Certus Pest
Tampa, FL · Formed 2019 · CEO Dave Bradford
How it operates
Tampa-headquartered pest control roll-up founded in 2019 by Imperial Capital as a deliberately integrated (rather than multi-brand) platform — acquired companies are folded into a single Certus operating system rather than kept as standalone brands, which distinguishes it from the HVAC roll-ups. By May 2024 it ran 21 branches across eight states (Florida, Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho) and took a new capital investment from Imperial Capital and Liberty Mutual Investments to fund further acquisitions.
Tampa Bay brands (0)
No Tampa Bay brand confirmed yet — tell us if you know one.
Capital events
Recapitalizations, sponsor changes, debt raises, bankruptcies and exits at the platform level. These set the clock that local brands live on.
- recap — Certus announces new capital investment from Imperial Capital and Liberty Mutual Investments to accelerate growth and acquisitions; amount undisclosed. Torys LLP acted on the transaction. [source]
People
- Dave Bradford — platform ceo. CEO of Tampa-headquartered Certus Pest, the integrated pest-control platform Imperial Capital founded in 2019; said the five-year partnership had built a fully integrated platform.
Frequently asked
Who owns Certus Pest?
Certus Pest is owned by its investors — Imperial Capital, Liberty Mutual Investments — together with management.
Which Tampa Bay companies does Certus Pest own?
None confirmed in our database yet.
Does Certus Pest keep the local brand names?
Tampa-headquartered pest control roll-up founded in 2019 by Imperial Capital as a deliberately integrated (rather than multi-brand) platform — acquired companies are folded into a single Certus operating system rather than kept as standalone brands, which distinguishes it from the HVAC roll-ups. By May 2024 it ran 21 branches across eight states (Florida, Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho) and took a new capital investment from Imperial Capital and Liberty Mutual Investments to fund further acquisitions.
Is Certus Pest private equity?
Yes — it is a private-equity-backed platform (see the capital chain above).
Sources Verified — primary document
- Imperial Capital (2024-05-21) — press release. Tampa HQ, CEO Dave Bradford, founded 2019 by Imperial Capital, 21 branches/8 states, LMI co-investor
- Certus Pest — company site. Florida market entry announcement; target and date not captured
- Pest Management Professional — trade press. Trade coverage of the 2024 capital investment
- PitchBook — other. HQ address in Tampa, 2019 founding, PE backing
- Pest Control Technology — trade press. Example Certus Florida acquisition (Fort Myers), outside Tampa Bay
Researcher notes: Certus is Tampa-headquartered, which makes it directly relevant even though the acquired pest brands are absorbed rather than retained. Specific Tampa Bay acquisitions were not identified — a gap. | Included because the platform itself is headquartered in Tampa Bay; no Tampa Bay target acquisition has been sourced.
See something wrong? Request a correction — we publish our corrections log.
Loading comments…