Ant man

Cloud Termite and Pest Control predates World War II, but in some ways the past two years have been a learning expedition.

Take the Manatee County-based company's old way of giving pest control service estimates to potential customers — over the phone. “That was a huge mistake,” says Brenton Cloud, a vice president and the fourth generation in his family to work there. “That's an easy way to let people price shop you.”

One of Brenton Cloud's first moves, when he joined the business in late 2013 after five years on Wall Street, was to institute a new estimates policy. Now it's all done face to face in customers' homes, where employees can cross sell services. Adds Cloud: “It's harder to say no in person.”