IFC is proud to celebrate their 20th anniversary of being a part of the Rollins team! Teaming up with Rollins and all of their pest management brands has not only been a positive experience, but it has afforded IFC the support of a large company so they can keep doing what they were doing – providing premier pest management and sanitation solutions to the food processing industry and beyond.
IFC has a long history and was very careful about who they chose to move forward with. Being in business for almost 70 years at the time, IFC started looking for that partner in 2003. At the time, they were the largest general food-related pest control and fumigation company in the entire United States. Because IFC came from being an ESOP (employee stock ownership plan), and their employees had a real buy-in into the ownership of the company, it was important to find a partner that would honor that and take it as seriously as they do. They went down the road with a few large companies, but none of them just felt right. Then, Rollins stepped into the picture.
Not only did Rollins recognize IFC’s uniqueness and potential, but they had also just finished two other acquisitions that looked like what IFC was looking for. Rollins fulfilled their promise to those two companies to understand and preserve their individual identities and culture. IFC knew this was the correct path to take. On October 1, 2005, Rollins welcomed IFC into their growing family of pest control companies that included Orkin, Western Pest Services, and PCO Canada, which eventually became Orkin Canada (among many others).
While this merger was right for IFC, it was just as right for Rollins. When it came to IFC, what impressed the Rollins executives the most about the company was its impressive record of client and employee retention – a mutual goal that was shared by both companies. And Rollins respected IFC’s culture because it was highly successful in its area. As the food industry’s number one pest management company, the IFC brand added substantially to Rollins’ commercial pest control business, which, at the time, was a focus for them. IFC’s long, successful history didn’t hurt either.
IFC began as a fumigation and rodent control company for grain processing and flour-milling operations in Chicago and Minneapolis in 1937. They were fully incorporated in 1938 in the state of Illinois and quickly established themselves as the premier experts in fumigation and pest management – primarily in grain-handling, flour milling, and food processing companies. In 1946, they moved their headquarters to Kansas City where it remains to this day. In 1954, they initiated a consulting/training, and sanitation auditing division called Food Industry Sanitation Auditors – also known as FISA. They continue to add services including Chlorine Dioxide – a large part of their sanitation solutions. During their time with Rollins, they were first under Western Pest Services, then under “specialty brands”, and has recently made a final landing into the iWOW division.
Brad Henry, Executive Vice President & General Manager of IFC, praises the collaboration between the brands in the iWOW division. Stating that, “Over the last 20 years Rollins has been incredibly supportive and very instrumental in the growth that IFC has experienced. The resources they have provided has allowed IFC to focus on other segments of our business and provide world class service.” But it’s more than just service. Brad also noted that “Rollins has a very unique cultural that has allowed IFC and many other brands to remain intact thus taking advantage of the uniqueness of these specialized brands while still working together and complementing each other.”
The iWOW division, with Dennis Cone at the helm, prides itself on collaboration between brands. It’s why the division has seen such tremendous growth and innovation. Since being brought under this division, IFC has expanded their reach. Not geographically – they were always the foremost fumigation company across the United States – but their reach into other industries. Food processing and food distribution are intricate industries with strict regulations and requirements. And since IFC shines in that vertical already, they were encouraged to bring that same top-tier level of pest management and sanitation services to other industries including warehousing, data centers, hospitality, and more.
IFC’s Vice President of Administration, Lynn Hansel, has been with the company since 1992. So, she’s seen the change the company has gone through including the partnership itself and the move to the iWOW division. She had only good things to say about all of it. “Being brought under the Rollins umbrella has only had a positive influence on IFC. While we were pleased to keep our individual identity as a premier pest management company, we were also able to expand further with the additional resources that Rollins provides. It has been enlightening to collaborate with the other Rollins Brands as well.”
Brad agreed, saying, “The development of the iWOW division has allowed for a national footprint between IFC, Western Pest Services, OPC Pest Services, Waltham Pest Services, and Western Fumigation. This has already produced results with additional accounts for the iWOW division coast to coast. I want to again thank Rollins for all their support and look forward to great things in the future!”
As IFC continues to grow and flourish, they cite their employees as the backbone of the company. Their dedicated team combined with the massive support from Rollins has created a strong foundation that keeps IFC growing and is the reason they have come so far already. They hope the team will join them in celebrating these past 20 years and look ahead to so many more to come!
