Steritech

Corporate: 1986

John Whitley Founds Steritech

Steritech got its start in 1986, when it was founded by John Whitley as a commercial pest prevention company. A former president of a major pest management provider, Whitley saw an opportunity to offer premium service using advanced techniques and highly trained service specialists and began Steritech's operations in Charlotte, North Carolina, a growing center of commerce in the Southeast U.S.

Corporate: 1994

Steritech Breaks Ground in Charlotte

Ground was broken at 7600 Little Avenue in 1994, and in February 1995, the Corporate Office staff took up residence in the building where they remain today. The building was expanded in 2002.

Brand Standards Auditing: 1995

Steritech Adds Sanitation Audits

As Steritech's reputation for high-quality service grew, the company expanded its service offering to include sanitation audits, the earliest version of the food safety and quality assurance programs we have in place today. Over the next five years, operations in both pest prevention and food safety continued to expand as demand for Steritech's unique combination of services grew and the company became a national player.

Pest Prevention: 1996

EcoSensitive® Pest Prevention Introduced

Throughout our history, Steritech has continued to innovate with programs and techniques that set the standard for our industry. In 1996, we introduced our EcoSensitive® Pest Prevention Program, an approach that quickly redefined the established measures of success in our industry. Steritech committed to substantially reducing pesticide usage by identifying effective, alternate methods of eliminating and preventing pests such as physical removal, structural repair, and a heavier reliance on monitoring.

Pest Prevention: 1999

Recognized by the EPA

In 1999, Steritech became the first structural pest management company to be recognized by the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program (PESP) with the organization's Excellence Award. The voluntary PESP program promotes the use of integrated pest management strategies to reduce the human health and environmental risks associated with pesticides. Six years later, Steritech was again recognized with the newly renamed Champion Award.

Pest Prevention: 1999

Steritech Expands to Canada

Steritech continued to expand its Pest Prevention division with two key acquisitions. In 1999, Steritech moved into the international pest prevention marketplace with the acquisition of the Canadian Professional Pest Management Consultants. The following year, Steritech acquired an Idaho-based regional pest management provider, giving Steritech a solid presence in the Pacific Northwest.

Corporate: 2005

John Whitley Takes Role of Executive Chairman

John announced that he would step down as CEO of the company and into the newly created role of Executive Chairman. He appointed Mark Jarvis as his successor.

Corporate: 2005

Jarvis Named CEO

Mark formed Steritech's Leadership Team, a group comprised of several Steritech senior officers and department heads, to work in conjunction with Steritech's Board of Directors to guide Steritech's business, vision, and goals.

Corporate: 2006

Rich Ennis Becomes COO

Promoted from his role as President of the Food Safety Division, Rich Ennis was appointed as the President & Chief Operating Officer.

Pest Prevention: 2007

Industry Recognition

In 2007, Pest Control Technology Magazine (PCT), the pest management industry's premier periodical, named Steritech Master Specialist Macy Ruiz Commercial Technician of the Year, an honor reserved for the industry's best service personnel. Additionally, Pest Prevention Division Technical Director Judy Black was awarded the Crown Technical Excellence award by PCT and Syngenta for her leadership in technical and training excellence. Judy was the first woman to receive the honor.

Supply Chain: 2008

Auditing and Certification

Increased attention on food-borne illness outbreaks and consumer awareness of food safety fueled rapid growth for Steritech's food safety and quality assurance business. As clients saw increasing value in ensuring a consistent brand experience, Steritech expanded upon its services, leveraging its highly skilled staff to perform audits in expanding arenas including brand integrity, operational excellence, customer experience, and employee health and safety assessments. Recognizing a need for rigorous, comprehensive, technically accurate, and consistent third-party audits throughout the food supply chain, Steritech began offering certification and conformity assessment services for the entire supply chain. We quickly attained status as an SQF Certification Body and achieved ISO Guide 65 accreditation in 2009.

Pest Prevention: 2009

Ranked Top Ten

Steritech broke into the Top 10 of Pest Control Technology's (PCT) Top 100 List, a ranking of pest management companies in North America by revenue, at number ten. Steritech rose to number seven in 2010.

Brand Standards Auditing, Supply Chain, Pest Prevention, Corporate: 2011

25-Year Anniversary

Beginning in June 2011, Steritech launched a year-long celebration marking 25 years of being in business. The celebration included festivities for employees, as well as the launch of a special 25th Anniversary Website celebrating the company's achievements and employees.

Pest Prevention: 2011

Judy Black Wins Crown Leadership Award

In October of 2011, Pest Prevention Technical Director Judy Black was presented with the Pest Control Technology/Syngenta Crown Leadership Award, a career achievement reserved for those professionals who have "contributed positively to the growth and development of the structural pest control industry." It is one of the industry's highest honors, putting Judy in an elite class of only 200 individuals to have earned the award.