Pest control biz hires Sears auto president

SARASOTA — Arrow Environmental Services closed on a merger with Jacksonville-based Bug Out Service, a $15 million business, in a deal that marks another acquisition for the pest-control firm.

Sarasota-based Arrow, which has been executing a grow-through-acquisition strategy since 2010 also named Joe Finney CEO, according to a release. Finney, on Arrow's board since 2010, was most recently president of Sears Automotive Group, where he ran a division with 800 repair shops, 14,000 employees and $1.6 billion in annual revenues. Finney has executive experience in pest control, too: He was regional vice president and European managing director for Terminix and held other senior roles with TruGreen Lawn and Land Care. Finney also worked for Jordan Co., a private equity firm that acquires pest control businesses, the release states.

Arrow executive Bill Hurd will remain with firm, the company says, in the role of president and chief operating officer. Finney, Hurd and Arrow Chairman George Pickhardt will manage the company together going forward.

“We are extremely fortunate to attract an executive of Joe Finney's caliber,” Pickhardt says in the release. “As we work toward becoming one of the national leaders in our industry, we need to continue to enhance the quality of our operations and our people, and Joe will drive these efforts going forward.”

One of the newest, and largest, parts of Arrow that Finney will oversee is Bug Out. The firm will keep its name and branding intact in the Jacksonville market under Arrow. Says Pickhardt: “Bug Out has one of the premier brands in the country and has been the industry leader in northeast Florida for decades.”

The Bug Out acquisition is the largest one Arrow has closed on, in terms of annual revenues, since it began to buy other pest control firms in August 2010. Arrow has bought or merged with 36 companies since then, in Florida and Georgia, and now has more than $35 million in annual sales in total. That figure would rank the firm among the top 20 largest pest control businesses in the country in annual rankings published by Pest Control Technology magazine.