Certus acquires first company in Georgia

From left are Mike Givlin with Certus Pest, Jimmy Arnold with Peachtree and Rand Hollon with Preferred Business Brokers. PHOTO: GEORGE TODD

Guilford, Conn.-based Certus Pest has purchased Brunswick, Ga.-based Peachtree Pest Control. Terms were not disclosed. With this acquisition, Certus has entered the Georgia market.

Rand Hollon at Preferred Business Brokers acted as exclusive financial advisor for Peachtree.

Peachtree Pest Control has branch offices in Brunswick, Savannah and Warner Robins, Ga., as well as in Orlando, Jacksonville, Ormond Beach, Daytona Beach and St. Augustine, Fla. It was founded in 1976 by Steve Arnold, the uncle of the firm’s current president, Jimmy Arnold, who opened the Brunswick branch with his wife Tammy in 1995.

“As the pest control industry grows, innovates and changes, you have to do the same. At Peachtree Pest Control, we consistently look to do that every day,” Jimmy said. “Partnering with Certus was that next step for realizing opportunities and growth for our team and our company. Their ‘People First’ mentality is what really connected with me. The most important asset we have is our people. It’s such a great opportunity to continue to grow our team, and do something different in the pest control industry.”

“Jimmy has built a fantastic company,” said Mike Givlin, CEO and co-founder of Certus. “He has been able to achieve tremendous organic growth, provide world-class service to his customers, and create a great work environment for his people. I am very excited about working with Jimmy over the coming years as he continues his career here at Certus.”

Gilvin added, “This partnership highlights our desire to keep pest control local, as Jimmy Arnold and Peachtree Pest Control have been ingrained in the local community for over 20 years. Peachtree has a great reputation in their service area and we welcome them into the Certus family.”

In 2020, Certus completed its first acquisition in Florida with Hoskins Pest Control, its first acquisition in Arizona with Responsible Pest & Scorpion Control, and its first acquisition in California with Rodent Pest Technologies.

The company also purchased Portland, Ore.-based Pioneer Pest Management; Cape Coral, Fla.-based Strategic Pest Control of Southwest Florida; Seattle, Wash.-based Dominion Pest Control; Meridian, Idaho-based Perx Pest Control; Beaverton, Ore.-based Halt Pest Control; Puyallup, Wash.-based Whitworth Pest Solutions; and most recently Miami, Fla.-based Santiano Brothers.

Certus now operates in California, Georgia, Washington, Oregon, Florida, Idaho and Arizona. The company expects to continue to grow in its existing markets and enter new markets into 2021.

Certus entered the pest control market in 2019 in the Pacific Northwest with its first two acquisitions: Mathis Exterminating, Puget Sound, Wash., and Eco Elite Pest Control, Seattle, Wash.