Erica Brister

Erica Peden Brister (; born May 23, 1980 in Hendersonville, Tennessee) is an American entrepreneur. She is the president and CEO of U.S. Pest Protection, a pest control service company based in Hendersonville, and founder of the Tennessee Honey Festival.
Early life
Erica Brister was born on May 23, 1980. Her father is Sam Peden, former CEO and current CFO of U.S. Pest Protection, Inc., and her mother is Sheryl Peden, who co-founded the company with her husband in 1985.
In a 2016 interview with Pest Management Professional on “Women in Pest Management,” Brister reports having been involved in her family business since the age of eight.
In 2006, Brister earned a degree in Business Management from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts with an emphasis in Photography and Broadcast Journalism. She has credited her training in journalism and the arts for inspiring a narrative approach to her company’s brand: I asked myself how I was going to run a pest control company with all of my passion and inspiration for art… how am I going to apply all of that to pest control? How do we make a difference in people’s lives from a human interaction standpoint using technology? That’s the art and journalism coming out of me… I’m essentially narrating the story as I go.
Career
As Brister relates in her “Women In Pest Management” profile, in 2010 her father told her “If you want this business, come get it or I’m going to sell it.” That same year, Brister assumed the duties of President and CEO for U.S. Pest Protection, Inc. At the time of her promotion, she was reputed to be one of the youngest female chief executives in the pest control industry’s history.
Under her leadership, U.S. Pest Protection created its first technical services operation, expanding the company’s growth in residential subscriptions and commercial disinfecting services.
In 2015, Brister announced her company’s commitment to practices for the protection of honeybee colonies against colony collapse disorder (including favoring use of non-neonicotinoid pesticides).
Inspired by her personal interest in beekeeping (after taking a class at Williams Honey Farm in Franklin, Tennessee), Brister founded the Tennessee Honey Festival. The annual festival is dedicated to public awareness, education, and celebration of honey and the preservation of honeybee populations.
Personal life
Brister is married to Joshua (J.K.) Brister, a Nashville-area Christian music singer-songwriter. Since 2006, J.K. Brister has served as the company’s Chief Growth Officer. The couple have four children.

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