Douglas Products Announces Leadership Transition

Published December 01, 2023 | Updated December 04, 2023

****article updated Dec. 1, at 4:15 p.m.****

NEW YORK and LIBERTY, Mo. - Douglas Products announced that pest control industry veteran Andrew Klein has been named as CEO, effective immediately. Klein replaces Wes Long, who led the company for 16 years. Douglas is a portfolio company of Brightstar Capital Partners, a middle market private equity firm.

"I am honored to have the opportunity to lead a dynamic and forward-thinking company like Douglas,” said Klein. “I am excited to work closely with our talented team to drive innovation, scale the company through both organic and inorganic growth, and continue Douglas’ tradition of service and stewardship in the pest control industry."

Klein served as president of Assured Environments for more than 20 years, a company that provides commercial pest control services to many of New York’s landmarks, and he steered Assured Environments’ successful sale to Terminix. He also served on the board of the National Pest Management Association. Klein earned a graduate degree from Columbia University and a bachelor of arts from Dartmouth College.

"We appreciate Wes’ leadership and are thrilled to welcome Andrew to the Douglas team,” said Bruce Roberson, president and chief operating officer of Brightstar, which recently completed its acquisition of Douglas. “Andrew’s impressive track record shows his ability to grow a business by providing differentiated value to customers and partners. His passion for the industry and strategic mindset aligns perfectly with our vision for the future.”

Andrew Klein

A New Chapter for Andrew Klein

How does Andrew Klein — who has spent his pest control career on the service side, first as owner of Assured Environments and later with Rentokil/Terminix — move to the supplier side, becoming CEO of Douglas Products and Packaging Company?

It all goes back to relationships. Early in his career, Klein was part of professional networking group Young Presidents' Organization (YPO), where he met Andrew Weinberg, now managing partner and CEO of Brightstar Capital Partners.

Weinberg reached out this past summer to Klein, who has been working for Rentokil Terminix in a consulting role the past year, when Brightstar Capital began exploring the possible acquisition of Douglas Products from private equity firm Altamont Capital Partners.

Klein primarily knew of Douglas Products through his time with Assured Environments, which used Douglas Products’ Vikane gas fumigant for bed bug control. The Brightstar Capital board of directors asked Klein and fellow consultant Steve Good to come up with a list of potential CEOs, and the board also asked Klein to “throw his hat into the ring.”

“I thought ‘Sure why not,’ but I had no expectations,” Klein said. “I had never worked on the supplier side, but what I am is passionate about this industry and I view this as an incredible opportunity to be challenged — to learn about the supply side of the industry and about fumigation — and to grow this business both in the U.S. and outside of the U.S.” While with Terminix, Klein was part of the Terminix strategy team that made acquisitions throughout Europe and China.

Klein said he believes Brightstar Capital pursued him because they were “seeking somebody with deep industry ties and experience in order to help them execute and accelerate their growth plans.”

The board also was confident that Douglas’ strong and experienced team could explain all the nuances of the supply side and, Klein said, Brightstar believes “that team will be able to school me relatively quickly.”

Klein said his immediate goals are to meet all Douglas employees, to understand the business inside and out, and to meet customers and understand their needs. Long-term, Klein said, “What we ultimately want to accomplish is an organic growth strategy, working with Heather Kern [North America commercial leader] in the U.S., and Janet Rowley [International business leader], to grow the sectors we are currently selling into, and to find other opportunities in the pest management world to expand the product offering. And also to potentially diversify and expand the business beyond where it is at today.” — Brad Harbison

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