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The 2026 PMP Hall of Fame dinner and induction ceremony took place Oct. 19 at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas. This year’s inductees are Mark Boyd, founder of Control Solutions Inc.; Bobby, Raleigh and Dennis Jenkins of ABC Home & Commercial Services; Frank Meek of Rollins; and the late Gene White of Rentokil. Visit the PMP Hall of Fame website.
For the first time in its 30-year history, Pest Management Professional (PMP) inducted three children of a Hall of Famer.
Brothers Bobby, Raleigh and Dennis Jenkins join their father, PMP Hall of Famer Bob Jenkins Sr. (Class of 2005), in PMP’s Hall of Fame Class of 2026. Although he passed away in 1997, Bob’s entrepreneurial spirit, industry involvement and generosity live on in the pest control industry through his sons.
All three brothers credit their father and mother, Sandy, for setting an example that practically guaranteed they would one day join PMP’s elite group of 113 innovators, pioneers, educators and advocates. Anyone who has met the “Jenkins brothers” knows their business style merits recognition.
“My mom and dad taught my brothers and me, mostly by the way they lived and worked, that business was about much more than making a living,” Raleigh says. “It was about how you treated people, the opportunities you created for others, and the responsibility you had to give back.”
Family matters
The Jenkins family entered the pest control industry when Bob purchased ABC Pest Control in San Antonio, Texas, in 1965. Before long, the company became a multi-franchise regional powerhouse and in 1987, he sold it to Waste Management. Looking ahead to a time when his sons would want to run their own pest control companies one day, he retained the ABC Pest Control franchise rights in Austin, Houston and Dallas.
Bob’s involvement in the industry grew right along with the company. He served as president of the Texas Pest Control Association in 1980, and then president of the National Pest Control Association (later renamed the National Pest Management Association, or NPMA) in 1987. It’s no surprise all three of his sons are heavily involved in the NPMA and also served as president: Bobby in 2002, Raleigh in 2009 and Dennis in 2018.
For the brothers, pest control always was a family affair. As youngsters, they pitched in, first assisting technicians, then keeping the office and warehouse clean, and later taking on routes while in high school and college. Bob and Sandy openly shared what was happening with the business, usually around the dinner table. Because Bobby, Raleigh and Dennis always knew what was going on with ABC Pest Control, they felt they were part of the company.
All three attended Texas A&M University and met their wives there, just like their father. In the early 1980s, the three married within eight months of each other: Raleigh wed Kim on Dec. 30, 1982; Bobby wed Jan on May 14, 1983; and Dennis wed Jennifer on Aug. 19, 1983.
By the end of decade, they had their own pest control companies: Bobby’s is in Austin, Raleigh’s is in Houston, and Dennis’ is in Dallas-Fort Worth. Each company offers customers a variety of residential and commercial services, and collectively employ more than 2,000 people. The three companies share the ABC Home & Commercial Services name, but that’s all; the brothers do not share ownership in one another’s companies.
Like their father, Bobby, Raleigh and Dennis maintain a balance of work, family and community. They learned from Bob’s example, yet they walked their own paths to success.
Bobby
Bobby was 8 years old when his father bought ABC Pest Control. As Bob and Sandy’s oldest son, his earliest job at the company involved organizing and cleaning the shed where chemicals were stored. Other than a stint as a camp counselor one summer, ABC is the only place Bobby has ever worked.
Before graduating from college in 1981, his parents encouraged him to take a job in the oil industry, which was booming at the time. But when ABC Pest Control’s El Paso office was down a manager, Bobby headed there instead and never looked back.
“My career has pretty much turned out as I had hoped,” Bobby says. “I always knew I wanted to come into the family business and follow in my dad’s footsteps. I learned what a successful pest management company looked like getting to work at our home office growing up in San Antonio.”
In 1983, he took the helm at ABC Home & Commercial Services in Austin, where he says he worked hard to continue following the family formula.
“I never really set a long-term goal of what size I wanted the company to grow to, but I definitely had a goal of constant growth and improvement,” Bobby says. “I also felt it was important to get involved in the NPMA to help support our industry and be part of its growth and long-term success.”
Giving back has been a hallmark of Bobby’s career. “I’m very proud of the positive impact ABC has made in the communities we serve,” he says. “Our team has always been willing to serve not just our customers, but also those who live in our community.”
Bobby always hoped the business would stay in the family. “I truly wanted ABC to be a legacy, multi-generational family business,” he shares. Fortunately, the plan is for his son Bo to eventually transition into the role of CEO while Bobby takes on a new role at the company.
“I hope to be involved and supportive of the next generation as we continue to build the business for many generations to come,” Bobby says. “I consider myself to be extremely blessed with how my career has turned out so far. We have a unique business model and a team of incredible people that I get to work with.”
Raleigh
Middle son Raleigh initially had plans for a career outside the pest control industry. But at the age of 25, he and his wife, Kim, realized joining the family business was an incredible opportunity they could not pass up. “Not only for us, but for the family we hoped to build together,” Raleigh adds.
In 1986, they launched their Houston pest control business from their apartment. “We certainly didn’t know then where the journey would take us,” Raleigh recalls. “What we did know was that we wanted to build something that mattered, something that would provide for our family, create opportunities for others, and allow us to serve our community and our industry.”
Raleigh and Kim’s three children and their spouses all work for the company in different capacities, and the couple recently decided it was time to take a step back. ABC Home & Commercial Services has a new structure with a board of directors. Raleigh now serves as chairman since transitioning his responsibilities to the next generation.
“I have come to think of life as a relay race. My mom and dad set the pace and then handed us the baton. Kim and I took it and ran our leg the very best we knew how,” he says. “Now, we have handed that baton to our children and the next generation.”
Their role with the company is different now, but there is still plenty of race left to run. “We get to encourage them, share what we learned — including a few things we might have done differently — and then give them the freedom to run their own race and make their own mark,” Raleigh says. “What Kim and I are learning, though, is that passing the baton doesn’t mean we are finished. It just means our role has changed.”
Dennis
Youngest son Dennis worked with his father at ABC Pest Control’s San Antonio office. When Bob sold the company to Waste Management, Dennis was named ABC’s Texas director of training and quality control. A year later, the corporation purchased Simmons Pest Control in Nashville, Tenn., and wanted Dennis to run it. Relocating with his wife, Jennifer, and their three-week-old daughter, Marsha, he stayed one year before realizing he wanted to head to Dallas to start his own ABC Pest Control.
In 1989, Dennis and Jennifer started ABC Home & Commercial Services, Dallas/Fort Worth and never looked back.
“Building a business in our industry is like no other,” Dennis says. “I have loved every day and every minute, even through the trials and tribulations, which have been numerous.”
When the time comes for Dennis and Jennifer to retire, their son Russell and his wife, Mary Margaret, who are very involved with the business, will take over.
“What I envisioned for my career has come to pass,” Dennis says. “I wanted to build a career and a life that had impact, and I feel that together with our family and our co-workers we have done that.”
Dennis points out that a career in the pest control industry is worthwhile, especially if you get involved. “Your ‘competitors’ can be colleagues and friends. Learning from those who came before you and sharing what you know with the next person is part of the magic of our industry.”
The success of ABC Home & Commercial Services is proof that a father and mother’s lessons last a lifetime.
Sofranec can be reached at dsofranec@northcoastmedia.net or 216-706-3793.
