O. Wayne Rollins
American businessman (1912–1991)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Orville Wayne Rollins (1912–1991) is the co-founder, with his younger brother John W. Rollins, of Rollins Inc., the US's largest pest control conglomerate.
1912
O. Wayne Rollins | |
|---|---|
| Born | Orville Wayne Rollins 1912 Ringgold, Georgia, US |
| Died | 1991 (aged 78–79) |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Founder of Rollins Inc. |
| Spouse | Grace Crum Rollins |
| Children | Gary Rollins Randall Rollins |
| Relatives | John W. Rollins (brother) |
Early life
Rollins was born in Ringgold, Georgia, in 1912, the son of John William Rollins and Claudia Nance Rollins,[1] a farmer father and a schoolteacher mother.[2] He graduated from Ringgold High School in 1930.[3]
Career
Rollins worked for Standard-Coosa-Thatcher, a textile mill in Chattanooga, Tennessee, for 15 years, then for the Hercules Power Company as a TNT supervisor.[2]
He returned to Ringgold in 1945, and with his wife and younger brother began to rebuild a mineral springs resort. He then started a radio station to provide cheaper advertising for his brother's Virginia automobile dealership. Rollins Broadcasting was formed in 1948, and grew to control ten radio and four television stations.[2]
In 1964, with company annual revenues of $9 million, he borrowed $60 million in the first leveraged buyout in the US to buy Orkin from its family owners, and move into the pest control business.[2]
In 1982, Rollins received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement.[4] In 1986, he received a Horatio Alger Award for his "rags-to-riches" life story.[2]
Personal life
He was married to Grace Crum Rollins. She was born on September 20, 1910, and died on August 8, 2009, aged 98.[5][6]
He had two sons, Gary Rollins and Randall Rollins.[7]