The Potomac Company is pleased to announce the sale of its client Responsible Pest & Scorpion Control, to Certus. This transaction represents upstart Certus’s entry into the state of Arizona.
Founded in 1991, Responsible Pest & Scorpion is one of the oldest and fastest-growing pest control companies covering both the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas. From 2011 to 2019 the Company grew at a 20%+ CAGR.
Paul Giannamore, managing director at Potomac commented: “Darin and David Huffaker have built a great company and were wonderful to work with. We’re beginning to see a shift in the competitive nature of the sale process from East to West, and if this sell-side process is any indication, it means that West Coast firms will likely begin to see the same multiples that their East Coast brethren have seen for the last two years.”
Responsible’s partner Darin Huffaker commented on working with Potomac:
When we were deciding if we wanted to sell the company, the obvious question was, do we use a broker or not. I did a lot of research on the different brokers and it seemed like Paul at Potomac had the greatest knowledge about our industry and the top buyers. To test the waters, I gave him a quick non-committal call and had a great conversation with him about his methods and the possible value of our company.
I was not disappointed. After a short conversation I realized my research was correct, he was very knowledgeable and I felt like he would be a great asset to help us sell. We went ahead with Potomac and his team. Franco and the other team members worked with us constantly to get all the data they needed to present our company to the top buyers. They worked with us on the timing, organization and everything. They also referred us to legal counsel that was amazing!!
As the sale of the company progressed, they were with us the entire way coaching us along and helping us gather any information that was needed. The transition was smooth and I believe we got the best buyer for our company.
I can’t say enough good things about the Potomac team. This was the second time we had sold a company. The first time we didn’t have a broker and it was very painful in comparison.
Responsible’s partner David Huffaker commented on working with Potomac:
One of our main concerns when engaging an advisor is who do you trust to help you. Having run a business for 20 years it has become obvious that whoever you choose can either make or break your deal. My brother Darin did a lot of research and proposed using Potomac because of their reputation and I would honestly say they easily exceeded our expectations.
We used Potomac to help us in the sale of our pest control business and I don’t think we could have hired a better company. Our main interactions were with Paul and Franco–these two exceeded my expectations at all levels. It was obvious that Paul and Franco had been involved in more deals than most and had experience on their side which was greatly appreciated. Paul and Franco were both friendly and easy to work with–I can’t imagine that we could have hired a better company. I can only assume they are the best of the best!
The Potomac Company acted as exclusive financial advisor to Responsible Pest & Scorpion Control. The terms of the transactions were not disclosed.
