Middleton Pest Control Appoints CEO

Sunair Services Corp. appointed Charles P. Steinmetz to serve as the CEO of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Middleton Pest Control. Steinmetz was majority owner of Middleton Pest Control from 1977 until it was purchased by Sunair in June 2005 and has served as a director of Sunair since that time.

Steinmetz replaces Greg Clendenin, who retired last October. Steinmetz told Lawn & Landscape sister publication PCT that Sunair CEO John Hayes asked him to return to Middleton following Clendenin’s departure. “When I came in I saw that the fastest way to get control of the company and to form a great directed effort towards sales and profits was to get involved myself,” he said. “So, we started working together on a daily basis. The more I got involved, the more I liked it. I realized that I hadn’t done it in a long time, but I still knew how to do it. I decided it was the best thing for the company to get involved at this particular level. It was thought by the board that me being CEO would make sense.”

Steinmetz acknowledged that 2007 was trying for Middleton, but he is optimistic about the company’s future. “Everybody from within the organization and associated with the organization is disappointed in what the performance had been, but that is going to change very dramatically,” he said. “(Sunair) has been very complimentary about what we are trying to accomplish and we are very optimistic about what that performance is going to be on a go-forward basis.”

The company’s growth strategy will continue to be focused in Florida, at least initially. “We’ve got so much opportunity in Florida right now to build a very major company. We want to exploit all of that, and then look outside."

Steinmetz said he believes that in Florida there are gaps between markets that need to be filled so that Middleton’s offices are contiguous. “An example is that we are in West Palm Beach and we are in Ft. Lauderdale, but we are not in Boca Raton and we are not in Pompano Beach,” he said.

Under the new structure managers will continue to report to Hayes, who will report directly to Steinmetz.

Steinmetz has been a leader in the pest control industry for more than 40 years. He has served in various capacities with Orkin (1961-1973) and Truly Nolen, Inc. (1974-1977), and led the build-up and sale of All America Termite and Pest Control, Inc. (1982-1977). At the time of sale it was the largest privately owned pest control company in the United States with 125 locations throughout Florida, Georgia, Alabama, North and South Carolina, Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arizona and Texas.

Following the sale of All America, Steinmetz was involved in Middleton Pest Control's growth from 1977 until June 2005 when it was sold to Sunair. Steinmetz has received several awards and distinctions during his career, including being named Entrepreneur of the Year in 1992 by Inc. Magazine for the Southeast service category, PCT Professional of the Year in 1996, and he received the 2002 Pioneer Award from the Florida Pest Management Association for service to the pest control industry. Steinmetz received his degree in entomology from the University of Florida.