SHREVEPORT, La. — Anti-Pest has been named the No. 1 medium-sized company in Pest Control Technology’s 2026 Best Places to Work program, recognizing the Shreveport company’s workplace culture and employee programs.
The company, which traces its roots to 1950, employs about 30 people and is owned by Michele and Jarrod Horton. Rather than expanding into new markets simply to increase the company’s size, the owners have focused on maintaining operations in the communities Anti-Pest already serves in Northwest Louisiana.
“Bigger isn’t always better. Let’s just focus on the area we have here, where we can see our people,” Michele Horton said in the PCT feature announcing the recognition.
Anti-Pest provides employees with uniforms, phones and equipment at no cost, along with a boot allowance, ongoing training and leadership development opportunities. Its Bug Bucks program rewards employees for meeting monthly goals, while swing technicians are used to cover routes when other employees need time away.
The company also emphasizes attitude and character when hiring, followed by mentoring, training and regular check-ins for new employees.
“We can teach pest control. The personality, the compassion, we can’t teach that,” Horton said.
Anti-Pest’s history spans more than seven decades. Horton’s father, J.T. May, joined the company in 1955 and later purchased and led the business. Jarrod Horton joined Anti-Pest in 1990 and became president in 1996. Michele Horton joined as chief financial officer in 2001, and the couple purchased the company in 2011.
The recognition was featured in Pest Control Technology’s August 2026 Best Places to Work coverage.