Terminix Supplement — Terminix Timeline

1927: E.L. Bruce founds the Bruce-Terminix Research Laboratory to find a solution to termite damage in the hardwood floors he installs.

1931: Terminix begins selling franchises to fuel growth.

1932: Terminix earns the first patent for a termite control chemical for the formula developed by Frank Lyons, senior chemist at Bruce-Terminix Research Laboratory.

1954: Charlie Hromada joins Terminix as its first research entomologist, beginning an influential career with Terminix and the industry.

1955: Terminix becomes the first company to offer termite protection
guarantees among its licensees. Soon after, the company decided to offer a renewable contract with annual inspections, being the first company to offer such a contract.

1957: Houston licensee Lloyd Blackwell begins providing general pest control as an experiment.

1958: The company begins offering residential and commercial pest control  in addition to its termite protection services.

1959: Terminix expands its termite service contracts to include damage repair.

1968: E.L. Bruce Company is purchased by Memphis-based Cook Industries, a worldwide cotton and grain trading business. Terminix begins to focus on the growth of company-owned operations and begins buying back franchises as they become available.

1970: Terminix makes its first venture into international business by acquiring the second largest pest control company in Mexico. An era of acquisitions begins, including some franchised operations, as well as competing regional  companies.

1971: Terminix begins a pilot program to operate a Sears Termite & Pest Control office. The program was expanded nationally throughout
the 1970s.

1972: Terminix officially changes its name from  Bruce-Terminix to  Terminix International.

1978: Carlos Cantu is appointed president of Terminix. Cantu’s vision and
business sense would eventually propel Terminix into its position as a market leader. Cantu goes on to serve as president and chief executive officer of ServiceMaster.

1979: Carlos Cantu hires Harvey Massey as vice president of operations, a position he holds for six years.

1981: Terminix forms Paragon Professional Pest Control Products to serve distributors and independent pest control operators throughout the industry.

1986: ServiceMaster purchases Terminix from Cook Industries as one of its first steps in building a network of consumer services companies. The new parent’s resources allow Terminix to continue its growth. Sears Termite & Pest Control Operations are discontinued. Terminix introduces Pyrid, the first synthetic pyrethroid for general pest control used in the United States.

1988: Carlos Cantu is promoted to become head of ServiceMaster’s Consumer Services Division. Six years later, he is appointed president and CEO of ServiceMaster.

1990: Terminix purchases WMI Urban Services Inc., the pest control subsidiary of Waste Management Incorporated. Terminix becomes the world’s largest termite and pest control company.

1991: Terminix acquires Rose Exterminating of California, Nevada, Colorado and Arizona.

1992: E.D. Gauthreaux becomes president of Terminix. Gauthreaux, who started out his career as a service professional, presided over unprecedented growth in the early 1990s.

1993: Terminix begins using 1-800-TERMINIX for customer service and lead flow. The number allows customers and prospects to have contact with the company 24/7.

1996: Don Karnes is appointed group president for Pest Control & Lawn Care. Terminix acquires 31 pest control companies.

1997: Terminix offers baiting technology for termite control, using Dow AgroSciences’ Sentricon Termite Colony Elimination System. Terminix acquires 70 pest control companies.

1999: Albert Cantu is named president and COO of Terminix. He led the company into new frontiers of sales and service delivery, with an increased focus on associate and customer loyalty.

2000: The company formalized its Quality Assurance program to do the right thing, the right way, for every customer. The company also offers customers the ability to purchase pest control services online.

2001: In January, Terminix acquires its largest franchise, Allied Bruce Terminix Companies, Mobile, Ala., representing 76 locations and annual revenues of more than $66 million. In October, Terminix purchases the nation’s third
largest pest control firm, Sears Termite & Pest Control, representing 250,000 customers and $100 million in revenue. The company begins divesting its
European pest control operations.

2002: Terminix and ServiceMaster adopt Six Sigma, a process improvement program that will result in increased customer loyalty, enhanced associate loyalty and a more profitable company. Terminix is restructured to include a national commercial division.