In 1991, Dana Pratt started Pratt Pest Management, working out of his home and later moving
into offices in Marysville, Wash. Dana has always held a philosophy of using good science,
maintaining the highest level of professional integrity and delivering exceptional customer
service.

Dana, a past president of the Washington State Pest Management Association, also places a
strong emphasis on technical training and maintaining a work environment that’s professionally
rewarding and offers a decent livelihood for the company’s employees.

The decision to sell

With two grown children now moved away, and a fondness for spending time in the outdoors,
Dana and his wife, Dawn, Pratt’s CFO and a certified public accountant, decided it was time for
them to sell the business and retire before reaching their 60s.

They had some thoughts about the type of buyer they hoped to see take over the business to
continue 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 the broker’s lack of
industry knowledge was a nonstarter.

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 National Pest Management Association
and other industry conferences, he knew immediately that Dan and his team had the expertise
and connection 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 Specialists team were in constant communication with Dana and
Dawn, so they always knew what was going on and what the next steps would be.

In the end, the deal maximized the couple’s after-tax proceeds. They’re now enjoying a
comfortable early retirement.

The experience

Per Dana, navigating this sales process can only go smoothly with seasoned professionals like
the PCO M&A Specialists team.

“It’s 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’s and Oregon’s snowy slopes and, most importantly, just
spending quality time with family,” Dana says. “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 doesn’t get any better than
that.”