AAAC Wildlife President Awarded 'Vetrepreneur of the Year'

HOUSTON, Texas — After more than 20 years in the U.S. Army, Brian Moss was ready for a change in direction. With his love for working with wildlife in his early years, Moss said finding a career like wildlife and pest control “fit him like a glove.”

“When I was ready to get out, I discovered that you could make a living trapping and controlling wildlife around homes and residential areas,” he said. “My kids were born in the military, and that was a huge part of our lives for so long, but it was time to move on.”

Moss and his wife, Josie, packed up their family in 2008 and moved to Louisville, Ky., following his retirement from the Army to run a franchise location of AAAC Wildlife Removal, originally founded by Mark Dawson.

Shortly after, Dawson sold the entire company operations to Moss in 2014.

With operations initially run in Colorado and West Virginia, Moss and his family moved to Houston, Texas, and expanded the company to serve the Greater Houston Metro area, he said. Moss is also a certified pest control applicator and treats pests such as ants and stinging insects.

© Brian Moss

Now, Moss employs seven technicians, including a lead technician who is a former U.S. Marine, and 50 percent of his franchise owners at the 24 locations across the country are former veterans.

Moss’s efforts highlighting his support for veterans transitioning to civilian life were recognized by Vetrepreneur magazine as the 2024 'Vetrepreneur of the Year' recipient, with a featured story in the September issue.

Moss said he and his franchise development officer travel to military posts to attend career fairs to scout potential franchise owners.

“We have the franchise system, but they're individually owned, and this is some way that my owners can be their own boss,” he said. “We go into the military posts looking for the one or two people that are interested in doing something different, being their own boss and forging their own career path.”

Moss said military veterans are equipped with a plethora of life lessons and skills taught in the military, like determination, communication and perseverance, that could set them up to run a successful business.

“You learn how to not quit and to complete the mission or take care of the client,” he said. “There are days where I'm out removing beavers, and it's raining and it's cold, and you just get in the water because that's what the job is for the day.”

The military also teaches people skills and how to treat and talk to individuals, which goes a long way when running a people-first business, he said.

“I am a huge people person, but being able to talk to so many people in the military that you've never known really helps out here in the world,” Moss said.

Being a part of an “elite group” that has been awarded the Vetrepreneur of the Year recognition goes a long way for Moss and his franchise owners, reassuring they’re on the right career path, he said.

“I'm really looking for veterans that spent their career doing the best they could for the country, and now, they could use a little help in the direction they might want to go,” he said. “My 90-year-old dad will be proud to read about the award.”