Pest Control Companies Meet Community Needs During Holidays, Year-Round

Natural State Pest Control is a gift that keeps on giving to its community in Northwest Arkansas.

The 12 Days of Pestmas in December, a holiday tradition started by Natural State owners Amanda and Trent Ragar, is again offering complimentary service for the region's vulnerable residents.

"The idea is for every family in need to have a pest-free home for the holidays," says Brittney Oakley, Natural State's director of marketing.

Natural State aims to help residents of 12 households during the 12 Days, but the reality is the company will serve any applicants. The value of services offered during the holiday season in 2023 totaled about $15,000, Oakley says.

Natural State's philanthropic spirit isn't just confined to the holidays. In fact, Natural State's multiple give-backs over the course of a year made the company, well, a natural to receive the first Impact Award from FieldRoutes at the company's customer conference, Ignite, in August 2024. 

Natural State is among a number of pest control companies that help brighten the holidays, but also many other days throughout the year, in their markets and even globally (read on to find more). FieldRoutes and its sister company ServiceTitan also seek to join forces with contractors across the country, championing their causes, amplifying their impact, and honoring the differences they make through the Power the Nation project.

Natural State's service area is anchored in Benton and Washington counties, which includes the fast-growing Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers metropolitan statistical area, plus Sebastian, Crawford, and Madison counties. Lowell is home to not only Natural State but J.B. Hunt Transport Services, and the region also houses headquarters for Walmart, in Bentonville, and Tyson Foods, in Springdale, and the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.

Yet, as in any area, not all residents thrive. So Natural State is trying to fill the gaps in helping protect people from pests through year-round partnerships with the school systems and non-profit agencies.

"We get calls from the school system saying, 'Hey, we've got a kid falling asleep in class because there's a bed bug infestation at the home that's out of control,'" Oakley says. "And we go in and treat those homes absolutely for free."

Natural State also works through the Fayetteville office of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. It's that assistance for a veteran, through a referral to Trent Ragar in June 2023, that proved to be among the company's most impactful.

"We went and checked out his house," Oakley says, "and it was bed bugs. And brown recluse spiders were eating the bed bugs. The infestation of one brought the infestation of another."

The home also lacked running water and plumbing and approached condemnation, Oakley says.

When attempts to get help from the city of Fayetteville failed, Ragar marshaled support from volunteers at his son's school, some of whom provided contacts for multiple types of repair. Then Natural State's team and its volunteers took on a weekend project.

"We got him new bedding," Oakley says. "He had running water by the end of it. We got rid of the pest issues and did a clean-out of this man's home to give him quality of life. He's on a fixed income, being a veteran. 

"That one will always stay with me because you're seeing it firsthand," Oakley says, "and you're seeing this man fought for our country and he doesn't have running water. There's something broken in our system."

Above: Trent and Amanda Ragar, left, with the James family at the presentation of the Benn Banks Memorial Scholarship award (photo courtesy of Natural State Pest Control).

Natural State offers academic aid, the Benn Banks Memorial Scholarship, to a high school student-athlete each year. Natural State also partners with agencies including New Beginnings, Northwest Arkansas Food Bank, 7hills Homeless Shelter, the Salvation Army, Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter, the Arkansas Department of Human Services, and Court Appointed Special Advocates of Northwest Arkansas. Natural State conducts an annual blood drive and in 2024 hosted its first 24-hour Smoke-A-Thon, selling turkey breasts, chicken, and pork to the community to benefit Second Helping NWA.

Above: The Natural State Pest Control team at Best of Northwest Arkansas recognition (photo courtesy of Natural State Pest Control).

All of Natural State's work puts the company's motto—"We kill bugs. We help people. Period."—to work bettering life for residents, because those who serve, lead.

"People know they can call us, and we will go out and we will do the work and we will help," Oakley says, "It's really the core foundation of the company.

"I've become very close with Trent and Amanda over the years. They have such huge hearts, and they're such wonderful people."

Giving back at home and abroad

Besides Natural State Pest Control, other pest control companies are making spirits brighter or have brought gifts and assistance to communities at other crucial or unexpected times in 2024. Among them:

Alta Pest Control, Round Rock, TX: Alta, which serves 17 markets in 12 states, took its assistance international in 2024, in what company leader Aaron Curtis calls a “life-changing” trip to Guatemala in which several employees helped build three homes.

