[Legislative Day] PCT On The Road: NPMA Legislative Day

Legislative Day, held March 3-4 in Washington, D.C., was an opportunity for pest management professionals to meet with their legislators and have their voices heard on a variety of issues. The event also included top-notch speakers such as former White House Press Secretary Tony Snow, sponsored by FMC, and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, sponsored by Dow AgroSciences.

For photos of Legislative Day, click here.

Rick Bell Honored with FMC Legislative Day Award

In recognition of his long history of legislative involvement, Rick Bell, vice president of government affairs and industry stewardship, Arrow Exterminators, Atlanta, was presented with the FMC Legislative Day Award.
Dan Rosenbaum, director, FMC Professional Solutions, presented Bell with this prestigious award.

“Rick is recognized by his peers as someone with not only tremendous technical knowledge, but also someone with exceptional character and ability,” Rosenbaum said. “At a time when our industry is under tremendous pressure I think that Rick Bell is the type of person who we should hold up as an example.”

During his 28-year career in the pest control industry, Bell:

• Has been an active member of NPMA Government Affairs Committee
• Was appointed to the Georgia Structural Pest Control Division in 2005 by the Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture
• Serves as current chairman of the Georgia Pest Control Association’s (GPCA) Government and Legislative Affairs Committee
• Is an active PPMA board member
• Was past president of GPCA

In accepting the award, Bell thanked FMC and the NPMA staff, as well as his family. He also recognized Arrow executives Joe Thomas, Emily Thomas and Ray Crim and the rest of the Arrow team. “I deeply appreciate you giving me the time to be able to do this job,” he said.

“I’d also like to recognize some industry professionals who shared their time and wisdom with me: Norm Goldenberg, Tom Diederich, Mike Katz and the late Bob Russell,” he said.

The FMC award is presented annually to individuals who have distinguished themselves in the pest management industry through various activities — particularly legislative involvement — and through their contributions to advancing the industry.

PCOs are operating in a political landscape filled with several potential regulatory land mines. With that in mind, PCOs took to Capitol Hill for NPMA Legislative Day to ensure that they have some say in their destiny.
Of special concern for the pest management industry is the makeup of the current Congress (the 110th). The U.S. Senate is now controlled by the Democrats 51-49, while the U.S. House of Representatives now favors Democrats 232-199.

While those margins, especially in the Senate, are slim, the significance is huge. “The party with the majority, even if only 51 (in Senate), they get leadership spots, they get the issues, they get the staff and all the money,” said Bob Rosenberg, senior vice president, National Pest Management Association. “(Democrats) go from having one-third of the total resources to having two-thirds of them. You’ve got the gavel, you set the agenda, you decide what goes to the floor. It’s an enormous advantage.”

Worse yet for the pest management industry is that several prominent leaders now in positions of power are Democrats with long-standing histories of opposing the industry, such as Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., who now chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. “This is the committee that has jurisdiction over all agencies that affect much of what we do. If she does not want the committee to consider a bill, it will not consider it.”

Still, thus far the pest control industry has been largely unscathed since the 110th Congress began in early 2007. The Democrat-controlled Congress has been focused on big issues such as the war in Iraq, immigration, energy policy and budget appropriations. But it’s expected that Congress will begin to shift its attention to other issues this year, including possibly issues that impact the pest control industry. With that in mind, PCOs who attended Legislative Day this year were there to urge members of Congress to oppose a pair of issues: 1) H.R. 3290, the School Environmental Protection Act; and 2) the inclusion of an aircraft insecticide notification provision to the FAA Reauthorization Act H.R. 2881/S.1300.

“The odds of either of these passing are fairly slim. The odds of these issues returning next year is 100 percent and they will be considered by a Congress that is much less-favorable than this year’s,” said NPMA Director of Government Affairs Gene Harrington. “The need for us to develop relationships now is really paramount. It is incredibly important that we get that dialogue started.”

H.R.3290
H.R.3290 was proposed as an amendment to the Farm Bill (H.R. 2419). Ruled as germane to the Farm Bill and prevented from actually being offered on the House floor, the measure would amend the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act to require local educational agencies and schools to implement Integrated Pest Management systems to minimize the use of pesticides in schools and to provide parents, guardians and employees with notice of the use of pesticides in schools, and for other purposes. NPMA believes H.R.3290 is one-size-fits-all legislation that is burdensome, bureaucratic and counterproductive, especially in light of the fact that 35 states already have pest management programs in place that meet their needs.

FAA Reauthorization Act H.R. 2881/S.1300
The U.S. House of Representatives included a provision in the Federal Aviation Reauthorization Act of 2007 (H.R. 2881) that prohibited ticket agents or airlines from selling a ticket in the U.S. to a customer for a flight on which an insecticide has been used within the last 60 days unless the airline or ticket agent informs the customer of the insecticide treatment, including the name of the insecticide. Some members vehemently opposed the provision, including Thomas E. Petri, R-Wis., who outlined many of the same concerns of the pest control industry. “For example, notifying a passenger when buying a ticket whether an insecticide has been used on the plane in the last 60 days before the flight is a procedural nightmare for airlines. Is it really a national problem that requires such onerous regulation?” Petri asked. “How many flights would that plane have taken and in what countries? It’s just incredible.”

