence into the West Central Coast of Florida, and adds $2.5 million in annual pest, termite and lawn service revenues. This marks EPS’s 95^th acquisition since 2010. The company ranks #15 on the PCT Top 100.

For more than a decade, Knight Pest Control offered residential and commercial pest control services to their clients in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco and Hernando counties in Florida. Twenty employees, including sales representatives, service technicians and administrative staff, have joined the Arrow Environmental Services team.

“Arrow is proud to welcome Knight Pest Control to our growing team,” said David Joles, regional vice president of Arrow Environmental Services. “We are excited to work with their team and look forward to providing the same level of high-quality service their customers have come to expect.”

“Entering into this partnership with Arrow Environmental Services and EPS is a great thing for our customers and employees,” said Billy Knight, owner. “Because of their commitment to providing world-class service, I know they are, without question, the ideal company to partner with,” said Knight.

“Randy Stout and Billy Knight have built a great pest control company with a stellar reputation,” said Michael Rolman, senior vice president of sales and operations for Environmental Pest Service. “Partnering with Knight Pest Control allows us to continue expanding Arrow Environmental Services’ footprint and build density in the markets that we already serve throughout west and central Florida.”

Ardent Pest Control Helps Local Homeless Communities

As a company that has experienced its share of recent success, Utah-based Ardent Pest Control (#94) is keenly aware of its good fortune and has made it a point to “pay things forward.”

“One of our company core values is: Be Grateful. With this in mind, we wanted to find a way to give back to the communities who have trusted us with their business,” said Oceane Olsen, charity project supervisor, Ardent Pest Control.

Olsen headed up a recent charitable project to serve the homeless communities in Ardent Pest Control’s service areas. After reaching out to homeless shelters, Ardent learned that shelters throughout the country were in need of shoes for their patrons. This led to the company creating “Ardent Gives Back,” a two-part program in which: (1) Ardent Pest Control donates new and gently used shoes to the less fortunate; and (2) each time Ardent customers receive service, they are invited to participate too.

“We invite our customers to donate and our employees can opt to donate part of their commission to the cause as well,” said Olsen. “Ardent, in turn, rewards employee success with monetary donations to our shelters and will occasionally match employee and/or customer donations as part of special events.”

As Ardent has grown (it added three locations in 2019), so has the scope of the project; the company has partnered with at least one shelter in each of its franchise areas. “Each time we open a new branch, we ensure that we have contact with donation sites that serve the homeless population,” said Olsen. “In addition to collecting donations, our sales teams and technicians participate in a large service project each summer.”

These projects can include cleaning a shelter, helping in soup kitchens, etc. Also, at each of the shelters Ardent has partnered with, they have created Amazon wish lists so Ardent employees and customers can make donations even if they don’t have shoes to donate in their homes.

Olsen said these outreach efforts are ongoing. “‘Giving back’” is part of who we are,” Olsen said. “We encourage everyone at Ardent to work hard and when we achieve our goals, we make it a priority to show gratitude by giving to those who are facing tougher times.” — Brad Harbison

PCT Top 100 Awards Ceremony Postponed

In the effort to protect the health and safety of attendees and staff, PCT postponed its Top 100 Awards Ceremony and Executive Summit, which was previously scheduled for June 10-11, 2020.

PCT, along with the two sponsors of the event, Veseris and Syngenta, made this decision in light of the continued spread of COVID-19. The staffs are looking at alternative dates for the event in the summer of 2021. During this turbulent and uncertain period, PCT, Veseris and Syngenta ask for PMPs’ patience and understanding as they work to coordinate this event. PCT Top 100 firms will be kept in the loop as new details and dates become available.

Rentokil Acquires Access Exterminating Service

Rentokil (#3) strengthened its presence in Southern California with the acquisition of Access Exterminating Service. The deal closed on March 3.

Access Exterminating Service was founded by Russ Stribling, whose first experience in pest control was at age 11 when his friend’s dad would pay him to crawl under houses to remove all the wood debris before a termite service. At age 16, after obtaining his driver’s license, Stribling got a job assisting on a pest control contract for local shopping malls.

In 1998, Stribling and his wife Vicki started Access Exterminator Service. In 2002, Access hired Roger Sonnenfeld to oversee the company’s termite service.

Access Exterminating Service was represented by Kemp Anderson Consulting. “It has been an honor to represent Russ, Roger and Access. The company has an amazing culture with a focus on people and integrity,” Anderson said. Rentokil was great to work with as a buyer and they acquired a great company.”

Versacor Named a Best Company to Work for in Texas

Versacor Managed Pest Solutions (#61) was named a Best Company to Work for in Texas for the third year in a row. “We strive each day to maintain a company culture of involvement, opportunity and recognition. Additionally, our associates are passionate about what they do and are fully committed to our clients. This level of commitment is what makes Versacor succeed and excel in our industry,” President Jason Eicher said. The award recognizes the best places of employment in Texas. Versacor is based in Southlake, Texas.