John L. Cook founded the company in 1928 as “North Alabama Termite Control” and provided its foundational integrity. After his death in 1950, his son John R. Cook felt compelled to honor his father’s five-year termite guarantees — and gave up a promising career in architecture to help Cook’s become America’s eighth-largest pest control company.
John R. Cook was a Georgia Tech graduate who greatly advanced the science of pest control. In the early 1950s, he changed the company’s name to Cook’s Pest Control.
The introduction of the Cook’s Pest Control name was accompanied by the company’s first official logo — marking a new chapter of growth and regional recognition.
John R. Cook added pest control service to the business and thus the name Cook’s Pest Control was born.
In 1965, a Huntsville, Alabama television station asked Cook’s to sponsor a children’s program. John R. Cook, a master marketer, suggested a Keystone Cop-style policeman as the host. Cook’s employee Jim Kearney soon became “Cookie the Cop”—a character that was comical and friendly yet personified the protection that Cook’s provided its customers.
Cookie the Cop quickly became not just the company mascot, but also part of its colorful logo. Countless TV viewers across the Southeast have seen Cookie the Cop in the long-running advertising spots featuring the jingle, “Lookie, lookie, lookie … here comes Cookie. Cook’s Pest Control.”
John and Jo Cook opened a small museum in a room in the Cook’s warehouse which held a large collection of wildlife exhibits. This would ultimately help drive the development of the Cook’s Natural Science Museum.
Mr. Cook served terms as president of the Alabama Pest Control Association and the National Pest Control Association. In 2001, the national association presented him with the President’s Pinnacle Award.
Cook’s Pest Control was awarded the Better Business Bureau’s National Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics.
President’s Pinnacle award was given to Mr. Cook from National Pest Management Association.
Brian Cook joined Cook’s Pest Control, making it four generations of the Cook family to work for the company.
History is an important part of our company which is why we published “Employee Number 2 – The story of John Cook and Cook’s Pest Control.” A detailed look into the history and accomplishments of Cook’s.
Cook’s understands that the science of pest control is continuously evolving. That’s why the company opened its state-of-the-art employee training facility in Decatur, Alabama in 2015. This training center ensures that Cook’s will continue to be a leader in pest control technology.
In 2015, ground was broken for the new Cook Museum of Natural Science, a non-profit museum in downtown Decatur, Alabama.
Cook’s opened a new office in Pensacola, the first office in the state of Florida. Cook’s now services Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, and Tennessee from its 40 offices.