Is Terminix Private Equity Owned?
Terminix
Includes ServiceMaster, Terminix Global Holdings, ServiceMaster Global Holdings
pest control · Memphis, TN
2007
“Private equity took over your exterminator, cut the training budget, and someone's kids ended up in the hospital.”
What Happened
- •Clayton, Dubilier & Rice bought ServiceMaster (Terminix's parent) for $5.5 billion in 2007 — loaded the company with debt while extracting management fees
- •Took the company public again in 2014 at $17/share while CD&R and partners retained majority control — the classic PE debt-load-then-IPO cycle to recoup their investment
- •In 2020, ServiceMaster sold its franchise brands (ServiceMaster Clean, Merry Maids, etc.) to Roark Capital for $1.553 billion — stripping the company down to just Terminix before the Rentokil sale
- •UK-based Rentokil acquired Terminix for $6.7 billion in October 2022, ending a 15-year PE ownership saga — by then the brand was synonymous with lawsuits, not pest control
The Damage Done
- ▸In 2015, Terminix employees fumigated a Virgin Islands vacation villa with methyl bromide — a pesticide banned for residential use since 1984 — leaving a family of four with permanent brain damage and paralysis
- ▸Terminix paid $10 million in federal criminal fines and an $87 million settlement to the Esmond family — then admitted to using the banned chemical at 14 other residential properties
- ▸A 1997 Florida AG investigation found that up to 25% of drill holes in termite treatments were 'dummy holes' with no chemicals injected — customers paid for protection they never received
- ▸Technicians reported lacking proper training and basic safety equipment — a Terminix manager knew his air-quality monitoring devices didn't work and used them anyway
Sources
Also owned by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Terminix owned by private equity?
Not anymore. Terminix was formerly owned by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice starting in 2007, but the firm has since exited. The effects of PE ownership often linger.
What happened to Terminix after the acquisition?
In 2015, Terminix employees fumigated a Virgin Islands vacation villa with methyl bromide — a pesticide banned for residential use since 1984 — leaving a family of four with permanent brain damage and paralysis Terminix paid $10 million in federal criminal fines and an $87 million settlement to the Esmond family — then admitted to using the banned chemical at 14 other residential properties
Who owns Terminix?
Terminix is owned by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, which acquired it in 2007.