Terminix Acquires Cooper Pest Solutions

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. and MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Terminix announced it has acquired Cooper Pest Solutions, a $12.2 million firm headquartered in Lawrenceville, N.J. The deal, which does not include Cooper Pest’s sister company, BedBug Central, closed on May 15, and terms were not disclosed.

“This acquisition gives us a bigger presence in the greater Philadelphia market — specifically northern and central New Jersey and southeastern Pennsylvania — a very competitive market,” said Matthew Stevenson, president, Terminix Residential.

As part of the deal, Cooper Pest Solutions Owner Phil Cooper leaves that role to join Terminix, but he continues to run the Cooper Pest Solutions business (which will continue to operate under the Cooper brand).

"We are thrilled to be working with Nik Varty, Matt Stevenson and the Terminix team. Having spent a great deal of time with them, we are convinced their vision aligns with that of the Cooper team and value all that is special in the Cooper organization. We will continue to deliver our amazing experience to our customers as Cooper,” Phil Cooper said.

The most significant change is with Cooper Pest Solutions Technical Director Rick Cooper, who will take on a training and education role at Terminix. Considered one of the pest control industry’s foremost authorities on bed bugs, Rick Cooper received his Ph.D. from Rutgers University in 2015. “I’m going to be working at the national level, which is exciting for me,” Rick Cooper told PCT.

In addition to strengthening its training/technical team with Rick Cooper, Terminix’s management has been bolstered by the addition of Phil Cooper, the high-energy company leader known for his innovative approaches to customer service. As Rick Cooper noted, Terminix was “really interested in our culture and the way we do things.”

Phil and Rick Cooper are second-generation pest management professionals who took over the family business in 1991 from their late father Theodore H. Cooper, who founded the firm in 1955. The duo has made Cooper Pest Solutions one of the pest control industry’s great success stories. Rick Cooper has been a “go to” source, especially with bed bugs, and his media appearances have boosted Cooper’s brand and visibility, while Phil Cooper leads with an infectious enthusiasm as evidenced by his creation of the company mission statement. "To WOW our clients, WOW our teammates, WOW our community, WOW our service partners and WOW the bottom line!" In 2004, he published a book “What+How=Wow,” which provides insight into the communication process practiced by Cooper and his team.

As Stevenson noted, “Phil and Rick built a great business because of their dedication to customer service and their commitment to developing people. It is one of the biggest and best-known pest control companies in the Northeast for a reason, and we are excited to have this team on our side.”

Cooper Pest Solutions is a Copesan service provider and will continue to service Copesan’s national accounts under the Copesan brand, service and account management business model.

LR Tullius represented and acted as exclusive financial advisor to Cooper Pest Solutions on the transaction.