Despite the objections of Petri and others, H.R. 2881 passed the House and it is pending in the Senate. Legislative Day attendees urged their representatives in Congress to reject any attempt to include an aircraft insecticide notification provision in its version of S.1300.

Legislative Day was lead-sponsored by FMC Corporation and co-sponsored by DuPont and Dow AgroSciences.

NPMA Shows Off New Headquarters

The National Pest Management Association held a formal building dedication ceremony at the organization’s newly constructed national headquarters on March 2, as part of NPMA’s Legislative Day. The ceremony included remarks from Mike Rottler, NPMA president, and Rob Lederer, executive vice president, NPMA, as well as a raising of the U.S. flag by NPMA’s executive committee: Rottler; Bruce Carter, president-elect; Raleigh Jenkins, treasurer; Kevin Kordek, secretary; Bernie Holst Jr., immediate past president; and Lederer.

In front of more than 200 guests, Rottler and Lederer used the ceremonial giant scissors to cut the red ribbon officially dedicating the association’s new building. Also in attendance at the ceremony were NPMA’s board of directors, 16 of the association’s past presidents, NPMA members and local elected officials.

In addition to sharing stories of the historic city of Fairfax during the Civil War, from the steps of the brick building Rob Lederer said, “NPMA’s new home is history in the making, and it is fitting that it coincides with the association’s 75th anniversary. I’m sure we envisioned that during this anniversary year we would move into a new building that I feel you will all be proud to call home…it will serve the association well for the next 75 years.”

Following the dedication ceremony, guests were invited inside the building for an open house, a tour of the two-story colonial structure and a reception.
Completed in December 2007, NPMA’s new headquarters building is located at 10460 North St. in Fairfax, Va.

PCT Technicians of the Year Honored at Legislative Day

As part of this year’s NPMA Legislative Day program, the spotlight was shone on the industry’s service professionals through the PCT Technician of the Year awards ceremony. This was the fifth year NPMA hosted this program, which recognizes a trio of standout service professionals in the residential, commercial and termite categories.

PCT recognized this year’s winners:

• Al Moore, Massey Services, Alpharetta, Ga. — Residential Category
• Macy Ruiz, The Steritech Group, Charlotte, N.C. — Commercial Category
• Bill Graves, Orkin Pest Control, Indianapolis, Ind. — Termite Category

“This year’s winners are leaders in their companies and communities,” said PCT Internet Editor and Managing Editor Brad Harbison. “They continually strive for excellence in all that they do. We are proud to recognize such outstanding professionals for the important role they play as protectors of public health and property.”

Harbison then introduced this year’s winners, who are profiled below.

During the past 12 years, PCT has recognized 37 Technicians of the Year and more than 180 finalists from companies of various size and make-up throughout the U.S. If you would like to learn more about this program, contact Harbison at 800/456-0707 or bharbison@giemedia.com.

Al Moore, Massey Services, Alpharetta, Ga. — Residential Category

Moore’s 25-plus years in the pest control industry include stints as a termite inspector and sales manager. He even owned his own pest control company — Guideline Pest Control. This experience helped him better understand the operational challenges of pest control. During this time, Moore lent his expertise to the Georgia Pest Control Association, serving as GPCA’s first chairman of the Forms Committee. After selling his company, Moore joined Massey Services’ Alpharetta operation, where he is regarded as a “quiet leader,” who approaches service very methodically, according to his manager, Wallace Taylor. “His stops usually take a bit longer because he not only performs the scheduled service but takes time to communicate what he’s done to make sure every customer is satisfied,” Taylor said.

Since joining Massey Services, Moore has “significantly reduced customer cancellations and has dramatically improved customer satisfaction,” Taylor said. Massey also benefits from Moore’s deep knowledge and experience at weekly meetings. During these sessions, he shares industry updates and specifics about situations that have occurred in the field.

Macy Ruiz, The Steritech Group, Charlotte, N.C. — Commercial Category

In 1993, Mexico native Ruiz and his wife, Gloria, left California for North Carolina. Soon after, Ruiz — who has a degree in forest entomology — went to work for Steritech. In subsequent years, Ruiz has set the service standard at Steritech. He services about 120 clients each month, ranging from the Charlotte Convention Center, Charlotte Bobcats Arena (home of the NBA team), Central Piedmont Community College and most of the hospitals in the city.

“It’s easy for us to say that Macy is a shining star at Steritech,” said Rich Ennis, president and chief operating officer of Steritech. “His performance record month after month is without tarnish — low extra service requests and no cancellations reflect his exceptional service ethic and that his clients trust and value his expertise.”

