Going broke as a 33-year-old farmer with a wife and three kids to support at the time, Bill Bennett started Bill’s Home Service on the foundation of providing superior service. Providing various home services like landscaping, pool cleaning, pest control, swamp cooler repair, trash service, and more, he worked hard every day hoping he would earn enough money for a bag of beans to feed his family. Today, co-owned by his grandsons, Bill, 43, and Ryan, 38, Bill’s Home Service is celebrating its 60th anniversary. The family business is now one of the largest providers of pest, weed, and termite control in southern Arizona. Their continued legacy follows the same business model of providing superior service –  not only to customers, but to their team members.

“Our team is made up of the best people out there. They’re kind people with integrity–they see the bigger picture and put themselves in the customer’s shoes. They’re going to be honest, tell you what we’re going to do, and why. It’s sad that overall, in society, that doesn’t seem to be as common as it used to be. Back in the day, that was just called customer service, and our team still delivers that old-fashioned customer service,” said Bill, grandson and co-owner.

Administrative Manager Amy Frazier – hired 35 years ago by the original Bill – commented, “I have been here a long time and the company values have never changed. They believe in family, taking great care of their employees, and providing great service to our customers. I’m really proud to be a part of this amazing company.”

Founder Bill’s son, Will, helped with tasks as a child, holding flashlights for his dad, cleaning pools, or taking trash to the dump. His college days were spent in Boise, Idaho where he met his wife, Lorie, and they had three of their four sons. When his father began to contemplate retirement in 1990, Will and his family moved back to southern Arizona to continue the family business.

In the mid-1990s, they began to focus their expertise on pest and termite control services and added home inspection services in 2007. Will’s sons, Jeff, Sam, Ryan, and Bill, helped with the business as kids, washing trucks for technicians or stuffing envelopes at the dinner table. As the business grew, so did his kids, moving away to pursue higher education and start careers and families of their own. Jeff and Sam pursued work in engineering and finance, Ryan held positions in the nonprofit fundraising industry, and Bill held management positions for two Fortune 500 companies. In 2013, Ryan and Bill decided to move back to southern Arizona to continue the family business and raise their kids.

“Bill and I have always had a pretty good relationship–even in childhood. At the end of the day, both of us are passionate about making this successful” said Ryan.

For seven years, Bill and Ryan worked from the ground up, familiarizing themselves with different areas of the business as technicians, obtaining the licenses required and gaining more knowledge. In 2020, the brothers officially took over Bill’s Home Service as co-owners–Bill leading the operations and Ryan managing the marketing, IT, and administrative activities. And they successfully overcame hurdles that many small businesses faced that year resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The core of what we do is we take care of people and their homes. That hasn’t changed in 60 years and part of the success of the company is staying true to that. Part of what we’re delivering is peace of mind for people,” said Bill.

Over the years, Bill’s Home Service has accumulated dozens of awards from organizations like the Better Business Bureau and the Green Valley News & Sun for their work. Founder Bill Bennett passed away in 2019, and his family accepted the Green Valley News & Sun AZ19 Most Influential People Legacy Award on behalf of the long-admired family man and business owner.

“Our grandfather didn’t have any strangers–he only had friends he had yet to meet. He was one of those people that could talk to anyone,” said Bill. “None of us could’ve bootstrapped things the way our grandfather did.”

Today, Bill’s Home Service employs more than 25 team members serving over 8,000 customers every year throughout southern Arizona. They contribute to multiple local community organizations, schools, senior adult programs, and youth athletics including the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, Sahuarita Unified School District, Amphitheater Unified School District, La Posada Community Services, Copper Hills Little League, Tucson Conquistadores, and CDO Little League.

Bill and Ryan, both with kids under 16, don’t know if the business will go to a fourth generation, a choice that will ultimately be left to their kids. “We found that if you’re going to be a small business owner you need to be passionate about it. We want to provide our kids with the opportunity and time to figure out what their passions are to ensure that they are ultimately successful in their lives,” said Ryan.