Rodney Lackey
ACE | Founder & President
Rodney Lackey has worked in pest management since 1991, combining hands-on technical experience, business leadership and a commitment to serving Central Florida families and businesses.
His career began after an introduction to Middleton Lawn & Pest Control through his girlfriend’s father, who produced video training materials for the company’s owners. Rodney started there as a lawn spray technician.
In 2002, Rodney co-founded Heron Lawn & Pest Control with fellow Middleton veterans Joe Patti and Steve Okros. As president, he helped grow it into Heron Home & Outdoor, a Central Florida company with more than 200 employees, nine offices and about $20 million in revenue. Rentokil Steritech acquired Heron in 2017. Rodney then traveled and did consulting work before returning to business ownership in 2023, when he co-founded Forest Pest Control with his nephews, Jeremy and Josh Lackey.
The company’s name honors Rodney’s father, Forrest “Jimmy” Lackey. Jimmy was a Navy veteran, a longtime Florida Power Corporation employee and a devoted family man who loved hunting, fishing and the outdoors. The company’s deer mascot, also called Jimmy, has blue eyes in tribute to him, and the pine-tree imagery recalls family memories in Georgia. For Rodney and his nephews, the business is a way to carry forward Jimmy’s values of faith, family, integrity and service.
Rodney holds the Associate Certified Entomologist (ACE) designation. He also holds Florida pest control credentials in General Household Pest Control, Termite and Other Wood-Destroying Organisms, and Lawn and Ornamental Pest Control. His decades in Central Florida shape an approach built on inspection, accurate pest identification, customer education, appropriate treatment and long-term management.
As Founder and President, Rodney combines the knowledge and professionalism of an experienced pest control team with the relationships and accountability of a locally and family-owned business. Forest Pest Control’s guiding promise is simple: “The Best in Your Neck of the Woods.”
Quick facts
- Role
- Founder & President, Forest Pest Control, LLC
- In pest control since
- 1991, starting as a lawn spray technician at Middleton Lawn & Pest Control
- Previous company
- Co-founder and president, Heron Home & Outdoor (founded 2002)
- Heron at sale
- About $20 million in revenue, 200+ employees, nine Florida offices
- Exit
- Acquired by Rentokil Steritech, 2017
- Forest Pest Control
- Founded 2023 in Longwood, Florida, with nephews and co-founders Jeremy and Josh Lackey
- Certification
- Associate Certified Entomologist (ACE)
- Service area
- Orange, Seminole, Lake, Volusia and Osceola Counties
Career timeline
- 1991Starts as a lawn spray technician at Middleton Lawn & Pest Control in Central Florida.
- 2002Co-founds Heron Lawn & Pest Control with Joe Patti and Steve Okros.
- 2015Heron reaches $18.5 million in revenue, up 17%, with nearly 200 employees serving about 20,000 customers.
- 2015Rebrands as Heron Home & Outdoor and acquires Critter & Pest Defense of Apopka.
- 2017Rentokil Steritech acquires Heron, then a $20 million business with more than 200 employees and nine offices.
- 2017–2023Travels and consults in the pest control industry.
- 2023Co-founds Forest Pest Control in Longwood, Florida, with his nephews Jeremy and Josh Lackey.
Building Heron: from three founders to a $20 million company
Heron began in 2002 as a three-person company started by Rodney Lackey, Joe Patti and Steve Okros, all veterans of Middleton Lawn & Pest Control. Rodney served as president as Heron expanded across Central Florida, eventually reaching from Ocala to Tampa to Daytona.
By 2015, Heron had $18.5 million in revenue, a 17% growth rate, nearly 200 employees and about 20,000 mostly residential customers. That year it rebranded from Heron Lawn & Pest Control to Heron Home & Outdoor. The new name reflected services that had grown to include termite and mosquito control, wildlife, irrigation, insulation and tree and shrub care. Heron also acquired Critter & Pest Defense, an Apopka wildlife and pest company.
Along the way, Heron earned Angie’s List Super Service Awards, Orlando Sentinel “Best Bets” honors and Better Business Bureau accreditation.
In 2017, Rentokil Steritech acquired Heron, then a $20 million business with more than 200 employees and nine Florida offices. Rentokil Steritech described the two companies’ values as aligned around customer service.
Why Rodney started Forest Pest Control
After building and selling Heron, Rodney wanted something different: a locally and family-owned company he could build with his nephews. It would combine an experienced team’s technical knowledge with personal accountability.
“We emphasize inspection, accurate pest identification, treatment tailored to the problem, customer education, ongoing maintenance and responsive follow-through, not simply applying products and leaving.”Rodney Lackey
Central Florida’s warmth, humidity and rainfall keep pest pressure high year-round. Common problems include subterranean and Formosan termites, ants, cockroaches, mosquitoes, rodents, wildlife intrusion and seasonal invaders. Rodney’s experience has taught him to assess each property on its own and use an integrated approach rather than a one-size-fits-all treatment.
The Forest name
Forest Pest Control is named for Rodney’s father, Forrest “Jimmy” Lackey. Jimmy was born in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, in 1941 and served in the U.S. Navy. He spent 34 years at Florida Power Corporation and loved hunting, fishing and the outdoors. The company’s deer mascot shares his name and his blue eyes, and its pine trees recall family hunting trips in Georgia.
Credentials and licensing
- Associate Certified Entomologist (ACE). A certification from the Entomological Society of America for pest management professionals, earned by passing an exam on insect biology, identification and control.
- Florida pest control certification in three categories:
- General Household Pest Control
- Termite and Other Wood-Destroying Organisms
- Lawn and Ornamental
- Experience: in the field since 1991, at Middleton Lawn & Pest Control, then Heron, then Forest Pest Control.
In the press
- Lawn & Landscape · 2017Rentokil Steritech acquires Heron
The sale of Heron, a $20 million business with 200+ employees and nine offices, and its three founders.
- PCT (Pest Control Technology) · May 2016Heron Home & Outdoor: Re-branding, quality service pays off
Heron’s growth to $18.5 million and its rebrand, with Rodney as president.
- Pest Management Professional · 2015Heron Home & Outdoor acquires Critter & Pest Defense
Heron’s acquisition of an Apopka wildlife and pest company.
- PCT (Pest Control Technology)Heron management changes
New leadership hires and office expansions, quoting Rodney as president.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Rodney Lackey?
Rodney Lackey, ACE, is the Founder and President of Forest Pest Control in Longwood, Florida. He has worked in pest control since 1991 and co-founded Heron Home & Outdoor, which Rentokil Steritech acquired in 2017.
What was Heron Home & Outdoor?
A Central Florida lawn and pest control company founded in 2002 by Rodney Lackey, Joe Patti and Steve Okros, with Rodney as president. At its sale to Rentokil Steritech in 2017 it was a $20 million business with more than 200 employees and nine offices.
When was Forest Pest Control founded, and who runs it?
Rodney co-founded Forest Pest Control in 2023 with his nephews, Jeremy and Josh Lackey, and serves as its President. It is a locally and family-owned company serving Orange, Seminole, Lake, Volusia and Osceola Counties.
What credentials does Rodney hold?
He is an Associate Certified Entomologist (ACE) and holds Florida pest control certification in General Household Pest Control, Termite and Other Wood-Destroying Organisms, and Lawn and Ornamental.
Why is it called Forest Pest Control?
The name honors Rodney’s father, Forrest “Jimmy” Lackey, a U.S. Navy veteran and 34-year Florida Power Corporation employee who loved the outdoors.
