In Memoriam: Paul Hardy

SMYRNA, Ga. — Paul Hardy, a 52-year Orkin Pest Control employee with nearly 60 years working in the pest control industry, passed away on Aug 20. He was 83.

Paul Hardy, early in his Orkin career.

In his five decades working at Orkin, Hardy held just about every pest control role, including technician, supervisor, branch manager, inspector, regional manager and director. 

Hardy entered the pest control business in 1961 at 18 years old, as a termite technician in Orkin's Leesburg, Fla., branch. In addition to his regular duties, Hardy held weekend certification training courses for Orkin employees throughout Florida, and eventually, for all of the Southern states.

In 1971 he moved to Orkin’s headquarters in Atlanta after being promoted to service manager for the Southeast Region. It was a new position created especially for Hardy, in which he traveled to every Orkin branch in the country, analyzing its sales, service and production practices. From there, Hardy continued to gain new responsibilities, eventually holding such roles as regional training director, corporate training manager, corporate technical manager and service technical manager.

Hardy’s contributions went well beyond Orkin. He was instrumental in developing industry-changing innovations, including the Perimeter Defense Service in 1989, which shifted pesticide applications from the interior of homes to the exterior in response to consumer concerns. He also played key roles in the launch of landmark termite control systems such as Sentricon and FirstLine, working directly with manufacturers to field-test and refine new products.

Hardy’s influence was perhaps felt most through his role as a teacher. He trained thousands of professionals, many of whom went on to lead companies and win industry accolades themselves.

Gary Rollins, executive chairman emeritus at Rollins Inc., told PCT, ″Paul had the rare opportunity to have taught and guided many employees at Orkin, and those within the pest control industry. They all benefited from his wisdom, experience and commitment. These traits not only served him well, but they were inspiring to the individuals with whom he worked.″

Hardy earned several prestigious industry awards, including Pest Control Technology’s (PCT) 1995 Leadership Award, PCT’s 25 Most Influential People in 2000, PCT’s 2001 Professional of the Year, Georgia Pest Control Association’s 2003 Pioneer Award, 2005 Pest Control Hall of Fame, Bayer’s 2006 Image Maker, Honorary Membership GPCA July 2006, 2007 NPMA Pinnacle Award, and CPCO Georgia’s 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award.

Gary Rollins (left) and Paul Hardy.

Hardy went on to start JP Hardy Consulting, sharing his nearly 60 years of pest control industry experience to small and large pest control companies. He also helped assist employees and customers by implementing field technical training on new procedures and other technical issues in pest control, termite control, fumigation, and commercial services.

Funeral services were held on Sunday, Aug. 24. 

Additional source: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/marietta-ga/paul-hardy-12494292