David Poplin: Scaling Pest Control Business Through 62 Government Contracts

On this episode of Pest Control Legends, Dan Leibrandt interviews David Poplin, CEO and founder of CDS Services, the parent company of Legion Pest Management. David is a U.S. Marine veteran with more than 30 years in the pest control industry, and his service-disabled veteran-owned company now holds over 62 federal government contracts and provides pest control services to roughly 20% of all VA medical centers in the country. He also co-founded a trade school that trains veterans and the unemployed for careers in pest control. David walks through how he moved from a 100% residential and commercial model to roughly 95% government work, a shift that started with nine straight months of submitting bids and losing before he landed his first contract. From there the wins snowballed, and he explains the service-disabled veteran-owned set-aside that gives qualifying companies an edge on federal and state contracts, why the lowest bid does not always win, and how experience and CPARS ratings carry real weight with the government. He also shares how his business grew 20% during COVID with zero contracts put on hold, proving just how stable government pest control work can be. The conversation gets tactical on how David subcontracts with veteran-owned and family-owned companies across the country while keeping the government's trust, and how he landed and kept all those VA medical center contracts through referrals and high CPARS ratings. He breaks down what actually earns a strong rating, why responsiveness and communication matter more than most owners realize, and how he uses his trade school to bring transitioning veterans and underemployed workers into the industry. He closes with a hard truth every pest control owner should hear: you do not own your customers, and the relationship is something you have to keep earning. David Poplin, CEO of Legion Pest Management: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/david-poplin-ace-5255064b Facebook:   / footballref951   Website: https://legionpest.com/ Dan Leibrandt, Host of Pest Control Legends: Facebook:   / danleibrandtofficial   LinkedIn:   / danleibrandt   Twitter:   / danleibrandt   Website: https://danleibrandt.com Pest Control Legends Platforms: YouTube:    / @pestcontrollegends   Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/46XRaco... Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b06... Podcast Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 01:16 - From the Marine Corps to Pest Control 05:40 - The Veteran-Owned Set-Aside Explained 07:23 - Switching From Residential to 95% Government 08:34 - Nine Months of Losing Before the First Contract 17:28 - Landing 20% of VA Medical Centers 20:39 - Finding the Right Subcontractor Partners 27:54 - Scaling the Team and Restructuring Leadership 35:39 - Terminix Lessons and the Case for Outsourcing 40:55 - The Truth About Door-to-Door Sales 47:02 - Training Veterans and the Career Path in Pest Control 52:46 - Final Message to Pest Control Owners #pestcontrolmarketing #pestcontrolbusiness #pestcontroladvertising #pestcontrolleads #pestcontrolads #pestcontrollegends #danleibrandt #pestcontrolowner #pestcontrolpodcast