Pest control market insights, M&A trends and valuation benchmarks

The fastest-growing pest control companies are not just lucky. They pull a few specific levers, deliberately.

The number in your head and the number a buyer will pay are rarely the same. Here is what the market is actually paying.

Two pest control companies can post identical revenue, identical growth, even identical service mixes, and still sell for very different numbers.

Some companies begin with a business plan. PestGon began with a promise. Five buyers later, the bids were 50 percent apart.

The best exits start years before the sale. What to put in place, and when.

The pest control industry is evolving fast, and staying informed is one of the few advantages an owner can control.

Every pest control owner who reaches out arrives with a different question. Here is what the work looks like in practice.

What's happening in the market right now: the pest control industry enters the year with consolidation still running hot.

Much like HVAC businesses, pest control companies align nicely with investment strategies used by today's private equity firms.

PCOs are closely monitoring how tariffs might lead to higher costs of essential items like trucks, sprayers and products.

Over the past six months, the pest control industry has experienced significant M&A activity, reflecting strategic consolidations and heightened interest from private equity.

Fleet leasing can be a great idea or a poor idea, depending on several factors. PCOs need to consider the impact of vehicle leases on a potential sale.

Talented technicians are worth their weight in gold. The real cost of losing them goes far beyond recruiting and training.

It's impossible to check the news these days without seeing reports of rising inflation. Here is how to think about pricing through it.

When to tell employees you are selling, efficient routing for technicians, what vehicle leases mean in a sale, and why business fundamentals drive price and multiples.

In this podcast, sponsored by Kemp Anderson Consulting, Kemp shares observations about this year's Top 100 list and the evolving pest control industry.

Pest control remains an actively targeted industry. Financial investors and private equity firms continue to target regional platforms across the United States.

From the March/April 2024 edition of PestPro Magazine.

After the NPMA conference, private equity outreach to owners is at a level Kemp has never seen, while Orkin, Rentokil Terminix and Anticimex keep buying. Plus Grant Sinnott on managing fleet, labor and chemical costs when inflation and rates are high.

A PCT reader poll on why lawn care does not always fit alongside an existing pest control service mix.

What sustained inflation does to a route business, and where it shows up in the numbers a buyer will read.

How PE firms acquire, grow and sell businesses, market trends, negotiation strategies, and key questions for PCOs considering selling to a PE firm.

How PE firms acquire, grow and sell businesses, plus essential guidance for navigating the private equity landscape in pest control.

The honest answer to the first question every owner asks, and the drivers that decide where inside the range you land.

2022 is proving to be just as wild a ride as the previous two years. At the end of 2021, Rentokil and Terminix entered one of the richest purchase agreements our industry has seen.

Kemp Anderson is a veteran in the pest control industry. He started in operations at Sears Termite & Pest Control in 1994 and has been in the business ever since.

The past 24 months are shaping up to be some of the wildest in our industry's history.

COVID-19 remains a global health and economic crisis. What it did to deal activity in pest control.

From the Mergers & Acquisitions Supplement: what to put in order before you go to market.

Planning for what comes after the first shock, and keeping a service business steady through it.

The business decisions that matter most when the ground moves under a route business.

Crisis management for pest control operators, and the health of the business through it.

Dr. Faith Oi and Kemp Anderson introduce their 2020 series on leading a pest control company through the COVID-19 crisis, from the science to the economics.

The practical questions pest control owners asked most about operating as an essential service.

What the economics of a prolonged shutdown could mean for pest control operators.

We've seen some major industry acquisitions throughout 2018-2019, and the PCT Top 100 is starting to look a bit different than years past.

As a pest control business owner, you get one shot at this. Ten things to do before you go to market.

Dr. Faith Oi receives the Crown Leadership Award, sponsored by Syngenta.

Most successful entrepreneurs are self-driven, self-reliant and creative. That instinct costs money at the negotiating table.

An excerpt from “Level the Field!” by Kemp Anderson.

Most owners sell one business in their lifetime. But selling a business is very different from running one.

With 19,500 of the global pest control industry's 40,000 operators doing business in the United States, the map is changing.

For PCT's April 2007 cover story, we chose the headline 'The British Are Coming.' A decade on, the table has more seats.

Winter Park, Fla. — Veteran industry professional Kemp Anderson, president of Kemp Anderson Consulting, releases “Level the Field!”.

Everybody wants a healthy influx of business. When you're generating revenues hand over fist, it is easy to miss what is happening below the line.

How did this deal go down, and what's next for Scotts?

As president of Action Pest Control, Kevin Pass possessed all the traits of a great operator.

Kemp Anderson, acquisition manager for Rollins Inc., discusses several issues related to Rollins' approach to acquisitions.