The Beginning

ADAPCO, Inc. grew from Pan American Products and Services, Inc. (PAPS) as a distributor of ULV application equipment and vector control products to Latin America and the Caribbean Basin in 1984 at the hands of industry pros Allen Wooldridge, Dan Boyd and Pete Pederson.

While PAPS was marginally successful, Wooldridge, Boyd and Pederson established ADAPCO (an acronym for Allen, Dan And Pete COmpany) in 1985 as the marketing arm for Lowndes Engineering Company, manufacturers of LECO mosquito control equipment. Very soon thereafter, ADAPCO began soliciting distribution agreements for mosquito control pesticides from all major manufactuers. The first distribution agreement was signed with Abbott Laboratories (now Valent BioSciences) for its Vectobac line, followed by additional agreements for Valent’s Dibrom and Penick Corporation’s Scourge.

From its inception, it was thought that ADAPCO would operate primarily in Florida. However, it became apparent early on that there were opportunities to expand across the United States. Jackson, Mississippi-based Holiman Equipment merged with ADAPCO in the late 1980s, providing distribution to the Gulf Coast States of Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas and Alabama. Shortly following, ADAPCO purchased Coastal Vector Supply of Charleston, South Carolina, bringing distribution coverage to the Carolinas.

More Than Just an Acquisition

In 1998, ADAPCO purchased Fennimore Chemicals in Pioneer, California, bringing coverage to the important Western States.  Founded by H.B. “Munzy” Munns in 1971, Fennimore distributed cleaning solutions for equipment in food processing facilities and dairies. Munzy negotiated a contract with MicroGen Corporation to distribute their line of Pyrethrins and ULV equipment for food handling and food processing operations. It was this distributorship that would ultimately, and unintentionally, lead to Fennimore becoming a leading distributor in the mosquito control industry.

In the late 1970s, Munzy began calling on and selling foggers to mosquito abatement districts in California. Seeing a need to supply material for use in the foggers, Munzy also secured distributorships for Fairfield American’s Pyrenone and Permanone products, and Penick’s Scourge formulations (still used extensively for adult mosquito control today, under the Bayer label), as well as MGK’s Pyrocide products. Over time, Munzy added conventional larvicides, as well as the Bactimos and VectoBac lines to the list of products that Fennimore Chemicals supplied.

Fennimore was predominantly active on the Pacific coast and Hawaii, but also held contacts in New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming, as well as a growing export business to Europe. Fennimore became an active member and supporter of the Society for Vector Ecology (SOVE), the American Mosquito Control Association (AMCA) and the various state and regional mosquito and vector control associations in the west.  Fennimore Chemicals had become a leading U.S. distributor of mosquito and vector control products.

In 1998, Munzy made the decision to sell the business. While many suitors came and offers were made, Munzy chose to hand the reins of Fennimore Chemicals to ADAPCO. Munzy liked the way ADAPCO took care of their customers. “They do business the way I do, they treat their customers as friends,” Munzy said.

For ADAPCO, Fennimore provided additional coverage in the Western States. Over the course of the next few years, the company added additional Field Sales Representatives in the West, Northeast and Midwest, fulfilling its want for national coverage.

Recognizing a growing trend for outsourcing of mosquito control services by municipalities and some Counties, ADAPCO purchased Vector Disease Control, Inc. (VDCI) headquartered in Greenville, MS in 2002.  VDCI provided contracted mosquito control services for small towns and municipalities in the Delta area of MS and LA.  Working together, VDCI’s services were expanded across the US over the next few years and today the operation provides mosquito control services from the West Coast to the East Coast and into the Caribbean Basin.  Still headquartered in Greenville, MS,  now known as ADAPCO Vector Control Services, operates a fleet of four twin engine aircraft equipped with the WingMan system incorporating computer controlled predictive spray drift modeling with accurate weather inputs at the spray release altitude.  The result is a very accurate placement of the aerosol within the targeted area while avoiding treatment (and the associated cost) of areas outside the target.  This technology was conceived by ADAPCO, built by ADAPCO and supported by ADAPCO and has become the standard in the aerial application of pesticides for vector control.

Key Ownership Support

In 1998, ADAPCO was purchased by Koda Enterprises, a holding company specializing in the ownership of niche distribution companies. Koda recognized the opportunity for ADAPCO to become a truly national organization in the vector control marketplace. Additionally, they recognized the importance of participation in the growing contract application market of the United States.

After eight years with Koda Enterprises, ADAPCO was purchased by Maryland-based investors Calvert Street Capital Partners, Inc. (CSCP) in 2006. CSCP focuses on the management of private investments and serves the capital needs of lower middle market manufacturing and service companies. As the new proprietors of ADAPCO, Calvert Street Capital Partners hopes to significantly advance the company within the next several years.

Over the years, ADAPCO has invested heavily in the development of technology for the vector control marketplace, resulting in the Monitor, GeoFlow and WingMan – the most up-to-date technology in management tools designed specifically for this industry (not “cobbled together” from pre-existing components). Since ADAPCO builds them, they understand completely how the systems function and can provide the service required to maintain their performance. ADAPCO technology is continually updated to provide even more information to the user, and has become an integral part of the industry. 

Today, while vector control distribution remains the core business of ADAPCO, its involvement in the contract application and technology markets truly sets it apart from its competition and establishes ADAPCO as a supplier of all of the requirements of the national vector control market.