We’ll be honest with you. We got into this line of work to chase critters out of attics and to talk homeowners down off the ledge when they find a pack rat nest in the engine bay. Writing about awards was never on the to-do list. But every so often something comes along that’s worth setting the trap gun down for, and this is one of them.
Friendly Pest Control is part of AXN Growth Partners, a growing family of local pest control companies, and in 2026 that family picked up two honors we’re genuinely proud of. AXN cracked the top 1,000 of the Inc. 5000, and the whole team got named one of the industry’s Best Places to Work by PCT. Let us tell you what that means, and why it matters to you a lot more than a plaque on our wall ever could.
Breaking Into The Inc. 5000 Top 1,000
The Inc. 5000 is Inc. magazine’s yearly roundup of the fastest-growing private companies in America. Getting on the list at all is a tall order. Getting into the top 1,000 is a whole other animal.
This year, AXN Growth Partners came in at No. 991. That’s the peak of a three-year climb that started back when we were just ACTION Termite & Pest Control, ranked No. 4,870 in 2024, then No. 3,466 in 2025, and now inside the top thousand. Somewhere along the way, ACTION grew into AXN, a whole platform built around good local pest shops and the folks who run them. We’re one of them, up here in Rim Country.
Here’s how Brent Agee, our CEO over at AXN, put it:
“I’m incredibly proud of our teams and what they’ve accomplished together. Growth like this doesn’t happen without great people showing up every day, taking care of our customers and pushing each other to get better. This recognition belongs to them, and I’m excited about where we go from here.”
And A Nod from PCT For How We Treat Our People
The second one comes from PCT, short for Pest Control Technology. If you’re not in the trade, just know it’s the magazine every pest shop in the country reads. Its Best Places to Work list isn’t something you can buy your way onto, and it sure isn’t a popularity contest.
It’s run by an outside firm called Best Companies Group, and it comes down to two things. The owners fill out a long questionnaire about how the place actually runs. Then every single employee answers an honest, no-names-attached survey about what it’s really like to work here. Both count. So this one didn’t come from us bragging on ourselves. It came straight from the crew, which is exactly why it means the most to us.
The Part A Survey Can’t Fake
Here’s the thing we keep coming back to. You don’t land on a list like that by accident, and you sure don’t fake it on a confidential survey. It comes from how a place treats people, day in and day out.
And around here, that same streak runs right through how we handle your critter problem. We don’t use rodenticides. We save the bees instead of killing them. We would rather seal a squatter out humanely than reach for poison. That isn’t a marketing line; it’s just how we’re wired, and it takes a crew that genuinely gives a darn to pull it off. The way we treat each other, the animals we’re evicting, and the families who call us all comes from the same place. We live in these towns, and we’d like to keep being the folks our neighbors are glad they called.
What It Means For You
You might be wondering what any of this has to do with the mouse in your pantry. Fair question. Here’s the honest answer.
Being part of a growing, well-run family gives a small local crew like ours things that are tough to come by on your own, like better training, sharper tools, and the kind of steadiness that keeps good technicians from wandering off. And when people are happy where they work, you’re the one who feels it. You get the same face at your door season after season, someone who remembers your place and does careful work because they actually care how it turns out. The award is new. The way we do the job isn’t.
One Last Thing
There’s an old saying that fits this about as well as anything: a rising tide lifts all boats. This recognition belongs to every person who has shown up, done the work, and treated folks right, and we’re proud to be in that boat with them.
So here’s a gentle nudge from us. If something’s scratching in your walls, tunneling under your deck, or setting up house where it has no business being, don’t be scared to call a Friendly Technician. Reach out today for a free quote, or call or text us at 928-363-4232. And if your particular critter didn’t make it into this post, ask anyway. We handle a whole lot more than awards.
