Rumble Pest Solutions

When people hear the word “Rumble,” they may associate it with toughness or Michael Buffer’s iconic “Let’s get ready to rumble!” pre-fight catchphrase. But, in northwest Arkansas, eastern Oklahoma and southwest Missouri, potential pest management customers hopefully connect the word to Rumble Pest Solutions.

Founded in 2017 in Springdale, Ark., by Anthony Hoffman, Austin Harris, Devin Cluff and Colton Miller, Rumble Pest Solutions has grown to an almost $12 million company, ranking No. 81 on this year’s Top 100.

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS. The company’s four founders invested in the business themselves, each contributing $10,000 to start Rumble. Hoffman, who has been in the industry for 21 years, encouraged the other founders to start the company in northwest Arkansas.

“We went to lunch and had a business meeting, and I showed them a business model that I thought we could get to,” Hoffman said. “A couple months later, they packed up their families and moved to northwest Arkansas; sight unseen, never been there before. And we started bootstrapping it.”

GETTING TO WORK, GETTING IT RIGHT. The company focuses on dominating its core residential and commercial segments — general pest, termite and mosquito. Rather than expanding into other services lines, Rumble’s team sees the greatest opportunity in staying disciplined and executing at a high level, said Gregory Lake, CEO.

Recently, Rumble underwent a rebrand, which included the addition of the concept “Unbeatable Service.” Lake, who became the CEO of Rumble in August, said he felt the concept resonated with the company.

“It’s this whole winner’s mindset that then goes out into the field,” Lake said.

Rumble originally began selling its pest control services through door-to-door (D2D) sales, Hoffman said, and during the past couple of years they have brought on teams to help with sales. As the company continued to grow, Rumble also began marketing their services more online and through cross selling.

Hoffman currently serves as the vice president of acquisitions and operations. The company looks to grow organically, by adding branches, and through acquisitions.

As Rumble expands, it also seeks to improve. About a year and a half ago, Rumble’s team sought to further advance specific areas of the company. “We were really looking to continue to improve on our company culture and to continue to improve upon our customer opportunities, so our customer has a better experience,” Hoffman said.

Sometimes, Hoffman noted, being able to accomplish those goals requires additional financial backing. Dynamic Core Capital Partners, a private equity firm investing in founder-led businesses in the lower middle market, became interested in supporting Rumble. In August, Rumble joined the firm’s portfolio. “[Dynamic Core Capital Partners] was really interested in keeping our company culture,” Hoffman said. “They wanted to provide us with the resources and tools to continue to grow.”

STRONG FOUNDATION. When Lake became CEO, he said he joined a firm with “an incredible foundation.” Part of his job, he said, is to refine what was already there, including the company’s culture.

The firm’s values and the relationships formed at Rumble have helped shaped its growth. Hoffman said he often gets questions on how his partnerships with the founders have been so prosperous.

“Partnerships, a lot of the time, fall apart. So, we’ve always treated our partnership as a marriage,” said Hoffman. “We make sure to put the other person’s needs above our own. And that’s always served us really well.”

The author is assistant editor of PCT.