GUARDSMAN Group has taken its business a step further by entering the pest control industry. The security firm has acquired the franchise rights to the US-based pest control corporation Orkin International.

“Here in Jamaica, one of the costly but overlooked risks is the overwhelming incidents of pest infestation,” said Kenny Benjamin, executive chairman of the Guardsman Group.

“We realised the need to offer protection to our clients from these ever-present risks,” he said, speaking Tuesday at the official launch of Orkin Jamaica at the Guardsman Group headquarters in St Andrew.

With franchises already in Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic, Jamaica Orkin marks the global company’s entrance into the English-speaking Caribbean market.

Vice-President of International Development and Franchising at Orkin, Tom Luczynski, said the company was very proud to have partnered with the Guardsman Group.

“We are pleased to increase our growing international presence and meet the pest control needs of customers in Jamaica,” Luczynski said.

Invited speaker, Industry Minister Karl Samuda, lauded Guardsman for taking the helm of a franchise operation instead of building a pest control business “from scratch”.

Working with a global corporation, the minister of industry, investment and commerce said, would expose Guardsman to different training techniques and to various methods of doing business.

“What we’re witnessing here,” the minister said, “is the marriage of two great brands, and with this marriage, Jamaica is the beneficiary.”

Orkin Jamaica will provide pest control services to both commercial and residential customers. Primarily known for its protection and security services, the Guardsman Group has evolved and expanded to offer a wide range of services, including health and fitness clubs and landscaping and plant maintenance.