After working together for years at Rockford Pest Control, Mark and Tim decided it was time to part ways. Tim asked his brother Mark to buy out his 20% share in the family business, which was left to the brothers when their father died.

After bickering with Mark over valuation for months, Tim decided it was time to get help. Tim’s first stop was the family accountant, who provided the brothers some rules of thumb for valuing the business. The accountant said that he was not qualified to appraise the business for a buy-out and that the brothers should seek the advice of an expert. Without further guidance from the accountant, Tim decided to call one of the business brokers who advertises in the classified section of a pest control industry magazine and commissioned an appraisal. (more…)

ATLANTA (December 1, 2010) – Atlanta-based Arrow Exterminators is pleased to announce the acquisition of Nader’s Pest Raiders of Ponte Vedra Beach and Fernandina Beach, Florida. The announcement was made by Emily Thomas Kendrick, Arrow Exterminators Chief Executive Officer and President. Nader’s Pest Raiders is a Top 100 company specializing in residential pest, termite and lawn care services. Nader’s Pest Raiders services Northeast Florida including Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra, St. Augustine and the Fernandina area as well as the Coastal Georgia area. (more…)

Orkin acquired TruTech, Inc. from Stan Olstein and Lenny Beck. Incorporated in 1984 and established as a pest control company in the early 1990s, Trutech today has over one hundred employees and a presence in seven states and continues to grow and seek new markets. Each of the locations is essentially managed and serviced out of the corporate headquarters in Marietta, Georgia. (more…)

Is Your Business Creating Wealth?
Is your business creating wealth or just providing you a paycheck? As a business owner, you have a duty to view the ownership of your company in the same way that you would view the ownership of any other income-producing asset, such as a stock, bond, or investment property. That is, your business must provide you an appropriate return on invested capital. If it is not providing you with a return, such as annual dividends or capital appreciation, you must determine why, otherwise you are squandering valuable time and resources and not building wealth. (more…)

Last year was a tough year all around, both in terms of business in general as well as M&A activity. However, as of the end of February, US M&A activity is up 46% from the same period last year, and was at the highest monthly level since July 2008. In this article, I take out my crystal ball and make some predictions for the rest of 2010 and beyond by examining some key themes and trends emerging that will impact the pest control M&A market, which include: (more…)