Biggest roach in city has met its maker

Bubba the roach in his glory days near the Southwest Freeway. Bubba the roach in his glory days near the Southwest Freeway. Photo: Houston Chronicle Photo: Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 6 Caption Close Biggest roach in city has met its maker 1 / 6 Back to Gallery

For 42 years, a 2-ton sign featuring a neon-lighted cockroach blazed over the Southwest Freeway near Westpark, a garish but iconic advertisement for Holder's Pest Control.

The 8-foot-by-16-foot sign, nicknamed Bubba, was taken down in 2004 and put in storage because Holder's had moved its offices and a new city ordinance forbade such signs when companies relocate. Though their new landlords refused to allow the sign, officials of the pest-control company expressed optimism at the time that they could bring it back someday, somehow.

Time ran out for Bubba three months ago.

In January, the steel and porcelain sign was cut up and hauled off for recycling. Last week, the company announced it had rebranded with a new name and new corporate logo on its uniforms and trucks. The new branding is roach-free.

"We didn't feel the old cockroach logo, Bubba, was very modern," said Brad Bergum, division manager of the rechristened Holder's Pest Solutions. "Company representatives from Wisconsin felt he was the wrong image. ... We knew Bubba was a landmark in Houston. But it just wasn't what we were looking for."

The new logo, Bergum explained, "is our company name - with a strike above it."

Holder's has been in business in Houston for 65 years. Since 1987, the company has been part of a national alliance called Copesan, with headquarters in Wisconsin.

As part of the rebranding announced last week, Holder's is reorganizing operations, remodeling its office on Rockley Road, putting new uniforms on employees and upgrading its service fleet.

Bergum said the business also is employing a new strategy that targets better service with technology.

"New technology is helping us to manage business better," he said. "With better field audits and spot-checking, we will improve customer service by ensuring what work is promised is what work is getting done."

"Our trained experts are innovators in the pest-control industry. They use state-of-the-art technology and techniques to keep our clients' facilities, businesses and homes free of pests."

travis.alford@chron.com