From Pageants to Pest Control

Pest control and pageants may seem like a juxtaposition on paper, but for a professional named Brittany Wood, the two are more than compatible.

Wood is the marketing manager at Frontline Pest Control, Orem, Utah, and in March she was crowned Mrs. Utah 2026. At the end of this summer, she will compete in the 50th Mrs. America pageant in Las Vegas, representing Utah, the pest control industry, women, and domestic violence prevention awareness on a national stage. Her connection to her advocacy platform is personal.

Growing up, Wood experienced domestic violence from her father and when she was 11, her father took his life. Wood’s mother looked for an experience to bring some joy back into her daughter’s life, entering her into a pageant, where she placed second runner-up.

“I’ll never forget, even all these years later, what it felt like to be that 11-year-old Brittany standing on that stage,” Wood said. “I was like, ‘Wow. I did this.’”

Wood next entered Miss American Fork, the official local organization of Miss Utah, winning the title shortly after high school graduation. She later attended Utah Valley University (UVU), where she met her husband, Jordan.

One summer, Jordan set off for Maryland to sell door-to-door (D2D) pest control services for Frontline Pest Control. Wood decided to join him. Although Brittany said it was a beneficial experience, she said D2D sales was not her cup of tea.

Wood then completed her business management and marketing degree at UVU and worked for a few years, eventually reconnecting on LinkedIn with Frontline’s CEO, who then reached out to her about a marketing position. The rest is history.

“I love that in my role, specifically, it’s so varied and my day-to-day can be consistent and different all at the same time,” she said. “I also think within the industry, as a whole, being a woman in pest control is unique and in my eyes I see it as a benefit.”

Wood said she is surrounded by other empowering women at pageants, all of whom represent platforms they’re passionate about. When Wood won Miss American Fork, it changed how she approached her past.

“I was really kind of quiet and shy about talking about what I had lived through because it felt defining,” Wood said. “But around that time [after high school] is when I found the Miss America organization, and that’s what led me to recognize that talking about our experiences can give voices to people who don’t have a voice.”

In advocating for domestic violence prevention awareness, Wood has created resource cards with warning signs of domestic violence and a QR code that takes people to a website she developed with relevant local and state-wide resources.

As Miss American Fork, Wood was set to compete in the Miss Utah competition but relinquished her title after meeting her husband. Believing her pageant career was over, she later discovered the Mrs. America organization. She first won the local Mrs. Utah County title before recently being crowned Mrs. Utah.

Now, Wood is preparing for the 50th Mrs. America pageant, scheduled for Aug. 25-Sept. 3, at the Westgate Resort in Las Vegas, where she will compete among 52 women. She said she looks forward to connecting with other title holders and representing women everywhere.

“I think having this title allows me to have a voice and be able to represent women not only in just the pest control industry but also in every situation I face,” Wood said. “I feel honored to be in this spot.”

— McKenna Christy