Jeff Davenport: We Grew Official Pest Prevention to $20M/year... I Wish I Knew This!

In this episode of Pest Control Legends, Danny Leibrandt sits down with Jeff Davenport, co-founder of Official Pest Prevention, who scaled the company to $20M+ in annual revenue and 170+ employees before exiting at a strong multiple. Jeff isn’t done—he’s back at it building Prize Pest Control, applying two decades of hard-won lessons to his next chapter.

We dig into the door-to-door years (including Jeff’s legendary 1,000 accounts in 4 months), the “three essentials” every pest company needs (finance, brains, and muscle), and the hiring engine that worked—licensing academy, promoting from within, and creating sticky comp for top reps. Jeff breaks down what finally unlocked termite sales, how he thinks about pricing (including raising legacy customer rates without churn), when acquisitions make sense, and what really happens during a fast-track sale—plus how leadership, culture, and personal growth have to level up at each stage.

We wrap with how Prize Pest Control is built today (marketing-led, call-center sales) and a unique year-round lead/sales program they run for other operators who want steady growth without a summer D2D surge. Connect with Jeff on Facebook or LinkedIn, or reach him at [e-mail]

if you want to talk shop—or explore the call-center program.

Jeff Davenport, Founder of Prize Pest Control:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-davenport-8b384713a/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeff.davenport.3

Email: [e-mail]

Danny Leibrandt, Founder of Pest Control SEO:

Facebook: https://facebook.com/DannyLeibrandt

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/dannyleibrandt/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DannyLeibrandt

Website: https://dannyleibrandt.com

Pest Control SEO: https://pestcontrolseo.com/

Pest Control Legends Platforms:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PestControlLegends

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/46XRaco5nPWcqHWIoQ2eZ5

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pest-control-legends/id1768175212

Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b060991d-e5d5-4683-b83f-8db469714ba7/pest-control-legends

Audible: https://www.audible.com/podcast/Pest-Control-Legends/B0DGWL3119?source_code=ASSGB149080119000H&share_location=pdp

Podcast Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Jeff Davenport

08:34 The Art of Door-to-Door Sales

16:09 Founding Official Pest Prevention

19:54 Growth and Diversification Strategies

25:43 Hiring and Training Practices

30:42 Key Hires and Leadership Development

33:08 Building Key Partnerships and Expanding Services

35:02 Strategic Hiring and Team Management

37:45 The Three Pillars of a Successful Business

41:36 Personal Growth as an Entrepreneur

45:25 Navigating the Exit Process

51:36 Transitioning to a New Venture

58:52 Reflections on Success and Learning

01:00:55 Advice for Aspiring Business Owners

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