Last in a series.
DeLane Patterson, a retired Marine and 25-year pest control veteran, has spent several months making changes to Open Range Pest Control — new software, new automations, a new revenue model. There’s a business case for each one.
But what preceded the changes in the Arizona pest control company pale in comparison to a personal change.
In March 2025, Patterson walked through the doors of Alcoholics Anonymous for the first time.
"I still had a successful business and successful family, and I was very lucky," he says. "I'm one of what they call high bottoms. I walked right up to the edge and saw what was coming, and if I hadn't straightened myself out, it'd have been a whole different story today."
What followed was clarity about how he'd been running his business and how he wanted to run it differently. Twenty-five years in the field. Too many hours on tasks that should have handled themselves.
"After I got sober, I realized my talents and my skills are better used working on the business rather than for the business," he says. "I've been in pest control forever, but the last 14 months have been truly life-changing."
The software switch, the automations, and the recurring revenue push all followed. So did a $10,000 sale on a Tuesday afternoon. So does the goal: $1.5 million by 50, a team that can run without him, a ceiling worth pushing through.
The rule on which his father, Dennis Patterson, built Open Range hasn't changed. Do the right thing. Charge a fair price. Handshake guarantees.
"We're going to treat customers the right way," his father would say.
DeLane Patterson is doing things the right way, starting with choosing the right fork in the road for his life.
“And here I am,” he says.
And now Patterson has chosen another fork in the road for his business.
"I've really, really put my foot down hard on the gas," he adds.
DeLane Patterson is not slowing down. And he’s not turning back.
In Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3, read about the business moves Patterson made, from AI to automation to recurring revenue, that changed his business after he took steps to change his life.
