Pest-End Inc. is a family-owned company that is focused on success. Andy and Nancy Carace purchased the then-9-year-old company in 1986. Today, their son, Adam Carace, ACE, and daughter-in-law, Courtney Carace, ACE, run the Plaistow, N.H., office. Andy and Nancy’s daughter, Amanda Forrestall, runs the office in Methuen, Mass.

For many years, Pest-End used a local accounting firm that was adequate, but not stellar. Adam notes that as time had gone on, the firm was becoming less communicative with Pest-End.

Adam was aware that an accounting firm that specialized in the pest control industry exists — specifically, PCO Bookkeepers & M&A Specialists (PCOB). He knew about the Newton, N.J.-based firm both from attending industry events and reading the financial column in Pest Management Professional magazine by its company leader, Dan Gordon, CPA. By 2021, Adam and Pest-End finance director Pat Nicholson were ready to sit down with Dan and his team to see whether they were the right fit.

Three years later, Adam reports, “I cannot think of how they haven’t helped us. To me, they’re not just an accounting firm, they’re a partner.”

Adam says the first hurdle PCOB helped Pest-End with was a 2022 tax audit. “The team was great about guiding us through what we needed to do and what we should be looking at to get through the process,” he adds.

It helps that Dan is a former owner of a pest control company himself and has faced the issues that Pest-End and other pest management firms encounter daily. In 2000, Dan founded PCOB, catering to the industry. By 2012, he expanded it to offer mergers and acquisitions (M&A) services after he realized two of his accounting clients sold their companies for “inferior after-tax values with substandard deal structures.” 

While Adam and his team are many years away from even considering a succession plan for Pest-End, PCOB has many other services beyond M&A and its traditional accounting offerings.

For example, PCOB has taken a proactive role in Pest-End’s business strategy. The firm offers ongoing financial analysis, projections and strategic advice.

“We’re currently wrapping up a customer audit with them where they can pinpoint the value of each account by dollar per hour,” Adam explains. “This helps us target markets where we should concentrate, and really helps us with our growth and stability.”

Even better, Adam says, the communication lines are open and strong. “Every member of their team is willing to help, no matter what,” he concludes. “They’re always there to support us.”

This case study originally appeared in the September 2024 issue of Pest Management Professional.

“Every member of their team is willing to help, no matter what. They’re always there to support us.”