Burns Pest Recognizes 40 Years by Offering Lifetime Services to Longest Customer

PHOENIX, Ariz. — What started as a father and son business in 1983 with 43 customers and one service truck has turned into a $25-million venture for the Burns family.

When looking back at the last 40 years of business in Arizona and Nevada, Austin Burns, director of operations at Burns Pest Elimination, thanks the company’s dedicated customer base and keeping family values at the core of its business model for its long term success.

“At our core, business hasn’t changed at all. It’s always been about providing the best services that we can and making a difference in the communities we are in,” Burns said. “Our business is built on people and family, and every one of our employees we consider as family.”

Burns said although the company’s values have remained over the 40-year history, the company continues to keep up with the changing pest and society trends.

“Marketing is much different than it was 40 years ago, the way we service and the products that we use have changed, technology and how we communicate with our customers [changed],” he said. “We have always been on the cutting edge of new services and protocols.”

As a way to give back to the community, the company offered free pest control services for life to their longest customer of 38 years using Burns Pest as their go-to pest provider.

“The [customer’s] house was originally owned by their mother, so she started pest control 38 years ago, and since then, she has passed away and the house went to her son and his wife,” Burns said. “We wanted to give back to that family who has supported us.”

As a now multi-generational family business – founder Dave’s son Cory has since joined the company – each member of the Burns family brings that familial camaraderie to the team, which has very much become a second family, employing 10 other families, which total 25 of the company’s more than 200-employee roster.

“Our business is absolutely a generational business, and we have 100 percent interest in continuing the Burns legacy and passing that on from generation to generation,” Burns said. “My cousin and I hope to leave our mark and legacy on this business and give our kids the opportunity to take over the business if they so choose.”

Burns said working closely with family has kept him on his toes.

“My grandfather used to say, ‘There is nothing more challenging than working with family, but at the end of the day, there’s nothing more rewarding, too,’” he said. “It’s so cool to sit around the dinner table at Christmas and see how far the business has come.”

Burns Pest has continued to grow in residential and commercial services, with commercial making up 54 percent of clientele, said Dave Burns.

“We have seen solid growth across a variety of industries (healthcare and industrial properties in particular), many of which are businesses relocating from other states, with whom we provide advanced technologies and service protocols that help these industry verticals meet the ever-increasing demands of today’s business climate,” he said.

Dave Burns said no matter what level an employee is at, it is an honor to help solve pest control problems for the good of the community.

“The family values that started this company with a goal of helping other families live comfortably year-round is what has kept us growing,” he said.