Preston Peterson: Scaling Alta Pest Control to $70M+ (M&A, Leadership, and Faith)

On this episode of Pest Control Legends, Dan Leibrandt interviews Preston Peterson, co-owner of Alta Pest Control, ranked #26 on the PCT Top 100. Preston started out selling pest control door to door, built Ardent Pest Control onto the Inc 5000 for seven consecutive years, then merged with Alta in 2022 to create one of the fastest-growing companies in the industry. He has had six exits in pest control and now owns multiple businesses across different industries from his home base in Puerto Rico.Preston walks through the full story of the Ardent and Alta merger, a rare true strategic merger where neither company bought the other, and explains why seeing the bigger picture is what makes deals like that possible. He breaks down the private equity process that followed, why he stepped back from the CEO seat after 20 years of running companies, and why most pest control owners stay small because of ego rather than strategy. He also gets tactical on culture, sharing the specific things Ardent did to create a company where technicians literally tattooed the logo on their bodies.The conversation also goes somewhere most business podcasts don't. Preston opens up about the depression he experienced after his biggest exit, the identity crisis of having money but no purpose, and the day trading losses that came with it. He shares how faith, serving the youth at his church in Puerto Rico, and returning to vision-based goal setting pulled him out of it, and why chasing results without becoming the person who can handle those results is the fastest way to lose everything. Whether you're bootstrapping your first branch, eyeing a merger, or wondering what comes after the exit, this episode will give you a lot to think about.Preston Peterson, Co-owner of Alta Pest Control:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/preston-peterson-9637304Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/preston_peterson848/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/preston.peterson.33Dan Leibrandt, Host of Pest Control Legends:Facebook: https://facebook.com/DanLeibrandtOfficial  LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/danleibrandt/   Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanLeibrandt   Website: https://danleibrandt.comPest Control Legends Platforms:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PestControlLegends Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/46XRaco5nPWcqHWIoQ2eZ5Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pest-control-legends/id1768175212Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b060991d-e5d5-4683-b83f-8db469714ba7/pest-control-legends Podcast Chapters:0:00 — Intro 0:50 — How Preston Got Into Pest Control3:00 — Starting Ardent with $7K and Credit Cards6:00 — The "20-Year Overnight Success" Reality7:30 — College vs. Dropping Out to Build10:10 — The Ardent and Alta Merger Story14:00 — Why Most Owners Can't See the Bigger Picture17:45 — Going Private Equity After the Merger19:45 — Why Owners Fight to Stay Small (Ego vs. Growth)23:30 — Building a Culture People Tattoo on Their Bodies28:00 — Hiring Leaders Who Actually Believe Your Core Values31:30 — Bootstrapping vs. Raising Capital33:40 — Becoming the Person Your Business Needs37:00 — Moving to Puerto Rico and the Depression That Followed44:00 — How Faith and Serving Youth Pulled Him Out47:00 — Vision Boards, Prayer, and New Businesses53:00 — Why You Can't Skip the Journey57:30 — Being Around Billionaires in Puerto Rico1:02:00 — Why Pest Control Owners Are Prideful1:06:30 — Your Business Is Either Outgrowing Your People or Vice Versa1:15:50 — Final Message: Enjoy the Journey1:18:20 — Where to Connect with Preston#pestcontrolmarketing #pestcontrolbusiness #pestcontroladvertising #pestcontrolleads #pestcontrolads #pestcontrollegends #danleibrandt #pestcontrolowner #pestcontrolpodcast