(source ArkansasOnline)

LITTLE ROCK — “We pledge to be a good company to work for, buy from and sell to.”

The plaque hanging in Glynn Adams’ office at Adams Pest Control on the Saline and Pulaski County line sums up the key to success for the family business.

It all began in January of 1957, when brothers Jimmy, Ruben and Glynn Adams decided to go into business together. Ruben and Glynn were working for Terminix and Orkin; Jimmy had recently gotten a job in Searcy at a natural gas facility. Jimmy opened a branch in North Little Rock, while Glynn opened one in Little Rock and Ruben headed back to their hometown of Searcy to open a third branch.

“We were real young guys then,” Glynn Adams said. “No one had ever heard of us. It was tough.”

Though business picked up quickly in Searcy, it took a year for Glynn and Jimmy to build a comfortable customer base. They went door to door and solicited local restaurants and grocery stores for business.

“We would call on people from daylight to dark,” Glynn said.

Jimmy’s wife, Alice, recalls the time when her husband would spend all day trying to find even one customer.

“In the beginning, it was a real struggle,” she said.

Alice said that when Jimmy first came to her with the idea of starting a pest-control business, she was a bit hesitant.

“I had a 3-year-old and a 4-month-old,” she said. “It was kind of scary, but we were young, and that’s when you take chances.”

Eventually, their hard work paid off. The business now has 90 employees among three branches - Searcy, North Little Rock and the one near Alexander - all of which stay busy.

“The pest-control business has been good to my family,” said Tim Adams, Jimmy’s son. “We enjoy what we do.”

Ruben passed away several years ago, leaving the Searcy branch to Jimmy and Alice. The three branches run as separate entities under the same name, though Glynn said that they make decisions together that will affect all of them, such as an advertising campaign or the company’s insurance.

Tim said the three branches also offer similar pricing, and among the three of them, they cover approximately 80 percent of the state.

“To the customer out there, we are one company,” Glynn said.

And it was those customers, many of whom have been loyal to Adams Pest Control for several years, that finally helped get the business off the ground.

“I couldn’t do it without my customers,” Glynn said. “I am thankful for them.”

Tim attributed the success of Adams Pest Control to the perseverance of those who came before him.

“They felt that if they did it long enough, they could make it last,” Tim said.

Although the business is family-run, Tim said that there was never any pressure to follow in his father’s footsteps. After playing football for four years at the University of Arkansas, Tim returned to the business. Now his son, Timothy, two of Glynn’s sons and one of Glynn’s grandsons have joined Adams Pest Control’s payroll.

“I always worked for my dad. I guess it’s kind of got in our blood,” Tim said.

Despite the fact that there was always a bit of friendly competition among the brothers, Tim said that there has never been any major rivalries.

“For us to have had as few problems as we’ve had between the offices is a miracle,” Tim said.

Tim accredits the peace among the branches to two things: First, their Christian faith; second, the fact that they respect each others’ boundary lines. Tim’s customer base is north of the Arkansas River and Glynn’s is south of the Arkansas River. The Searcy branch, which Alice has owned since Jimmy’s death several years ago, services White County and Cleburne County.

Both Glynn and Tim feel that Adams Pest Control provides not only a great service to the community, but also a chance to meet and become friends with many of the customers who have been devoted to them over the years. Glynn said that one of the perks to being in the pest-control business is that it allows him to see people in all states of life.

“What I enjoy so much is meeting people,” he said. “Everyone, at one time or another, rich or poor, is going to have a pest-control problem. In a short period of time you can see them all.”

In addition to running a business, Glynn has also served as president of the Arkansas Pest Management Association and was appointed by former Gov. Dale Bumpers to the Arkansas State Plant Board from 1966 to 1972.

In the end, however, what really matters to the Adams family is the people with whomthey work and the history that precedes this growing pest-control business.

“My father and Uncle Glynn could remember when they only had one customer. But they always enjoyed it,” Tim said. “All three of themdeveloped and made prosperous businesses. So they beat the odds. There are very few of us that have been in business for 50 years. We appreciate [our customers’] business, and we plan on being here another 50 years.”

Tri-Lakes, Pages 64 on 03/20/2008