PETRI PEST CONTROL - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Member of the Petris Management Team
• President

Born in New York City in 1940 and raised in New Jersey, Brendan graduated with a BS in Political Science, and then joined the US Marine Corps where he served as a platoon commander in Vietnam earning two Bronze Stars with Combat Valor. Eventually, Brendan relocated to South Florida in 1972 to be with his now growing family where he started to work for his father-in-law, Hank Petri, in the pest control industry in July 1972. He worked in all facets of the business as a technician, in sales, and eventually in management. Brendan's impressive sales ability helped to grow the business in Broward and Palm Beach counties. He is a licensed CPCO, certified in all 4 categories of pest control in the state of Florida. Over the years, he held various leadership roles in the Florida Pest Management Association (FPMA), even serving as President of the FPMA from 1985-1986. His involvement in the industry and his South Florida community has included roles for the Associated Pest Services as well as involvement and contributions to the annual Coral Springs "Our Town" event, several youth sports teams, Gilda's Club of South Florida, 4 Kids of South Florida, and the United Way of Broward County. Brendan believes in maintaining the company's ties to the local community and has lead several endeavors to get the Petri team involved in the area's charity groups. He founded the first Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation (MCSF) golf tournament in Coral Springs, FL in 1976. It helped provide college scholarships for children of Marines, many of whom didn't return home from battle. The first MCSF golf tournament in Coral Springs founded by Brendan inspired and spawned many other similar tournaments across the country. Brendan continues to lead the Petri team by example; two of his three sons (Christopher and Trevor), along with his wife, are involved in the family business.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Petris Management Team
• Vice President

Chris Cavanagh, a South Florida native, was born in Ft. Lauderdale in 1972. He attended local schools where he was a star player on the golf team. Then, Chris attended Florida State University (FSU) earning a degree in Communications for Business. While a student at FSU, Chris often spent his breaks working for his father and grandfather at Petri's Positive Pest Control, Inc. where he learned how to properly service their customers' homes and businesses. He knew someday he would likely want to join the family business so while living in Tallahassee, he worked for Sears Termite and Pest Control. This allowed him to learn the business from a new angle - selling and servicing the accounts. Armed with this knowledge, Chris started working with the family in December 1995. Since then, he has learned every facet of the business from sales and service to management and even took on an active role in the Florida Pest Management Association (FPMA) as the Broward County Regional Director and Treasurer on the Executive Committee. As a certified Pest Control Operator, Chris has passed state exams in all categories of pest control. He also became an Associate Certified Entomologist (ACE) through the Entomological Society of America. As an active member of the pest control industry and South Florida community, he has also held roles on the Young Entrepreneur's Council at Nova Southeastern University, Executives Association of Fort Lauderdale (EAFL), and Junior Achievement. Chris has become an integral part of Petri Pest Control Services' daily operations, growth and led Petri to its recognition as one the Top 100 Pest Control Companies in North America. He and his family live in Palm Beach County.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Petris Management Team
• Secretary
• Treasurer

Deborah Lausier grew up in the family pest control business. Her father, Mr. Hank Petri, was working for Truly Nolen Pest Control in Miami when he decided to take a chance and go into business for himself in 1956. Deborah remembers her parents running their newly formed company out of their small house in Miami. As the business grew, the family moved the office out of the house and Deborah's mother, Ruth Petri, worked at the office while Deborah and her siblings attended school. Eventually, Deborah's father decided to expand the business into Broward County and Deborah worked in the Petri office after school. Deborah attended Broward Community College majoring in elementary education but eventually met her husband to be, Brendan Cavanagh, and moved to New Jersey. After their first son was born, the young family moved back to Florida and joined Hank Petri in business. They settled in Coral Springs as the business started to grow rapidly. While raising three young sons, Deborah studied and passed her state licensing exams, becoming a fully certified pest control operator in 1976. She helped with the bookkeeping and eventually, in the1980s, managed an office in West Palm Beach. In the early 1990s, she earned her Bachelor's degree in Marketing and graduated from Florida Atlantic University (FAU). Deborah continued working in the business in management, marketing, and sales later taking on the bookkeeping and payroll duties of her mother who was retiring. A world traveler, Deborah has visited the Amazon River in South America, Australia, Papau New Guinea, Ukraine, Russia, South Africa, Italy, Greece, Turkey, India, Egypt, and other exciting places, some of which she has traveled to with her grandchildren.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Petris Management Team
• Founder ( May 9, 1921 - December 4, 2012 )

Petri Pest Control Services was founded by Henry C. Petri in Miami Beach, FL in 1956. Mr. Petri started with one route of customers he serviced himself for many years, eventually expanding the business into Broward County. In 1962-1963, Mr. Petri served as President of the Florida Pest Control Association and he was very involved in working with the Department of Agriculture in developing rules and regulations that encouraged more responsibility and professionalism in the pest control industry in the state of Florida. Mr. Petri served in 1978 as President of Associated Pest Control, a small, elite, international association. In June of 1990, Hank Petri was honored and presented the Pioneer Award at the Florida Pest Control Association's annual convention for his contributions and sincere dedication to the pest control industry in the State of Florida. Although Mr. Petri passed in 2012, his legacy endures at the company and his philosophy of "putting the customer first" is something Petri Pest Control Services continues to believe strongly in today.