Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
Marshall Cohen—researcher and producer, CNN
Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
ORKIN EXTERMINATING COMPANY
ORKIN EXTERMINATING COMPANY. In 1901, with $25,000 in savings, Otto Orkin, the son of Latvian immigrants, opened his first office in Richmond, Virginia. Billing himself as “Otto Orkin, The Rat Man,” Orkin began serving local businesses and residents to help control rat problems.
By 1929, Orkin’s service had expanded to help control cockroaches, bedbugs and other pests with 13 offices in eight states, including a new headquarters in Atlanta. Orkin introduced The Orkin Man™ to television viewers in the 1950s with the company’s first series of commercials. Beginning as a cartoon, “Otto the Orkin Man” evolved into The Orkin Man™ pest management icon we know today.
In 1964, Rollins Inc. purchased Orkin Exterminating Inc. from the Orkin family and helped turn the business into one of the largest pest management companies in the United States.
The 1970 through 1983 Dubuque City Directory listed 1824 Central.
The 1985 through 1989 Dubuque City Directory listed Orkin Pest Control at the same address.
The 1993 Dubuque City Directory listed 5045 Wolff Road.
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Source:
Orkin Company website: http://www.orkin.com/commercial/about/