Ruiz is the leader of an 11-person commercial service specialist staff in the Charlotte office. He leads any field training and stresses teamwork. In addition, Ruiz routinely leads the monthly training sessions in the branch, and contributes articles to Steritech’s internal newsletter.

Bill Graves, Orkin Pest Control, Indianapolis, Ind. — Termite Category

Customers and coworkers alike have come to respect the work of Bill Graves, termite technician from Orkin’s Indianapolis office. A strong work ethic; a desire to do things the right way the first time; and a motivation to always learn more about his profession and industry are just some of Graves’ traits. “He’s always taken the initiative to further educate himself so he can perform his job better,” said Rob Sutherland, Orkin’s Indianapolis branch manager. “I’ve worked with many, many good professionals. Here at Orkin, Bill has been, by far, the best I’ve encountered.”

Graves’ background includes time spent in the U.S. Army and law enforcement. He also has a degree in chemistry — so he has the technical knowledge to understand just how various termiticides work, and the ability to precisely communicate this information to customers. These traits also have made Graves one of the office’s top trainers and mentors. In fact, those that have been trained by Graves tend to be better employees in the long run, according to Sutherland.

Forum Helps Develop Green Standards

The pest control industry took another step toward developing green service standards during a Green Council meeting held during NPMA Legislative Day.
The meeting was an important follow-up to last year’s “Going Green: Marketing to the 21st Century Customer,” hosted by the National Pest Management Association and sponsored by Nisus, to open up dialogue about green service standards.

“Our goal was to pull the industry together, to start talking about the issue and to let the speakers and the industry drive the agenda moving forward,” said NPMA Executive Vice President Rob Lederer.

Since that time, NPMA has worked to “put legs” under the issue. Lederer and Greg Baumann, NPMA’s vice president of technical services, explained the association’s two-fold approach: 

• The development of a Green Council within NPMA to continue dialogue on this subject. The council is comprised of, among others, those that attended the “Going Green” conference last year.
• The launch of QualityPro Green. Similar to NPMA’s QualityPro program, QualityPro Green is NPMA’s green certification program by which NPMA provides tools and credentials for participating companies to obtain QualityPro Green certification.

Andy Architect, executive director of QualityPro, reviewed QualityPro Green at Legislative Day. Companies that participate in QualityPro Green will be required to meet qualifications based on a variety of standards including: ongoing testing and training; customer communications; record keeping; and environmentally responsible service practices. Companies that apply will receive the professionally developed tools they need to meet QualityPro Green standards.

The centerpiece of QualityPro Green is the “QualityPro Green Orientation Manual,” which requires that participating companies adopt green service standards for accounts where they provide green service. This 13-page document currently is in the draft phase and NPMA asked that Green Council members review it and provide their feedback. NPMA hopes this document, upon completion, will be the guideline for QualityPro Green companies and also serve as the industry-wide standard for companies performing green services.

Copesan Raises More Than $10,000 for Scholarship and Research Funds

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — During its recent conference in Newport Beach, Calif., Copesan held a raffle and voice auction to benefit two programs that contribute to the future of the pest management industry. The two checks were presented at NPMA Legislative Day.

Attendees at the conference raised $5,120 through the raffle. Copesan matched this amount, bringing the total to $10,240 to be equally divided between the Pi Chi Omega Scholarship Fund and the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) Foundation. These important efforts have raised more than $24,000 during the past seven years.

Pi Chi Omega also will receive $375 raised by auctioning the “Arthropod of the Hour,” a clock with preserved insect specimens on each hour of the face. The clock was donated by Gerry Wegner, technical director and staff entomologist of ProGuard Commercial Pest Solutions of Columbus, Ohio.

Pi Chi Omega, a pest management industry fraternity, provides scholarships to entomology students. To date, the fraternity has awarded more than 60 scholarships totaling more than $70,000. The NPMA Foundation, which has been in existence for more than 30 years, provides grants for the research, development and refinement of pest management tools and techniques.

“Copesan is proud to support both the Pi Chi Omega scholarship fund and the NPMA Foundation for research” said Deni Naumann, Copesan president. “Raising $5,120 created a lot of excitement among our Partners and staff attending the event. It was also fun to witness the bidding taking place when we auctioned one of Gerry Wegner’s beautifully hand-crafted insect clocks.”

The raffle, sponsored by Interview Technologies, awarded prizes as follows:

• Grand Prize — $1,000 Home Depot gift card — Parry Ayer, Copesan
• First runner-up — $500 travel voucher on Northwest or Delta Airlines — John O’Reilly, Plunkett’s Pest Control, Fridley, Minn.
• Second runner-up — $100 Home Depot gift card, $100 Starbucks’ gift card, $100 Target gift card — Alfie Treleven, Sprague Pest Solutions, Tacoma, Wash.
• Third runner-up — $100 Wendy’s Gift Card, $100 Home Depot Gift Card — Billy Blasingame, Arrow Exterminators, Atlanta