Sarasota, Fla. (April 1, 2013) – When Truly Whitfield Nolen founded his home improvement business during the Great Depression in 1938, the Chicago Cubs were in the World Series and Superman made his comic book debut.
Fast forward 75 years and Truly Nolen has become the largest family owned pest control company in America―with more than 1,000 employees and 60-plus franchise locations, eight employee family members, $100 million in revenue, two Guinness World Records and a total of 300 iconic yellow mouse cars hitting the roads to remove termites and rodents at homes and businesses. In Florida alone, Truly Nolen has more than 587 employees and 32 locations.
"We started using antique cars for advertising in the 1950s, and over the years it has evolved from ‘The Red Ant’ bug truck to the VW Bugs with big ears and a tail,” said Truly David Nolen, who is the son of Truly Whitfield and founded his own Truly Nolen company in 1955. Truly David and his father’s company merged in 1966.
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There is ‘The Early Mouse Car’ from the 1960s, which made Truly Nolen the first American company to use the VW Bug as a fleet vehicle. Truly Nolen continued to use the "new" VW Bug in 1999 and the newest version in 2011. The company built two "stretch" VW bug mouse cars used in community events, parades and loaned to nonprofit organizations to use in silent auctions.
The company’s trademark vehicle has helped people identify Truly Nolen as a pest control company with a sense of humor and a taste for fun. The Mouse Limo even has its own social media accounts for fans to keep up with its location.
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These days, Truly D. Nolen, who turned 84 in February, is as much a fixture of the company as the yellow mouse cars. He goes to his office in South Florida every day, reviewing reports, talking to customers and employees. His son, 58-year old Scott Nolen, serves as President and works to expand the company's global presence―which is now in over 50 countries.
In 2012, Truly Nolen expanded their regular community and philanthropic activities to include a major campaign through its employees at locations in eight states. Known as “Good Citizens Week,” employees are out in their communities for a week-long campaign filled with random acts of kindness, from beach cleanups to food bank deliveries.
The company, which reached the $100 million revenue mark for the first time last year, also has more than 1,300 employees beyond America and hopes to expand with more locations in Europe and the Caribbean.
It’s a Growing Family (Business) Affair
Truly D. Nolen grew the company over the years, going well beyond the average 24-year life span of a family-owned business.
In 1990, Scott became the President of Truly Nolen and has been with the company since 1979. Since becoming the day-to-day leader, Scott has been an advocate for bringing environmentally conscience protocols, products and initiatives to market, including the development of environmentally-friendly pest control in the 1990s, well before “going green” became a part of corporate culture and marketing efforts. Truly D. Nolen’s other son, 61-year-old Truly William Nolen, has been with the company since 1979 as well. The family thinks of him as the company’s “utility player,” doing everything from establishing its domestic franchising efforts to marketing and operations.
And current Director of Marketing and Advertising, Michelle Nolen Senner, began working with the company answering phones as a kid, but has been a full-time employee since 2001.
“What’s amazing about our family, beyond some of the unique names like Really and Spyder, is that they each have their own passion and skill set,” said Michelle. “A couple of family members recently joined Truly Nolen, including Scarlett, who has a Master’s in Psychology, and Scott’s son, Truly Scott Nolen, who is getting started on the service-side of our business.” According to Michelle, “It’s been tougher to get the whole family together for a photo than it has been to grow our business.”
For more information about the history of Truly Nolen and visuals of the Mouse Car over the years, visit www.TrulyNolen.com.
For media inquiries and interview opportunities, contact Jackie Guzman at 561.299.3560 or email jguzman@TilsonPR.com.
About Truly Nolen
Based in Tucson, Arizona, Truly Nolen of America is the largest family owned pest control company in the United States. Truly Nolen has over 80 branch offices in Arizona, California, Florida, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas and Utah. The company also has independently owned and operated franchises in an ever-growing number of territories including Kentucky, Georgia, New Jersey, Canada, Puerto Rico and 55 countries. For more information, please visit www.TrulyNolen.com.
