How Pestmaster Emerged as One of 2022’s Best Franchise Opportunities

Over the past 40-plus years, 65-plus-unit pest control franchise Pestmaster Services has established itself as a leader in the $18.3 billion pest control industry, carving out a lucrative niche in government-contract work along the way. Still, despite decades of growth, Pestmaster is still experiencing unmet demand in markets across the country. Now, thanks to its recent acquisition by multi-brand home services franchisor Threshold Brands and a new strategy to focus on both commercial and residential services, Pestmaster is poised for substantial growth, making it one of the most exciting franchise opportunities of the new year.

“This brand has been building and refining its operations for a long time, and it’s a rock-solid business model,” said Kieran Scott, Pestmaster brand president, who joined the franchise early this year. “We have incredible opportunities in front of us at the moment, including a tremendous amount of whitespace. It’s rare to find a brand that has decades of experience under its belt with any territories available, let alone lucrative opportunities in key markets across the country.”

How does Pestmaster still have so much prime market availability? Scott says the answer is twofold. The brand is “not interested in growing for growth’s sake alone. The franchisee has to come first. If we can find the right franchisee in the right market and have full confidence in their success, we’ll move forward; otherwise, we’ll wait.”

Secondly, until recently, Pestmaster has focused its efforts almost exclusively on government-contract work, which has proven profitable for existing franchise owners but hasn’t demanded the large scale territory expansion that comes with residential services.

“The government mandates pest control in all of its buildings, and there are very few pest control companies that are registered to do government-contract work, so it has been an incredibly successful niche for the brand,” Scott said. “Government work will continue to be a core focus but, increasingly, we’re finding demand for commercial and residential services which we are well-equipped to handle and these services offer additional revenue streams for franchise owners.”

In September of 2020, Pestmaster was acquired by Threshold Brands, the multi-brand home services franchisor behind national brands including MaidPro, Sir Grout, Men In Kilts, USA Insulation, FlyFoe, Plumbing Paramedics and Heating + Air Paramedics. Now, with the support of a powerful franchisor behind it, Pestmaster is perfectly positioned for an aggressive growth plan through franchising.

“The home services industry is growing in a meaningful way, offering vital services that customers value, especially during a time when many people are spending more time than ever before in their homes,” said R. Scott Sutton, Threshold Brands’ chief growth officer. “Pestmaster Services provides an important solution to help people thrive in their most sacred of spaces - their homes and offers the perfect complement to many of the other services within the Threshold umbrella.”

The pest-control industry continues to grow year after year, and Scott says Pestmaster’s own growth has outpaced the industry at large, even during the height of the COVID-19, when Pestmaster’s designation as an essential service allowed franchisees to continue operating while other businesses shuttered.

A 2020 Harris Poll found that 48% of U.S. homeowners with an annual income of $75,000 or more used licensed professional pest control services within the past year compared to just 18% of homeowners in the same income range in 2001.

“Pest control is an essential service that people need within their communities,” said Eric Ribeiro, owner of Pestmaster Services in Sarasota, Florida. “A lot has happened in the world, including a recession and a pandemic, but businesses like Pestmaster survive because the need for the services will never go away. Home services require care and trust and the talent can’t be outsourced or automated.”

Now, 2022 is shaping up to be Pestmaster’s biggest growth year to date, as the brand plans for aggressive development in a number of core markets. To achieve these ambitious growth goals, Pestmaster is offering lucrative incentives, including royalty and franchise fee discounts, to existing pest control businesses that convert to Pestmaster.

“Every decision we make as a brand has to be a win-win-win — a win for the franchisor, a win for the franchisee and a win for our clients,” said Scott. “That’s exactly how we are moving forward this year. Countless opportunities have converged in a way that is allowing us to not only expand our footprint rapidly but also increase unit-level business for our franchisees and offer expanded services to clients. It’s an incredibly exciting time for this franchise.”

For more information about franchising with Pestmaster Services, visit: https://pestmasterfranchise.com/.