“Many generously donated a portion of their own earnings to participate, reflecting their deep commitment to making a difference,” says Curtis, Alta’s customer experience officer. “We united across all departments for a special day of giving, dedicating proceeds from our work to support this meaningful cause.

A‍bove: Alta Pest Control employees during a construction trip to Guatemala (photos courtesy of Alta Pest Control).

Alta employees laid the foundation, carried materials, and poured the footings at one home. At a second, the team applied brick masonry skills and constructed walls of 5 to 10 feet. And for a third home, the Alta team landscaped the property and added finishing touches with a fresh coat of paint.

“‍This effort was guided by the heartfelt stories of hundreds of families who applied for assistance,” Curtis says. “After careful consideration, we selected three families in remote areas who were in the greatest need of safe, secure housing.”

General Environmental Services, Malden, MA: The suburban Boston business donated $2,000 for the Malden Kiwanis Holiday Toy Drive and the Salem Five & Salvation Army Toys for Toys programs; provided $8,000 in donations for pet beds, food bowls, treats, leashes, and towels for MSPCA-Angell and Animal Rescue League of Boston; donated a tree for auction to support Ipswich Humane Group; and is donating $1,000 for the Winter Coats for Kids campaign for Action for Boston Community Development and $250 for a scarfs-and-hats collection.

Above: Part of the donations by General Environmental Services for the Winter Coats for Kids campaign (this photo and story main photo of toys courtesy of General Environmental Services).

City Wide Exterminating, Locust, NC: The company east of Charlotte offers a community assistance project quarterly. 

For the fourth quarter of 2024, the City Wide team is collecting items for the Esther House, which supports victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, to deliver the week before Christmas.

National Exterminating, Newport News, VA: National Exterminating organized a canned-food drive to support THRIVE Peninsula, which provides a free grocery store with a focus on fresh and healthy foods among its missions. Scott Monds, the general manager, says his staff far exceeded the goal of 100 cans. 

Monds also credits not only his field staff working in the cold and under houses to protect residents from pests but also the office team for its relationships with customers.

"The typical call is not wishing us Merry Christmas and happy holidays," he says. "The typical call is from a customer that is having a problem that needs a solution and is time-sensitive."

He adds: "Yes, we are essential workers as deemed during the COVID shutdowns. Yes, we are hospitable and intelligent. Yes, we care. Yes, we are little-known in the working world as a place where you can make a very good living. And, yes, we are blessed to have those individuals that don’t mind doing the dirty work that few others would do."

RIDD Pest Control, Lehi, UT: RIDD, which operates in Utah but also in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, will provide holiday gifts for a family in need, according to Dan Farah, its chief administrative officer.

Protector Pest Solutions, Cumming, GA: The company assisted during the clean-up after Hurricane Helene caused damage in Douglas, GA, a town of about 12,000 residents nearly 240 miles to the southwest, in late September.

Company owner Jaime Cruzado, two employees and one of their sons, assisting a group organized by a church, cut trees and branches to clear them from yards, roads, cars, and homes and hauled away debris. 

Wind gusts reached 93 mph in Coffee County as Helene moved across the state, according to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution. Law enforcement officials estimated that about 85% of homes in the county sustained damage.

Vinx Pest Control, Dallas, TX: Vinx, with operations in Texas, South Carolina, and Virginia, provides gifts for children with its "Christmas in the Community" tradition.

"Something we are super passionate about is giving back," says Ryan Carpenter, who has stepped back recently from his role as Vinx's chief operating officer.

Vinx employees take gifts to their holiday party, and Vinx offers a ticket for a prize raffle for each gift donated. The gifts are wrapped and delivered, and nearly 50 children of families in need received presents in 2023. Vinx also solicits photos from the families and then assembles a video for them. 

"It’s something our team looks forward to every year and something we plan on growing bigger and bigger every year," Carpenter says. 

Vinx keeps its assistance in the community quiet.

"We just want to help and include our employees in a way to give back and feel good about what they did," Carpenter says.