FIRE ANT CONTROL - Key Persons
John moved from Philadelphia where he was born and raised in 1989. From 1997 to 2015 he was active on duty in the Army National Guard. He joined Pete and Lora as Fire Ants Control's first official employee in 2015. John has 3 children and 1 grandchild.
When not running around having fun killing fire ants, John stays busy with plenty of hobbies. He tinkers with old cars, plays airsoft with his sons, and tends to his aquaponics system.
Julie was born in Colombia, South America but raised in Jersey.. She's lived in Lee County since 1993 and has worked at Fire Ant Control since 2017.
When not running a tight ship at Fire Ant Control, she likes to relax with her two dogs and spend time with close friends on the weekends.
Lora was born and raised in San Diego, California. After graduating with a BA from Cal State San Marcos, Lora and Pete welcomed their first daughter. Soon after that, she and Pete relocated to Bokeelia, Florida where they welcomed their second daughter. Within months, Pete and Lora purchased property and began their first business together. When not nurturing palm trees and killing fire ants, Lora enjoys traveling and reading.
Growing up in southern California, Lora had no idea what fire ants were prior to relocating to Florida in 1999. The first home Pete and Lora lived in on Pine Island was located in the middle of a palm tree nursery that was treated professionally for fire ants. Lora's first encounter with fire ants was when her daughter, 3 years old at the time, landed in a mound at the bottom of a slide at the local park. She screamed and stamped her feet trying to stop the stinging pain. After this, both Lora and her daughter have carefully avoided another encounter with fire ants.
Pete and Lora's other child experienced an awful case of fire ant bites while at an event in Sarasota. She, and other kids, were all simultaneously attacked by fire ants. The kids suffered hundreds of stings as high on their bodies as their necks and had to slap and rub the fire ants that had crawled inside their uniforms. These situations are preventable and it is Lora's mission to reach out to as many communities as possible to get rid of fire ants and stop attacks like these from happening.
Pete was born in Virginia but raised in Tampa. He spent 6 years in the United States Marine Corps during which time he met and married Lora. With more than 2 decades in the agriculture and landscape business Pete has experienced the importance of keeping fire ants gone. With the guidance of a longtime business associate and friend, he and Lora created a sister company to treat property for fire ants. Fire Ant Control LLC was officially opened on November 2013. When not growing trees or killing ants, Pete enjoys spending time doing anything outside.
As the owner of a ten acre tree grove and manager of hundreds of acres of palms and bamboo, Pete learned early on the danger of fire ants. Fire ants can quickly infest untreated containers of seed, mulch, dirt and baby plants. He saw the injury fire ant bites caused his employees and suffered many bites himself. Luckily it is his close friends who introduced Pete to the business of killing fire ants. As a growing need to protect people, plants and livestock against vicious and deadly fire ant bites, Pete and Lora decided to help expand fire ant treatment to reach as many customers as possible. Pete loves "taking care of people" and keeping fire ants gone.
Pete Rials, owner of Fire Ant Control, was born in Virginia but has spent most of his life in Florida. He traveled the world for 6 years with the USMC, during which time he married Lora. Together they have two beautiful daughters, two cats, and a wonderful dog named Jack.
Pete enjoys spending time with family and friends, especially when they can stay right here in Southwest Florida. Since 1999 when he started working at Palmco, about the only thing that would pull Pete away from Pine Island were trade shows and surfing.
Two or three times a year during his first two years with Palmco, Pete would see the fun and friendly guys from Environmental Specialists Inc. of Ocala, FL and Antec of Jensen Beach, FL who came to treat all the Palmco properties for fire ants.
A close and lasting friendship was formed that has recently branched into a working business relationship. Fire Ant Control was formed by Pete and Lora under the suggestion and guidance of ESI and Antec to help control fire ants in Southwest Florida and anywhere else fire ants are found.