Certus completed its first acquisition in Florida as the company continues its expansion across North America.
From left are George Todd, VP of corporate development for Certus; Rand Hollon of Preferred Business Brokers; Howard Hoskins, owner of Hoskins Pest Control; Mary Jo Strickland of Hoskins Pest Control; and Ben Kaplan, CFO of Certus. PHOTO: CERTUS
Certus acquired Hoskins Pest Control on Jan. 3, 2020. Hoskins has been providing pest control, termite control, and lawn and ornamental maintenance services to Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and Lee counties in southwest Florida since 1987. The company employs 26 people.
“When I decided to sell my company and retire, I wanted to find a buyer who would look after my employees and customers,” says Howard Hoskins, founder of Hoskins Pest Control.
Adds Hoskins’ partner Mary Jo Strickland, “Howard and I are active members of our community and wanted to make sure that after the sale when we run into former employees and customers, we could continue to be proud of the decision we made to sell to Certus.”
Certus entered the pest control market in 2019 with its first two acquisitions: Mathis Exterminating in Puget Sound, Wash., and Eco Elite Pest Control in Seattle, Wash.
With the acquisition of Hoskins Pest Control, the company now operates in Florida and Washington.
“Hoskins Pest Control was an excellent match for Certus,” says Mike Givlin, CEO and co-founder of Certus. “Howard and Mary Jo have a strong commitment to both their employees and their customers. Their business is an excellent fit for our ‘people first’ culture. We are looking forward to continuing to grow Hoskins across southwest Florida.”
Certus, which launched in 2019, is a pest control company focused on partnering with leading regional pest control owner-operators and providing them with the capital and expertise to accelerate their growth, provide further growth opportunities for their employees, maintain their brand, and become a regional leader within the Certus organization. The company’s goal is to build a Top 10 pest control company founded on the principals of putting people first, delivering on promises and creating lifetime clients.
About the Author
Ellen Kriz is the managing editor for PMP magazine. She can be reached at ekriz@northcoastmedia.net or 216-706-3764.
Good for the upgrade. Some pest control companies offer service contracts in which structures are routinely treated for a particular pest. Contracts may be necessary in some situations such as warehouses that receive crates often infested with cockroaches. In general, routine pesticide applications in and around your home are not good unless there is a constant infestation by a pest and non-chemical methods have failed to control the pest. Service contracts for the homeowner should include periodic inspections, but pesticides should not be applied unless the pests are actually present and cannot be controlled by other means.
Thanks for this post. Pest infestations are one of those things that can make life totally unbearable. The good thing is that there are professional pest control companies that are ready to deal with them once and for all. All that you need to is to make sure that you can find a perfect company. With so many pest control companies, identifying the right one might be a bit challenging. However, if you put the following factors into consideration, you will always make the right choice.