Old vs. Young: Workforce at a Glance

According to the PCT-NPMA 2021 Workplace Survey, the average age of most (59.6 percent) executive leadership teams at pest control companies was 50 years and older.

Non-executive leadership teams —namely managers, supervisors and team leaders — were considerably younger. Nearly half (46.7 percent) were less than 40 years old and 29.4 percent had fewer than five years of pest management experience, found the survey.

Aptive Environmental CEO Vess Pearson, 36, is young for the C-suite but his executive team members are an age expected of senior professionals. Pearson sought out people who had experience managing billion-dollar companies. He predicts the Provo, Utah, company will grow to the No. 3 spot on the PCT 100 list by 2025.

By comparison, Aptive’s management and sales teams are younger than those at most pest control companies, which has definite benefits. Young people, Pearson said, “are hungry and willing to push” and tech savvy. “I think that every company today needs to be a technology company and I think that the younger generation tends to have a better grasp and understanding of technology,” he said.

At Arrow Exterminators in Atlanta, members of the executive team are 46 years old on average and collectively have more than 450 years of experience in the pest industry and their areas of specialty. The company’s larger management team comprises 186 service center managers, corporate support leaders, regional managers and executives of diverse experience, ages and backgrounds. In all, the larger Arrow Exterminators management team has 2,300 years of service at the company.

When multiple generations work together, misunderstandings may happen. “But the advantages far outweigh the challenges,” said Shay Runion, who heads human resources and professional development at Arrow Exterminators.