Greg Clendenin, president and CEO with Sunair Southeast Pest Holdings and Middleton Lawn & Pest Control, announced his plan to retire from the pest control industry. Clendenin has spent his entire 29 year career with All American Termite and Pest Control, doing business as Sears Authorized Termite Pest Control and with Middleton Lawn & Pest Control. He was a minority partner with Chuck Steinmetz in both businesses.
Clendenin has held numerous leadership positions with Middleton Lawn & Pest Control since joining the company in 1979, most recently president and chief executive officer since 1996. Since Sunair’s acquisition of Middleton Lawn & Pest Control in 2005, Clendenin has also held the role of chief executive officer with Sunair Southeast Pest Holdings. Additionally, he has held the position of vice president of operations (1989-1996) for Sears Authorized Termite and Pest Control and served as a member of the Board of Directors of All America Termite and Pest Control.
Under Clendenin’s leadership, Middleton Lawn & Pest Control has grown to be a network of 27 branch offices, serving over 120,000 accounts in 30 Florida counties and been recognized for its strong performance and dedication to giving back to the communities which it serves. From 1997 to 2005, the company grew from annual revenue of $8 million to more than $35 million through organic growth. Consistently ranked as one of the nation’s largest lawn service and pest control companies, Middleton Lawn & Pest Control has received numerous industry-related, charitable and civic awards, including a first place award from the Orange County Environmental Protection Division for environmental excellence.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to lead and to be a part of the evolution of Middleton Lawn & Pest Control.” said Clendenin. “Over the last ten years, I have been fortunate to oversee the largest and most significant part of the growth to date of Middleton Lawn & Pest Control. I leave the company in good standing, complete with hundreds of wonderful employees that make Middleton the great service company that it is, and I expect them to have a very prosperous next year. People I hired 25 years ago are still with the company today. I personally look forward to the future success of the company. The future is bright. I also am looking forward to spending time with my family. We have a four year old and a two year old so the next stage of my life is going to be plenty busy.”
An avid supporter of giving back to the community, Clendenin has received numerous awards for his dedication, including Governor Lawton Chiles’ Corporate Champion Award from the Howard Phillips Center for Children and Families, The Leadership Award from the Department of Juvenile Justice and the Excellence Award from the Orange County Citizens Commission for Children.
“As I close this chapter on my journey in the lawn and pest control field, I want to recognize the influence of Chuck Steinmetz on the industry as well as my personal career. Early on, Chuck was my mentor in the industry and then for many years my business partner, always remaining a good friend,” said Clendenin. “Additionally, it has been a pleasure working with John Hayes, CEO of Sunair Services Corporation, since June of 2005. John has a very rich background in our industry and will continue to give the company good guidance and provide very effective leadership.”
While Clendenin has announced his intention to retire from the industry, he will stay on for a year to consult for Middleton Lawn & Pest Control.
Active in the industry, Clendenin is a board member of the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) as well as current chairman of the association’s Quality Pro Board. He is also the former chairman of NPMA’s National Lawn Care Committee, an active member holding different positions over the years of the Florida Pest Management Association, and the recipient of the National Leadership Award from Pest Control Technology magazine in 2003.
Clendenin holds a master’s degree in business administration from the Crummer Business School at Rollins College and a bachelor’s degree from Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA.