Business leader, philanthropist R. Randall Rollins dies in Georgia after short illness
R. Randall Rollins, a former Delaware resident and highly respected leader and influential figure in Atlanta, Ga., business and philanthropic communities, passed away Monday, Aug. 17, 2020 at Emory University Hospital. Mr. Rollins was 88 years old and had suffered a short illness.
Mr. Rollins, known as Randall and affectionately referred to as “Triple R,” was born in 1931 and grew up with his parents and grandparents on the family farm near Ringgold, Ga. In the eight decades that followed those humble beginnings, Mr. Rollins never stopped working, and the tremendous success he achieved in business earned him countless recognitions, including a place of honor on the New York Stock Exchange Wall of Fame. And yet throughout his life, Mr. Rollins remained a private and unpretentious man who readily acknowledged his humble beginnings. When asked what he did for a living, he often answered with a simple, “I am a farmer.”
Following high school, Mr. Rollins received an early business education while working for his uncle, John W. Rollins and his father, O. Wayne Rollins, in their various start-up businesses in Delaware. Mr. Rollins later enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard. Immediately following his military service, he married the former Peggy Hastings of Lewes, and resumed his business career working for his uncle at Rollins Leasing and his father at Rollins Broadcasting, both located in Wilmington.
As Rollins Broadcasting expanded, Mr. Rollins grew with it, working to grow the family’s radio and television business and acquisitions throughout the country. In a move that shocked the business world and would ultimately be described as the first leveraged buyout in American business history, Rollins Broadcasting purchased Orkin Pest Control in 1964 and soon diversified into other service industries. Following a corporate move from Wilmington to Atlanta, Mr. Rollins ultimately headed this new business and for many years juggled his Orkin responsibilities with his brother Gary while growing the media business, successfully expanding into outdoor advertising and cable television. Working alongside his father, Randall was instrumental in the successful transformation of the original broadcasting company into a more diversified service and media business which earned him a position on Rollins’ Board of Directors. Later, as Rollins Inc. entered the oil field service business, Mr. Rollins also assumed responsibility for this new venture.
In 1984, Rollins Inc. split into three separate public companies: Rollins, Inc. (pest control), Rollins Communications Inc. (broadcasting and outdoor advertising), and RPC Energy Services Inc. (oil and gas services). Mr. Rollins became the president and chief operating officer of Rollins Communications as well as the chairman of the board, chief executive officer, president and chief operating officer of RPC Energy Services Inc. Following the death of his father in 1991, Mr. Rollins became the chairman of the board of Rollins Inc. In 2001, Mr. Rollins became the chairman of Marine Products Corporation following its formation as a spinoff from RPC Inc. Mr. Rollins also oversaw the operations of the family’s numerous private companies and investments, including Hydradyne LLC and Rollins Ranches LLC.
Mr. Rollins’ strong work ethic, innate curiosity and relentless focus on continuous improvement closely followed his father’s entrepreneurial spirit, which created an enduring American success story that spanned several generations. For almost 50 years, Mr. Rollins worked alongside his younger brother and valued confidante, Gary W. Rollins. The two brothers strictly adhered to the values instilled in them by their parents and grandparents while carving out successful careers.
Mr. Rollins’ strong moral compass and expansive business knowledge allowed him to steer many successful public and private companies in a variety of industries. Grounded in principles he learned at an early age, Mr. Rollins worked to improve every business in which he was involved, whether large or small, established or start-up. Mr. Rollins was always willing to consider something new, and if he became involved, he was always determined to leave it better than he found it. He remained true to the tenets laid out by his father and mother that the most important things in life are faith, morals, integrity, honesty, hard work, perseverance and education. His own life served as constant reminder of those principles.
Mr. Rollins’ business insights and vast experience also made him a valued member of a number of public company boards of directors, including SunTrust Banks, Dover Downs Gaming and Entertainment, and Dover Motorsports. He participated in a number of philanthropic endeavors, which have deeply impacted a wide range of educational, healthcare and other community efforts. Locally, these beneficiaries include Beebe Healthcare, including the Margaret H. Rollins School of Nursing, the Lewes Historical Society and the Margaret H. Rollins Community Center, Bethel United Methodist Church, the Lewes Public Library and Children’s Beach House. He and his wife Peggy have also been long-standing members of the Lewes Yacht Club.
Above all else, Mr. Rollins was driven by love and loyalty toward his family, and he especially enjoyed the 50-year tradition of the always-entertaining family trips and summer weekends spent in Lewes.
Mr. Rollins was preceded in death by his parents, O. Wayne and Grace Crum Rollins, and his daughter, Rita Anne Rollins. He is survived by the love of his life, Peggy Hastings Rollins, his wife of 67 years; and his children, Richard Rollins, Pamela Rollins, Robert Rollins, Timothy (Andrea) Rollins and Amy Rollins Kreisler (Nevin); his brother Gary W. Rollins (Kathleen); 18 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Mr. Rollins will be interred in the family mausoleum at Arlington Memorial Park in Sandy Springs, Ga. A private service will be livestreamed and may be viewed Friday, Aug. 21, at 2 p.m. at: https:// livestream.com/accounts/954769/events/9263518.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Margaret H. Rollins School of Nursing at Beebe Healthcare.
