Page 35 - South Mississippi Living - January, 2025

The Face of the Next Generation
GIANNA MILANESE
You may know her as a cute bumble bee
for Bay Pest Control, but in addition to representing the family business, Gianna Milanese is a 21-year-old college student. She’s been donning the bee costume since she was five years old.
The business began in Ocean Springs in
1955 and was purchased by Bruno Milanese, Company President in 1995 at which time it was just him and a truck. Bay Pest has grown to providing service in all of Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. Today there are 65 employees, and he credits those employees as the secret to the company’s success.
“No matter how large we grow, we’re still a family business that doesn’t outgrow our customers,” he says. “We have wonderful employees and they’re part of the family.”
Milanese also believes community involvement is key to the company’s
success. “We’re involved and part of the community serving as volunteers in multiple communities,” he says.
Bruno and Julie Milanese also have 2 sons that have grown up in the family business, Brandon and Vincent. At times they too were in commercials for the business, but it was Gianna in the bee suit that endured.
While he has no plans to retire any time soon, Milanese does look forward to slowing down and having more involvement from the younger generation. “Gianna will probably work in marketing; that’s the best fit for her,” he says. “I’m looking forward to it but it’s up to her.”
Gianna, a broadcast journalism major with a minor in marketing at the University of Southern Mississippi, will graduate this year. Next year she plans to continue her education and attend graduate school at Southern Miss. “I have a passion for sports broadcasting and
would like to do that while I’m young until my dad retires,” she says. “But I do hope to be more involved in the family business some day. I feel good about it. My parents have been a positive influence in my life.”
She has other interests including being a cheerleader at Southern Miss, a member of Tri Delta Sorority, serving the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Being a part of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, and teaching summer youth cheer camps with UCA.
Oh, one more word about that bee costume. “I’ve been wearing the same one for eight years and it barely fits now,” she says with a laugh. “I keep it on just long enough to film the commercials.”
Bay Pest Control
6820 Washington Ave., Ocean Springs 228.875.8908 | baypestcontrolms.com Facebook @Bay Pest Control
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