Linda Prentice retires from Environmental Pest Service after 34 years in the industry

Linda Prentice, a woman who saw the transformation of the pest control industry first hand, has retired after 34 years in the business. During her career, Prentice helped establish new services in the Florida market, implemented new training procedures, and helped create several national programs to improve application methods and protocols.

Prentice started her career as a pest control technician in 1981 with Bug Out Service in Jacksonville. She worked in service, sales, and management positions with the company before being promoted to Senior Technical Director of Environmental Pest Service, after it merged with Bug Out Service in 2014.

Over the years, Prentice has been at the forefront of integrating new products, and training employees as application methods became more sophisticated. As Senior Technical Director at Bug Out Service and then at Bug Out’s parent company, Environmental Pest Service, she was responsible for the training programs for new employees, a process that took two days when she started her career and now takes at least one month.

“Working with Bug Out gave me the opportunity to be part of the pest control industry’s transformation,” said Prentice. “It’s been an honor to work for this company for the last 34 years.”

Prentice, an Associate Certified Entomologist, was the first female supervisor and technical director at Bug Out Service, and the first person to perform a wood-destroying organism (WDO) inspection in Florida. She created Bug Out Service’s Quality Assurance Program and played an integral part in training technicians to perform both pest and termite services instead of only offering one. This approach provided a more efficient service for customers while helping the company increase revenues.

Aside from her responsibilities training employees and overseeing quality assurance programs at Bug Out Service and Environmental Pest Service, Prentice is passionate about teaching her peers and implementing programs to maintain quality service across the country.

She helped create and manage the National Pest Management Association’s (NPMA) Quality Pro and Green Pro certification programs for pest control companies. She also established Bug Out Service’s membership in EPA’s Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program, which promotes Integrated Pest Management practices to reduce risks from pests and pesticides to human health and environmental safety.

During her career, Prentice served on several committees for the Florida Pest Management Association (FPMA) and National Pest Management Association (NPMA), and worked with the University of Florida’s entomology department on presentations presented at state and national industry conferences.

“Linda has been an exceptional person to work with,” said Joe Finney, CEO of Environmental Pest Service. “Her passion for education and work ethic is inspiring. She impacted the industry on a local and national level through her work on the FPMA Board of Directors, NPMA Wood-Destroying Organism Committee and the University of Florida’s Bed Bug Task Force, just to name a few ways.”

Prentice is proud of the impact her career has had on her co-workers, industry colleagues and customers.

“This job isn’t just about killing bugs; it’s an ever-evolving science used to protect homes, families and the environment,” she said. “One of my favorite parts of the job was presenting NPMA’s ‘Bad Bug, Good Bug’ program at local schools and community groups in the Jacksonville area, teaching kids about pest management.”

About Environmental Pest Service:

Environmental Pest Service is a leader in sustainable solutions for termite and pest control, and lawn care services in the Southeast, building on a family tradition established more than 100 years ago. The company has four brands. Arrow Environmental Services offers residential and commercial pest control; lawn, tree and shrub care; rodent exclusions; irrigation; and insulation services in west and central Florida. Bug Out Service offers residential and commercial pest control, termite control, lawn care, rodent exclusions, irrigation and drainage services, and insulation services in north Florida and southeast Georgia. Skyline Pest Solutions services metro Atlanta and offers residential and commercial pest control, termite control, wildlife exclusions and removal, mosquito reduction services, and insulation services. State Pest Control provides central North Carolina customers with pest, termite, mosquito, and bed bugs services. We guarantee customer satisfaction to the fullest extent, “period.” For more information, visit www.environmentalpestservice.com.