Forging a New Path

After working with his parents in the jewelry business for over 30 years, Chad Hill had an “itch" to create something new. He never dreamed it would allow him to indulge his passion for the outdoors.

Words by Terrell Manasco | Images by Blakeney Clouse

When Chad Hill was searching for a business franchise to purchase in 2010, his brother-in-law dropped two words in his lap: Mosquito Authority.

As a boy, Chad loved to go hunting, fishing, and camping. Although he loves the outdoors, he wasn’t exactly itching to get into the mosquito-elimination business. “I was like, ‘I'm not a bug guy, really,” he remembers.

When Chad was a Walker High student in the mid-1980s, his parents, Roger and Vicki Hill, opened Southern Wholesale Jewelers in Eastgate Plaza. Chad cut his teeth in the jewelry business working after school and during Christmas holidays. “We would sell a chain and I'd drive to the wholesaler in Tennessee and buy two chains. That's how it started,” Chad explains. 

After high school, Chad majored in biology at Walker College and The University of Alabama and worked at the store whenever possible. During his junior year at Alabama, he became interested in business and changed his major to finance. When he graduated with a degree in 1995, it all “started to mesh.”

“I've always had a love for entrepreneurship,” Chad says. “When I got out of college, I started a wholesale end of our business, selling to other jewelry stores throughout the Southeast. I started Champion Charms and sold sports jewelry online. I did some rental properties.”

While at Alabama, Chad became reacquainted with a high school friend named Brandy Long. After he moved back home, they went on their first date—which led to a second. They were married in 2000. “We realized pretty quick it was a great match,” Chad says. 

The Hills’ jewelry business was growing, which necessitated the construction of a larger building. Chad was putting in long hours at the store, but his entrepreneurial spirit was as ardent as ever. “I wanted to get involved in something and be hands-off, so I started looking at franchises,” Chad says. “My brother-in-law said, ‘You ought to look at this company, Mosquito Authority.’” 

Chad initially shrugged off the idea, but after touring Mosquito Authority’s corporate headquarters in Hickory, North Carolina, and seeing their business model, he decided to pull the trigger. “I said, ‘This is a no-brainer,” he says. 

Chad continued working at the jewelry store while buying up territories to get his business off the ground. After months of hard work, the floodgates opened. “We got really busy,” Chad says. “My brother Trent jumped in and helped me out with one of our territories.”  

The business rapidly morphed into “a rocket ship that I just barely had by the tail.” Chad knew it was time to make a choice. “The hardest decision I ever made in my life was to tell my family that I had to step away and run this business,” Chad says. 

Mosquito Authority, with offices in Birmingham, Decatur, and Huntsville, now services over 3400 mosquito customers in Alabama. Chad and his team provide mosquito control for residential and commercial customers, park and recreation facilities, homeowner associations, and industrial applications. 

“This year, we started a misting systems division. Misting systems provide a fly, gnat and mosquito free environment for homes, barns, livestock and equestrian facilities,” Chad explains. “We also provide moisture barriers, foundation ventilation, full termite service and wood infestation reports for realtors."

The backbone of any company is the people who run it. Chad has surrounded himself with the cream of the crop. “We hired the best team in the world,” he says. “Caroline Ivey has been with us for seven years and heads up our customer management team. Cory Boshell and Greg Cato are our operation managers and Blake Earp, our first technician, has worked his way up to our general manager position. You've got to be able to put the right team together to grow a business and that's exactly what we've done.”

The heart and soul of the business, without question, is his wife, Brandy, who handles billing. “She is the ‘eye in the sky’ and keeps everything running smoothly,” Chad says.

Chad’s entrepreneurial spirit has inspired him to form other businesses, like Pest Authority, which eliminates termites and other pests, and Winter Wonderland Lighting, which installs and maintains outdoor lighting displays during the holiday season.

His true passion, however, is his wife and the couple’s three children: daughters Breck (18) and Emerson/ “Emmie” (13), and son, Wilkes (16). “You couldn't ask for better kids,” Chad says. When asked how that is possible, he grins. “They've got a good mama.” 

His grin widens into a full-blown smile as Chad reflects on his journey over the last decade. “I never thought 11 years ago that I would absolutely love what I do,” he says with a mix of joy and wonder. “But I wouldn't have done it without my mom and dad.”

Perhaps he is a “bug guy” after all. 78