Orkin Named to Training Magazine's Top 125 for Fifth Straight Year

Atlanta-based Orkin, Inc. was recognized by Training magazine as part of its prestigious Top 125 list, which was announced at Training’s annual awards banquet on Sunday night. Orkin ranked No. 113. This is the fifth straight year the company has been included on the list.

Training magazine, the training industry’s premiere publication, annually selects 100 organizations that excel at human capital development. This year, due to a wealth of exceptional organizations that applied, the magazine ranked the Top 125. These companies are chosen based on criteria such as best training practices, evaluation methods and outstanding training initiatives.

One milestone of Orkin’s training success over the past year was the launch Orkin TV, a satellite television network, in January 2006. The interactive communications network creates a live “virtual classroom” for the company’s 8,000 employees across the country.

The network includes interactive video-on-demand (IVOD), integrated satellite receiver and site controller and direct-to-monitor broadcasting. These features allow branches to play back past programming, communicate with instructors in real-time and respond to survey questions using an onsite controller pad.

“Orkin TV addresses a fundamental challenge of training for our company. Now we’re able to reach all of our employees instantly, regardless of their location,” said David Lamb, Orkin’s vice president of training. “This innovation allows us to uphold the highest—and most consistent—training standards and continue to provide our employees with cutting-edge technology.”

Commissioned by Orkin and developed by three firms specializing in satellite broadcasting and digital content delivery, Orkin TV was the first system of its kind able to deliver IVOD to the classroom and allow participants to view and interact with past broadcast events. Furthermore, the system helps Orkin save time and monetary resources related to traditional employee training. New hires no longer have to travel to the company’s Atlanta headquarters for initial training sessions, nor do they wait for an instructor to visit their region. To date, Orkin TV reaches more than 320 locations, providing access to the interactive technology in every region the company serves.

Orkin’s Atlanta-based Training Center has also been a vital resource in preparing Pros for the field. Orkin leaders have invested approximately $10 million in the company’s Training Center and training capabilities, adding a 13,000-square-foot expansion in 2005, which includes a restaurant kitchen, hospital room, hotel room, supermarket layout and warehouse space for commercial pest control Pros. The Atlanta-based facility includes a full-sized, functional house for applied learning of pest and termite control techniques. Cutaway walls and examples of all common building techniques provide trainees with firsthand examples of what they can expect to find in homes across the country.

Lamb recognizes the importance of keeping employees informed and engaged.

“Investing in employee training is crucial for our customers to be completely satisfied,” said Lamb. “We are honored that Training magazine has recognized Orkin’s model of investing in our employees for the fifth year in a row.”

About Orkin, Inc.

Founded in 1901, Atlanta-based Orkin Inc. is an industry leader in essential pest control services and protection against termite damage, rodents and insects in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica and Panama. With more than 400 locations, Orkin’s almost 8,000 employees in the United States and Canada serve approximately 1.7 million customers. Orkin is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rollins Inc., which is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (ROL). Learn more about Orkin by visiting www.orkin.com and www.rollins.com.