O. Wayne Rollins
O. Wayne Rollins | |
|---|---|
| Born | Orville Wayne Rollins 1912 Ringgold, Georgia, US |
| Died | 1991 |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Founder of Rollins Inc. |
| Spouse | Grace Crum Rollins |
| Children | Gary Rollins Randall Rollins |
| Relatives | John W. Rollins (brother) |
Orville Wayne Rollins (1912–1991) is the co-founder, with his younger brother John W. Rollins, of Rollins Inc., the US's largest pest control conglomerate.
Early life
[edit]Rollins was born in Ringgold, Georgia, in 1912, the son of John William Rollins and Claudia Nance Rollins,[1] a farmer father and a schoolteacher mother.[2] He graduated from Ringgold High School in 1930.[3]
Career
[edit]Rollins worked for Standard-Coosa-Thatcher, a textile mill in Chattanooga, Tennessee, for 15 years, then for the Hercules Power Company as a TNT supervisor.[2]
He returned to Ringgold in 1945, and with his wife and younger brother began to rebuild a mineral springs resort. He then started a radio station to provide cheaper advertising for his brother's Virginia automobile dealership. Rollins Broadcasting was formed in 1948, and grew to control ten radio and four television stations.[2]
In 1964, with company annual revenues of $9 million, he borrowed $60 million in the first leveraged buyout in the US to buy Orkin from its family owners, and move into the pest control business.[2]
In 1982, Rollins received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement.[4] In 1986, he received a Horatio Alger Award for his "rags-to-riches" life story.[2]
Personal life
[edit]He was married to Grace Crum Rollins. She was born on September 20, 1910, and died on August 8, 2009, aged 98.[5][6]
He had two sons, Gary Rollins and Randall Rollins.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ Drury L. Pifer (2001). Hanging the Moon: The Rollins Rise to Riches. University of Delaware Press. p. 65. ISBN 978-0-87413-744-6. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
- ^ a b c d e "O. Wayne Rollins". Orkin. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
- ^ https://worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/Biography/O-Wayne-Rollins-Biography-Kirk-1997.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ "Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement". www.achievement.org. American Academy of Achievement.
- ^ "Emory Magazine: Winter 2010: Grace Crum Rollins, University and public health benefactor". emory.edu. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- ^ "Grace Rollins Obituary - Atlanta, GA | Atlanta Journal-Constitution". legacy.com. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- ^ O'Connor, Clare (29 September 2014). "Inside An $8 Billion Family Feud: Who Poisoned The Orkin Fortune?". Forbes. Retrieved 27 August 2015.