[Market Watch]

Clegg’s Pest Control

Durham, N.C.

Located in the Research Triangle Park area of North Carolina, an area known for its research and development, Clegg’s Pest Control is anticipating one of its best years ever, says President Phil Clegg. "The economic conditions in our region are pretty good," he said. "The first two months of the 2004 season, March and April, have been our best months in 25 years." Helping the company achieve such high numbers, in part, have been the weather and the company’s ability to assemble a "top-notch sales team," Clegg says. "We are utilizing some unique sales programs that are generating extra profits and rewards when goals are met," he added. Like most of the country, ants are the major pest affecting Clegg’s customers. "In response, our company is retraining salesmen and technicians to handle this pest using nonrepellents in addition to baits," Clegg said. "Our technical director has assembled a four-hour training program that each one is to attend as part of this new focus."

Rose Exterminator

Troy, Mich.

Like many Midwest manufacturers, a number of Michigan manufacturing firms have shut down recently, particularly in western Michigan, according to Russ Ives, president of Rose Exterminator, Troy, Mich. "This has meant the loss of commercial and industrial accounts due to companies going out of business, and we hope that will soon stop," he said. But there is some positive news. "The weather, however, has been very helpful for business growth, with the unusually heavy rainfall and fairly consistent rise in temperatures doing wonders for pest populations," Ives reports. Rose has followed the lead of the NPMA and PPMA by positioning the company as protectors of public health and property. "We have found that media is interested in this message, and has given us some positive press and conversation," Ives said. "Certainly, in this period of concern about West Nile virus, and our state’s bad experience in 2002, people are interested in hearing what they can do to minimize risk, and our company’s role in that."

Okolona Pest Control

Louisville, Ky.

"The pest management industry in Louisville is doing very well," said Donnie Blake, president of Okolona Pest Control, Louisville, Ky. Blake reports that the Louisville economy is stable and that the area does not have many fluctuations in market conditions, which is beneficial in maintaining and growing the company’s customer base. "However, we do not experience the tremendous growth that are common in more volatile markets," he said. "The main pest is, of course, ants. Odorous house ants are by far the driving force in our residential sales," he added. "We are selling quarterly residential customers at an unbelievable pace." In addition, he reports that the company’s mosquito program is doing well. Okolona is focusing on its mosquito management program this summer. The company also has entered the construction and remodeling market offering repair services to its customers. "We believe this is a service that will be a benefit to our current customer base and also attractive to prospective customers," Blake said.

While Syngenta Professional Products is the corporate sponsor of the Market Watch department, the opinions and market observations expressed by PCOs featured in the department are solely their own.