The Potomac Company is pleased to announce the acquisition of its client, PestGuard, by Elis. The Dublin-based company will significantly broaden Elis’ footprint within Ireland.
Servicing Ireland for almost four decades, PestGuard is Ireland’s largest independent pest control company and the third largest pest control provider in the country. PestGuard provides both commercial and residential pest control and washroom services nationwide servicing parts of Northern Ireland and 26 counties in the Republic of Ireland.
Tom O’Toole founded PestGuard in 1983 and oversaw the day-to-day operations for 35 years. In January 2018, Tom began working in an advisory capacity, and his eldest son Darren O’Toole succeeded him as general manager. Darren’s career at PestGuard began as a service technician in 1997. Over time, Darren worked as a sales representative and a technical manager for the company. Darren now oversees the everyday affairs of PestGuard as part of Elis’s Irish operations.
Offering services 7 days a week, PestGuard Environmental Services provides top-notch services for their 4,000+ customers. In 2015, PestGuard became ISO 9001 certified—a certification ensuring consistent excellent service. With its 50+ employees, PestGuard will continue to provide first-rate commercial and residential services for the residents of Ireland.
Darren O’Toole commented on the transaction with Elis, “I am very excited that PestGuard will be joining Elis as their Irish pest control platform. This transaction allows the founders to retire and provides tremendous opportunity for our team. We were very fortunate in that we had a lot of options when it came time to sell, Elis was the right partner for us and will ensure that the PestGuard culture, brand and legacy will survive and thrive in Ireland.”
In regard to working with Potomac, Darren said, “We tried to sell this business ourselves about a year earlier and were about to accept an offer that was literally half of what we ultimately sold for. After doing our homework, we found Potomac, and are ecstatic with the outcome. When they told us what they believed the business would sell for, at first, we didn’t believe them. In the end, they nailed it.
Working with Paul, Franco and the rest of the Potomac team was seamless. They were always there to pick up the phone, their skillset and knowledge of the formal sell-side process was invaluable in getting the right price from the right buyer. I would never think about selling a pest control business without Potomac by my side, there is a reason they are the global leader in the space.”
Paul Giannamore, managing director of Potomac commented, “I couldn’t be happier for the O’Toole family. The reason that I get up every morning to do what I do is to create value for family business owners like Tom, Margaret, Darren, Adele, and Michael. Together, they built the largest independent pest control company in Ireland and set the standard for high quality service with integrity. Elis is very fortunate to have Darren at the helm, under his direction, his team will quickly put Elis on the map as the premier provider of pest control services in the country.”
Paul Giannamore and Franco Villanueva-Meyer of The Potomac Company acted as exclusive financial advisors in this transaction. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
