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JOHN ABEL ABEL’S PREMIER PEST
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John Abel’s journey to owning his own pest control company has been a winding road. Born in Grenada, his father’s role as a minister led his family all over the state. “We never lived in any one place very long,” he laughs. After graduating from Warren Central High School in Vicksburg, John joined the military, serving in the Army for seven years. “I moved to Yazoo City after my discharge from the Army because that’s where my dad was living at the time,” says John. “I became a police officer there and moved up to investigator before leaving after seven years to join Mississippi Chemical Corporation in security.” After eight years, the company was restructured and downsized, and John’s position there was eliminated. “I was looking for a job, and a friend told me about EcoLab, a national pest control company that services commercial buildings.” John worked his way up the ladder at EcoLab, becoming a regional manager before deciding to start his own pest control business in 2016. Today he owns and operates Abel’s Premier Pest, based in Flora. The company services homes and businesses in Yazoo, Madison, Hinds and Rankin counties. “I joined BNI to network and build my business. We started with two accounts, and now we service over 400 homes.” John’s cousin, Elijah Abel, recently came on board as a partner in the business after retiring from the Postal Service. “Elijah is also retired military,” says John. “He served six years in the Army, so we are a veteran-owned business.” After working at First Baptist Church in Madison for 20 years, John’s wife, Angie, joined the business eight months ago. Elijah’s wife, Melody, has joined Angie in the company’s office. “They run the office,
RETIRED VETERAN OWNS AND OPERATES FULL-SERVICE PEST CONTROL COMPANY Written by Susan Marquez. Photography by Abe Draper Photography.
26 • March 2022
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I DO A LOT OF WORK FOR REALTORS® AND THEY LIKE THAT WE ARE ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF PROBLEMS IN A TIMELY MANNER. Central Mississippi Real Producers • 27
