Pest Management Professional, July 2018

Past President of the Washington State Pest Management Association and Industry Veteran Dana Pratt Speaks About Selling His Pest Control Business A Successful 27 Year Career in Pest Control Leads This Outdoorsman to an Early Retirement In 1991 Dana Pratt started Pratt Pest Management working out of his home and later moving into branch offices in Marysville Washington Dana has always held a philosophy of utilizing good science maintaining the highest level of professional integrity and delivering exceptional customer service Dana also places a strong emphasis on technical training and maintaining a work environment that is professionally rewarding and offers a decent livelihood for Pratt Pests employees The Decision to Sell With two grown children now moved away and a fondness for being in the outdoors Dana and his wife Dawn Pratts CFO and a certified public accountant decided it was time for them to sell the business and retire before reaching their 60 s They had some thoughts about the type of buyer they hoped to see take over the business to continue in their long standing tradition of keeping both customers and employees satisfied Dana realized that selling a business was not his area of expertise however when he discussed this possibility with a broker outside of the pest control industry he knew that their lack of industry knowledge and business synergies were a non starter When he reached out to Dan Gordon Managing Director of PCO M A Specialists a division of PCO Bookkeepers whom he had heard speak at various NPMA and other industry conferences he knew immediately that Dan and the PCO M A team had the expertise and synergies needed to develop an overall game plan to find the right buyer and broker a great deal for the Pratts The Sale The PCO M A Specialists team worked closely with Dana and Dawn to develop a suitable plan gather and produce the information needed to market the company for sale find the right buyer and structure a deal that ultimately exceeded their expectations While the deal was progressing the PCO M A team were in constant communication with Dana and Dawn so that they always knew what was going on and what the next steps would be In the end the deal was brought to a very smooth conclusion with Dana and Dawn maximizing their after tax proceeds and now looking forward to a comfortable early retirement Dana Pratt Past President of the Washington State Pest Management Association Per Dana navigating this sales process can only go smoothly with seasoned professionals like the PCO M A Specialists team Danas Opinion of the PCO M A Specialist Team Its not every 59 year old business owner who is fortunate enough to have built a great company sell it for maximum profit and be able to afford an early retirement routine of sailing Puget Sound skiing Washington and Oregons snowy slopes and most importantly just spending quality time with family Looking back I count my blessings for having been able to work with and come to rely upon such an experienced business brokerage team as PCO M A Specialists They did everything they said they would do with great precision and were always looking out for the best interests of my wife and me It doesnt get any better than that and so Id highly recommend this team of experts to any owner whos contemplating the sale of their pest management business Thanks Dana and Dawn for putting your trust in us We appreciate your kind words Enjoy your early retirement THINKING OF SELLING YOUR BUSINESS Dont Go It Alone The right representation will mean the difference between closing a deal at maximum value or leaving money on the table 862 354 8025 email info@ SellMyPCObusiness com www SellMyPCObusiness com