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HANNIBAL, MISSOURI -- State Treasurer Clint Zweifel was in Hannibal Wednesday to announce he has awarded Reliable Pest Solutions, the largest privately-owned pest management company in the Tri-State area, $260,000 in Missouri Linked Deposit Program loans. The loans are being used to purchase and refinance 20 vehicles. The infrastructure investment will allow the company to add three new employees, bringing its total to 47. 

“A robust economic development plan must include tools that reward businesses for staying in Missouri – it is far cheaper to keep them here than to get them to move here,” Treasurer Zweifel said. “Reliable Pest Solutions has been providing pest management services in northeast Missouri, Iowa and Illinois for 73 years. We need to support Missouri-based small businesses like this because they support the community, their employees and make needed investments during a recovery. The company will save about $4,400 over the next three years, making it easier to keep this fourth generation family business firmly in Missouri.” 

Reliable Pest Solutions was established in Peoria, Ill., in 1938 and later moved to Quincy, Ill. After the 1993 flood, the family made the decision to move the headquarters to Hannibal, the family home. The business will use the low-interest capital to refinance 12 vehicles and purchase eight new vehicles to serve customers and hire three new employees. The business currently has 44 full-time employees with 31 based in Hannibal, three in Kirksville, Mo., two in Wentzville, Mo., two in Jacksonville, Ill., one in Macomb, Ill., and five in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. 

“My family has been dedicated to providing high-quality service to our customers, and reducing our investment costs helps us keep our bottom line strong so we continue to provide the best service,” said Mike Scholes, president of Reliable Pest Solutions. “We continue to grow and now reach from Springfield, Ill., to Boonville, Mo., to Iowa City. We have been part of northeast Missouri for more than 70 years and look forward to serving our customers for many more to come.”