Rollins family lawsuit leads to firing of VP son

By Péralte C. Paul

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Family discord within Rollins, Inc., a major pest control company, has cost the executive vice president his job, fired by the company's board of directors which includes his father the CEO and his uncle the chairman.

Atlanta-based Rollins said Tuesday it fired Glen W. Rollins, 44, who was executive vice president of the company and president of its subsidiaries, which include HomeTeam Pest Defense, Western Pest Services and Orkin.

Gary W. Rollins, Glen's father, will assume his son's responsibilities, the company said.

No reason was given in the five-sentence news release the company issued after the close of markets Tuesday.

But Rollins' firing comes as he and his siblings, Ruth Ellen Rollins; Nancy Louise Rollins; and O. Wayne Rollins II, filed a lawsuit suit against their father, Gary W. Rollins and uncle, R. Randall Rollins.

Gary Rollins, 66, is Rollins Inc.'s chief executive officer, president and chief operating officer. R. Randall Rollins, 78,  is chairman of the company.

The lawsuit, filed in Fulton County Superior Court on Aug. 23 appears to be a dispute over the children's trusts, on which Gary Rollins and his brother, R. Randall, serve as trustees.

The lawsuit does not name the company itself.

Glen Rollins and Gary Rollins did not return telephone calls seeking comment.

The childrens' attorney, Mickey Mixson, could not immediately be reached.

The Rollins family, among the wealthiest in Atlanta, have a number of holdings beyond pest control including boat maker Marine Products Corp.

The family also has been supporter of Emory University with its Rollins School of Public Health being named for family patriarch Wayne Rollins.

A Peachtree Road Methodist Church building also bears the family name.

In Delaware, the family is known for Randall Rollins' late uncle, John Rollins, who was the Republican lieutenant governor from 1953-57.