At Midway Point, Most PCOs On Target for Hitting 2023 Revenue Budget

CLEVELAND – The pest control industry has proven resilient in tough times, and 2023 has been a struggle for many owners/operators that PCT has interviewed in recent months. Still, PCOs are persevering as evidence by those who responded to our recent reader poll. 

Forty-three percent answered they are “slightly over” in terms of hitting 2023 revenue budget.

King Jones, CEO, CT Pest Solutions, Naugatuck, Conn., was one of those PCOs who indicated who company was “slightly over” in terms of hitting revenue budget, which he attributed to environmental factors (unexpected early season warm weather), a still very active real estate market, less competition due to acquisitions and adequate staffing levels. “The service offerings that have been successful have been our reoccurring general pest services and our bat services, although not all our wildlife services experienced this increase,” he said.

Another PCO who indicated his company is “slightly over” in 2023 is Brandon Runyon, CFO and technical director, SWAT Pest Management, Evansville, Ind. “Our revenue is in line with what we have estimated,” he said. Runyon said a big positive from 2023 is that bed bug and termite work are recovering from 2020. “General pest is still our most successful [offering] and we are looking into adding a new fly service to go with our mosquito services. Mosquito is doing quite well, expanding year over year.”

Sarah Thomas-Clark, vice president of  Thomas Pest Services, Hudson, N.Y., said 2023 started off slowly but “things picked up nicely in the second quarter. Overall, we have seen a 15 percent increase compared to last year at the halfway point.”

Thomas-Clark said the company has implemented several changes to improve efficiencies and performance. On the sales and marketing side, the company prioritized its presence on social media, which has yielded positive results, Thomas-Clark said. “Additionally, our strong sales team, innovative thinking, bundling strategies, and pursuit of creative opportunities and relationships have helped us overcome marketing obstacles.” On the service side, the company’s service professionals have been utilizing and referring to the company’s service SOPs, ensuring consistency and a reliable point of reference. “We also reintroduced ‘pathways to growth,’ a program that promotes the education, development, and increased pay of our technicians, along with a new technician production bonus.”

Len Oppenberg, president of Victory Pest Solutions, Boonton, N.J, said 2023 has been very good and that he is “significantly over” in terms hitting revenue budget this year.

“We continue to participate in networking events and associations in our targeted markets. We are also about to kick off a serious SEO program,” Oppenberg said. “The most difficult aspect of 2023 continues to be adding qualified personnel with clean driving records.”

Oppenberg also noted that bed bug service requests have been up this year and that he is proud of his company’s efforts this summer in creating a “robust marketing package for mosquitoes.” Heading into the fall, Oppenberg expects to see a busy lanternfly season in New Jersey, beginning in September.

Participate in our newest poll: How important is it to your team that your company does community volunteer work?