Orkin Celebrates 120 Years of Business

 

“The key to success is never losing sight of why you do what you do,” said Freeman Elliott, President, Orkin. “At Orkin, we help protect one of the biggest investments a person will make in his or her life – a home or business. We don’t take that responsibility lightly, and we promise to continue to provide the service excellence our customers and communities have come to expect from us over the past 120 years.”

Orkin is proud to have made it 120 years – an accomplishment for any company. Despite wars, depressions, recessions and slumps, and most recently, a global pandemic, Orkin takes pride in continuing to provide high-quality service to stand the test of time.

 

Throughout 120 years of transition and growth, Orkin leaders have maintained a clear focus on the company’s ability to make a positive impact on where people live, work and play, both nationally and locally. 

• In 2020, Orkin launched its “Donating Blood Should be Voluntary” initiative in partnership with the American Red Cross to aid the organization in maintaining our country’s blood supply and protect people against the public health threats of mosquitoes. This year, in honor of the company’s 120th anniversary, Orkin donated $120,000 to the organization and encouraged the public to pledge to donate blood to the Red Cross through a SleevesUp campaign – an effort that has encouraged hundreds of people, including Orkin employees, to donate blood. As a result of the successful partnership, the Atlanta chapter of the Red Cross honored Orkin with its Good Neighbor Award for making a significant humanitarian contribution to the Red Cross and going above and beyond to support the work of the organization.

• OrkinServes, an employee volunteer program, aims to help take care of communities. Through the program, Orkin branches across the country set aside time each year to give back locally. 

 

In addition to social responsibility, Orkin places significant emphasis on the importance of education. The company’s formal commitment to public education dates back to the 1950s when Orkin technicians started presenting to local students. Now, teachers can sign up online to bring Orkin specialists into the classroom to teach about insects’ important role in the ecosystem and environment.

 

With more than 8,000 employees around the world at over 400 branch locations, Orkin is committed to being a premier employer and understands the importance of keeping employees at the forefront. As part of its 120th anniversary celebrations, Orkin hosted a “Heroes of Home” contest to celebrate and honor technicians who are committed to protecting the joy of each and every home they serve. Current customers nominated their technicians explaining why their technician is a hero, an effort that resulted in nearly 500 submissions.

 

“We’re proud to be represented by world-class employees,” said Elliott. “By offering continuing education opportunities and more than 160 hours of training to each technician, Orkin aims to create careers ¬– not just day jobs – for every employee. However, we know the job they do each day is a job well done, and I couldn’t be prouder of the hard work of every employee over the past 120 years.”

 

Training magazine frequently recognizes Orkin on its prestigious Top 125 list, and the company has been featured among the magazine’s Editor’s Choice honorees. Rollins, Inc., Orkin’s parent company, is also consistently ranked as one of the country’s top places to work.  

 

In 1901, 14-year-old Pennsylvania farm boy Otto Orkin developed a rodenticide to protect his family’s farmhouse. The son of Latvian immigrants, Otto’s job was to make sure rodents didn’t ruin any of the family farm’s stock. He knew to capture a pest, you had to think like a pest. The special blend worked well, so he started selling it door-to-door. In 1908, Otto moved from selling a product to selling a service – pest control. By 1919, Otto’s pest control company was flourishing thanks to his commitment to excellent service — a commitment our employees carry on today.

 

As the business grew over the next 50 years, Orkin’s expertise grew as well, offering customers protection against common pests such as termites and other insects in addition to rodents. 

 

Rollins, Inc. purchased the Orkin Exterminating Company, Inc. in 1964 in the first leveraged buyout in business history and helped turn it into one of the largest pest management companies in the world. Now, more than 8,000 Orkin employees around the world offer integrated pest control services to more than 1.7 million customers throughout the Americas, Canada, Mexico, Europe, the Middle East, the Caribbean, Asia, Africa and Australia.