In Memoriam: Jim Ogle

SAN DIEGO — The pest control industry mourns the loss of Jim Ogle, who died Nov. 15, at 89. Ogle was the longtime leader of Lloyd Pest Control, the the third-generation pest control business headquartered in San Diego.

Ogle was born in 1936, when his father, Al, was first establishing Lloyd Pest Control in San Diego during the Great Depression. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1958 and served as an officer in the U.S. Navy. He joined Lloyd Pest Control in 1960 and worked in every field position within the company before becoming president in 1975.

Ogle was a member of the National Pest Management Association and served in a variety of roles, including chairman of the Communications Committee. Legislatively, he was active with the Pest Control Operators of California (now CAPMA) and was a 40-year member of the Executives’ Association of San Diego. In 1989, Ogle was named a member of the inaugural PCT/Syngenta Crown Leadership Awards class.

During Ogle’s tenure, Lloyd Pest Control experienced substantial growth. Working alongside his son, Jamie Ogle, and nephew, Greg Augustine, the company expanded to serve the population-dense Southern California region from five offices.

Ogle was known for his oft-quoted saying, “If you take care of the employees, the rest will take care of itself.” To that end, he established a robust profit-sharing program to ensure that employees who built careers with the company would have a stake in retirement. Even 25 years after his retirement, 26 of his hires remain employed with the company.

“For decades, this company has really followed Jim’s guiding principle of integrity — and always doing the right thing. It wasn’t just a tagline,” said Scott Crowley, a 36-year veteran and current president of the company. “Jim felt that way about our customers, and about our employees and about our community.”

Herb Field, longtime technical director at Lloyd Pest Control, considered Jim a friend and mentor. He posted on LinkedIn: Jim was an amazing leader and an inspiration to anyone that met him.

Ogle also left a permanent mark on the company’s brand. Wanting Lloyd Pest Control to be easily recognized, he collaborated with designer Don Young to create the now-iconic “running scared mouse” logo.

When Ogle retired in 2000, nephew Greg Augustine took over Harbor Pest Control, and son Jamie Ogle became CEO of Lloyd Pest Control. For many years after, Jim continued to maintain an office at the company and served as its spiritual leader, always available with wisdom, humor and a calming perspective.

Lloyd Pest Control has continued to thrive under Jamie Ogle's leadership, ranking 25th on the most recent PCT Top 100. The company also was recognized as the “Best Pest Control Company” by the San Diego Union-Tribune, “The Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics” by the Better Business Bureau and “Large Family Business of the Year” by the Family Business Institute.

“My dad was a strong believer in the value of education,” Jamie Ogle said. “He pushed me to get my MBA. He established Lloyd Pest Control University, an in-house training center for our staff led by our quality control department.”

To honor his legacy, the Pest Management Foundation hosts the Jim Ogle Endowed Scholarship Program, a perpetual grant awarded each year to outstanding students pursuing degrees in entomology and other pest management research. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made online or by mailing a check to Pest Management Foundation/Jim Ogle Scholarship, 10460 North St., Fairfax, VA 22030,

Services will be held Dec. 30 at Point Loma Community Presbyterian Church in San Diego.

© credit | Ogle family