John M. Harris III has two lines of work that look unrelated. He founded A Grade Nevada, a pest management company in Las Vegas. He has also been the lead trainer at Las Vegas Dog Yard, which he owns with Rachael Harris, his co-founder at A Grade. He holds a certification in animal behavior.
The company draws a straight line between the two. Its biography of Harris says the dog work shaped how he approaches a job: watch first, understand the behavior, aim for long-term change instead of a quick fix. Pests, in that view, are animals with habits, and the habits point to why they showed up. So an A Grade Nevada visit begins with looking.
He came to that approach through commercial work. An earlier version of the company’s About page says he spent years with a large commercial pest control brand, servicing high-end restaurant kitchens along the Las Vegas Strip. When the pandemic closed restaurants, he used the time to study and earn his licenses. Along the way he came to see what broadcast spraying does to the surrounding environment, and the company turned toward treatments aimed at a specific pest instead of blanket applications. A 2022 business-name filing lists John M. Harris III under the name A Grade Nevada.
John and Rachael Harris founded the company together. She is its CEO and directs its integrated pest management program, the approach the company follows. Her background, the company says, is in animal care, environmental health and education, and she crafts the service protocols. John leads field operations and trains the technicians.
Integrated pest management, as A Grade describes it, combines targeted treatments, exclusion work and lower-toxicity products, with the goal of learning why the pests are there. Its approach to no-see-ums, the tiny biting midges, is a good example. The company says these insects often develop in damp soil, shaded vegetation and organic buildup rather than obvious standing water. So the job starts with a walk around the property. Technicians look for irrigation overspray and pooling, shaded patios with little airflow, dog yards and kennels, and the spots where air-conditioning condensate drains. Treatment goes only where activity is confirmed. Spraying wherever the bites happen, the company argues, tends to bring the problem back.
The commercial work follows the same logic. For offices, restaurants and clinics, A Grade concentrates on the places health inspectors tend to flag: floor drains, utility access points, breakrooms and waste areas. It keeps digital service logs so a client can show its pest program to a Southern Nevada Health District inspector. For homeowners’ associations, it walks the grounds with the board or property manager and builds a plan from what they find. On small farms and backyards, it treats for pests that bother chickens, goats and other small livestock.
Customers notice the sequence. One homeowner described getting a text 15 minutes before Harris arrived, then watching him inspect the inside of the house and explain what he planned to do before he started. Outside, in a yard of rock and a few bushes where spiders breed, the reviewer singled out how thorough he was.
The terms are simple. Plans run monthly, every other month or quarterly, with no contracts. Coverage lasts until the next scheduled visit, so 30, 60 or 90 days depending on the plan, and a one-time treatment carries 30 days. If the same pest returns in that window, the company re-treats at no charge. New infestations, and problems caused by structure, sanitation or landscaping, are not covered.
The company works across the Las Vegas Valley, from Henderson and North Las Vegas to Summerlin, Spring Valley, Anthem and Green Valley Ranch.
Its biography of John Harris ends with his off hours. When he is not on a job site, the company says, he is most likely working with dogs.