IN MEMORIAM: Joe Hughes Sr.

Joe H. Hughes, Sr.

Joe H. Hughes, Sr., a lifelong member of the pest control industry, passed away on Jan. 28 at the age of 83 after a prolonged illness. He was a pest company owner; a supporter of the pest industry; an inventor; a manufacturer; and a manufacturer’s representative.

Hughes started his career in the pest industry with Orkin Exterminating back in the 1960s. He started in sales and worked his way up to a branch manager. In 1971, he started his own company, Action Exterminators in Jacksonville, Fla., and built it into a successful company before selling to Terminix in 1995.

Over the years, Hughes served many leadership roles within the Florida Pest Management Association. He was the co-inventor of the Actisol Machine, which he and his partner later sold to Velsicol Chemical Co. He started working with Velsicol to promote the Actisol Machine across the United States and the Caribbean.

Through the years and many acquisitions later, he ended up working with BASF and was responsible for introducing Termidor to the Florida market. He retired from BASF in May 2009 but was not yet finished with his career. Hughes started another pest control company, Eco-Logic Pest Solutions, in 2015 and later sold that company to McCall Service, a Rollins brand.

To finalize his career, he worked with his son, Chip Hughes, to help roll out and promote LabelSDS.com. Hughes was committed to the pest control industry and especially enjoyed the lifelong friendships that were created along the way. He will be missed by all that knew him.

The staff of Pest Management Professional magazine sends its condolences to Hughes’ family, friends and colleagues.