History

Atlanta-based Arrow Exterminators, the 10th largest pest management company in the U.S, has been owned and operated by the Thomas family for over 40 years. The company was founded in 1964 by James S. (Starkey) Thomas Sr. and his wife Imogene (Jean). Starkey was an industry veteran who had worked for many years as Orkin’s Atlanta Termite Branch manager. When Orkin was purchased by the Rollins family, Starkey and Jean decided to go into business for themselves. The Thomas family saw a tremendous opportunity awaiting them and after opening their doors in 1964, they never looked back.

With Atlanta’s housing boom, the tenacious couple immediately set their sights on providing termite protection services to the new construction market. They had the foresight to know that providing superior termite protection service would lead to additional business including annual renewals, pest control services and customer referrals. They also built the business on the belief that if they treated their employees with respect and as extended family this would transcend to their customers. With this philosophy Arrow began its rise to become the largest independent termite and pest control company in the state of Georgia.

Starkey and Jean’s oldest son James (Joe) Thomas Jr. joined the company in 1972 after graduating from the University of Tennessee and worked diligently with his parents to create a first-class organization. In 1978, at the age of 67, Starkey Thomas passed away, leaving the reins in the able hands of Joe, who assumed the leadership of Arrow as CEO. Joe, along with his brother Barry, has led the company for the past 29 years.

The 1980's were a time of rapid growth for Arrow both internally and through the acquisition of other pest control companies. Arrow reached a milestone in 1985 with the opening of its first service center in Lilburn Georgia, and marked the beginning of an accomplished era. Within a few short years, Arrow opened the doors to an additional 12 branch offices, servicing customers throughout the Metro Atlanta area.

Arrow’s next history-making event occurred in 1988 with its first acquisition, Douglas Pest Control in Fayette County Georgia. Shortly after its first acquisition, Arrow jumped state lines to Chattanooga, Tennessee with the purchase of Mayfield Pest Control as well as opening their first out of state service center. In 1990 Arrow looked again beyond its state borders, this time southward to Florida. Hughes Exterminators became Arrow's first acquisition in the Florida market as Arrow opened in Sarasota, using the well-recognized Hughes name.

During these early acquisition years, Arrow’s belief was to create a seamless transition into the Arrow family for company owners, employees and their customers. This philosophy has carried forward for the past 20 years and remains the same today, with a total of 88 acquisitions to date.

The Arrow legacy is now in its third generation.  Emily Thomas (eldest daughter of Joe) followed in the family footsteps, joining the company in 1998 after graduating from Vanderbilt University. She worked tirelessly learning many aspects of the business first hand, and in 2002 was named COO. As a passionate, energetic and grounded leader, Emily’s love for the pest management industry and Arrow’s family of employees and customers is infectious. Recognizing and motivating people is part of her daily routine and in this rapidly growing business, she remains intensely focused on taking care of the customer while maintaining that personal, family touch, a balance at which she excels.

Guided by the Thomas family’s vision, leadership and commitment to excellence, Arrow continues to expand its service offerings which includes wildlife services, handyman services, mosquito prevention and control, bee control and exclusion services, lawn services in Florida to complement its pest control, termite protection, new construction treatments and  real estate transactions business. Arrow currently has 70 services centers operating in nine states including Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas and continues to look for opportunities nationally.

Today, Arrow's vision of becoming one of the largest privately held pest control company in the nation is clearly within reach. The company continues to expand both organically and through acquisitions with revenues exceeding $97,000,000. Arrow continues to be run by the Thomas family and remains dedicated to fulfilling the dreams that Starkey and Jean Thomas had when they began the journey over 40 years ago.

Arrow Exterminators