Certus expands to Arizona via acquisition

LOGO: CERTUS

Guilford, Conn.-based Certus Pest Control has expanded into the Grand Canyon State with its acquisition of Responsible Pest & Scorpion Control, Chandler, Ariz. Terms were not disclosed; Responsible was represented by The Potomac Co., based in San Juan, P.R.

Founded in 1991, Responsible Pest & Scorpion is one of the oldest and fastest-growing pest control companies covering both the Phoenix and Tucson, Ariz., metro areas. it was purchased by Darin and David Huffaker in 2007. The Huffakers are retiring from the business. The company’s 40 employees will all be staying on with Certus.

From 2011 to 2019, the company’s compound annual growth rate (CAGR) was more than 20 percent, according to The Potomac Co.

“Darin and David Huffaker have built a great company and were wonderful to work with,” Paul Giannamore, managing director at Potomac, noted in a news release. “We’re beginning to see a shift in the competitive nature of the sale process from East to West, and if this sell-side process is any indication, it means that West Coast firms will likely begin to see the same multiples that their East Coast brethren have seen for the last two years.”

Mike Givlin of Certus will be discussing this transaction and others on next week’s episode of The Boardroom Buzz, The Potomac Co.’s newly launched podcast. Learn more at TheBoardroomBuzz.com.

The acquisition follows just days after Certus announced its acquisition of Meridian, Idaho-based Perx Pest Control.

Certus now operates in California, Washington, Oregon, Florida, Idaho and Arizona. The company expects to continue to grow in its existing markets and enter new markets in 2020.

The company entered the Florida market at the beginning of 2020 with the acquisition of Hoskins Pest Control, which provides services to Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and Lee counties in southwest Florida. In April, Certus acquired Cape Coral, Fla.-based Strategic Pest Control of Southwest Florida.