Steritech CEO John Whitley Steps Down

John Whitley

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – John Whitley, 62, CEO and founder of The Steritech Group, Inc., announced recently that he will step down as CEO, a move scheduled to coincide with the end of the company’s fiscal year in June.

Noting the need to structure Steritech to meet the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, Whitley appointed current Food Safety Division President Mark Jarvis as his successor, citing Jarvis’s success in both the Food Safety and Pest Prevention Divisions over his 12-year tenure with Steritech. This change comes as Steritech prepares to enter its 20th year in business. Whitley will remain on Steritech’s board of directors and serve as chairman for the group.

“Today, Steritech is providing brand protection services to Fortune 500 companies in the United States and Canada, and soon, throughout the world,” said Whitley. “It will require discipline and a tremendous amount of energy to drive initiatives that meet the needs of these clients. Mark Jarvis embodies the future of Steritech, blazing trails with his ingenuity, genuine concern for clients, uncompromising demand for quality, and passion that is unparalleled.”

Mark Jarvis

Jarvis has an outstanding track record with the company. He joined the company in 1993 as an account executive for the Pest Prevention Division in the Atlanta area, quickly moving into a management role as branch manager of the company’s Atlanta operation. The following year, he made the branch the company’s most successful, earning Steritech’s coveted “Branch of the Year” title. In 1996, he moved to California to help establish operations on the West Coast, serving as Pacific regional vice president. With the company’s push into the food safety arena in the late ‘90s, Jarvis became a key player in the development of Steritech’s food safety programs. In 2001, he moved into a newly created position as president and chief operating officer of the Food Safety Division. Under his leadership, the division has become the premier provider of food safety and quality assurance services in North America, with more than 11,000 clients. His deep understanding of food industry needs has helped shape Steritech’s range of products and services, including its industry leading technology platform for data capture and web reporting.

“I am humbled by John’s decision and honored to have been handed the opportunity to lead this great company,” says Jarvis of his appointment. “I take very seriously the charge to preserve the culture of Steritech, to continue to put people first and to ensure that we remain true to our mission, core values and service fundamentals.”

Jarvis’s counterpart, Eric Eicher, the president and chief operating officer of the Pest Prevention Division, will continue in his role. Eicher, a founding member of Steritech, worked alongside Whitley to build the company into a major player in the commercial pest management industry, pioneering such efforts as the company’s EcoSensitive Pest Prevention philosophy and programs. Steritech was billed as the 15th largest pest management company in North America in Pest Control Technology Magazine’s annual “Top 100” list of the largest pest management firms. Of those top 15, Steritech is one of only two companies that operate on a commercial-only basis.

Rich Ennis, current VP of Operations for the Food Safety Division, will be promoted to the position of president and chief operating officer of the Food Safety Division. Ennis has served in his current position for just under two years. In that brief time, he has brought about significant improvements in operational efficiency and been instrumental in developing a career path for employees of the Food Safety Division.

The leadership team of the company will remain intact: Whitley, Jarvis, Eicher, Ennis, and Chief Financial Officer Mike Lynch continue in their team roles. Whitley also announced the addition of two new leadership team members: Mark Moser (Ft. Mill, S.C.), human resources director, and Michael Hutchins (Lake Wylie, S.C.), information technology director.