Rottler Pest Solutions

In 1956, Fred Rottler purchased his first spray tank with a $10 loan he received from his wife’s aunt and started a small pest control. A Florissant native, Rottler worked in extermination part-time, spraying homes in North County after clocking out from his other job at St. Louis Car. His timing was on point with the black widow scare of the fifties transpiring and more people moving to the city, helping him keep his one- man pest control show in business. At this time, a typical house could be treated for around $3.75 to $5.00. A kind-hearted, family man, Rottler made a lot of contacts and acquired even more business through referrals. He continued working for St. Louis Car for about five more years while attending pest control classes at the University of Missouri. Rottler joined the Missouri Pest Control Association and became an expert in termite control and prevention. Throughout his career, he remained active in the St. Louis Pest Control Association, serving as President in 1969, as well as the Missouri Pest Control Association, serving as President in 1973. Throughout their high school years, Rottler’s sons, Mike and Gary worked part-time after school, on weekends and over summers, helping their dad service homes. After college in the 80s, the sons joined what’s now known as Rottler Pest Solutions full-time to help their father build his business. At the time, annual revenues were around $78,000 and Rottler had just two trucks in the company’s possession. In 2000, at age 76, Fred Rottler finally retired and left his sons to run the family business as partners. Since then, the brothers have grown the company into a multi-million-dollar operation.