[News — January 2004]

PCOC OPENS MEMBERSHIP TO TECHNICIANS, FIELD REPRESENTATIVES

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. — With such a large portion of the pest control industry consisting of service technicians and field representatives, why does this segment have so few association members? This question has been raised by various association leaders at the local, state and national levels throughout the years, but has never truly been addressed.

But that has all changed with the Pest Control Operators of California’s decision to allow individual (general) memberships.

In addition to company owners (and those who are designated supplemental members by owners) technicians and field representatives can become general members of PCOC for a $35 annual fee, plus any district dues (which cannot exceed $8).

"This opens the door to some 18,000 people in state of California that are licensed as technicians and/or field reps," said PCOC Executive Director Harvey Logan. "They can be more a part of their industry and have their voice heard visa via the association."

PCOC general members will be allowed to hold office in their districts and will have a vote in their districts. However, they will not have a vote at the state level and cannot become a district director.

Logan said PCOC researched through the American Society of Association Executives and discovered that no other association had both company and individual memberships.

PCOC said it needed to provide something as an incentive for technicians and field representatives to become general members, so it made an online CEU tracking program available to general members.

In California, applicators and field representatives must renew their licenses every three years and during that time they must complete a minimum of 16 CEU hours. The California Structural Pest Control Board will audit 25 percent of those individuals renewing their licenses. During an audit, applicators and field representatives must show the board proof they have taken the 16 CEU hours. Every CEU course put on in California is tracked by PCOC online. Thus, should PCOC general members get audited, they can access the PCOC online tracking system and print a report that can be used as proof that they participated in the necessary courses.

PCOC began offering general memberships two years ago and the association’s tracking system was made available to them this past October.

Part of the reason PCOC introduced general memberships was to protect itself from possible spin-off associations, Logan says. "But more importantly we’d like to have a greater segment of the industry involved in the association so that we are truly representing the entire industry and not just the owner/operator." — Brad Harbison

PEST MANAGEMENT FOUNDATION SEEKS RESEARCH PROPOSALS
DUNN LORING, VA. — The National Pest Management Associa-tion’s charitable organization, the Pest Management Foundation, recently issued a solicitation for grant proposals related to the management of structural pests and pests in urban and suburban environments.

Any submission deemed worthwhile by the foundation will be eligible for a grant of up to $50,000. Eligible entities include, but are not limited to, institutions of higher learning, non-profit organizations, for-profit businesses and individuals.

While the solicitation lists specific project ideas such as children’s health research and research aimed at determining the effectiveness of residential mosquito treatments, the foundation is interested in any proposal that pertains to the management of pests in structures and urban and suburban environments.

"Our main intent is to generate the submission of numerous different proposals," said Gene Harrington, the executive director of the Foundation. "We recognize that there are countless valuable research ideas and issuing anything too prescriptive could preclude many worthy proposals. We look forward to carefully reviewing any and all proposals."

Deadline for submissions is Feb. 1 and the target for identifying a worthwhile applicant is by the beginning of March. The solicitation is available at www.pestworld.org. Questions and proposals should be directed to Gene Harrington via e-mail at gharrington@pestworld.org.

BAYER, NPMA ANNOUNCE ‘YOUNG SCIENTIST OF THE YEAR’ PROGRAM

MONTVALE, N.J. — Bayer Environmental Science and the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) recently announced the "Bayer Environmental Science Young Scientist of the Year" contest, a scholarship and grant program for graduate students.

The program will acknowledge and financially support outstanding research that benefits the pest management industry. In 2004, scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $2,500 will be granted to three individuals whose research advances knowledge on the biology, behavior, ecology or management of pest species. One individual selected as the "Young Scientist of the Year" will also receive a $10,000 grant to continue his or her research. In addition, a $1,000 scholarship will be donated to the general scholarship fund at the schools attended by each of the three finalists.

A panel of university and industry professionals will determine the final awards, and the three finalists will present their research at the annual National Pest Management Association convention. The inaugural awards will be presented at the NPMA conference in Honolulu, Hawaii, in October.

To be eligible for the contest, an applicant must be a candidate for a master’s or doctoral degree at an accredited university. Applications and program criteria will be sent to colleges and universities this month. Submissions are due by Aug. 1.

For more information call 800/843-1702 or visit www.bayerprocentral.com.

WALTHAM’S TOM WETHERBEE RECEIVES U.S. COAST GUARD SERVICE AWARD

WALTHAM, MASS. — Tom Wetherbee, branch manager of Waltham Services’ home office, received the U.S. Coast Guard’s Sustained Auxiliary Service Award.

Wetherbee received the honor for completing 7,500 hours of volunteer service at the Coast Guard Station in Gloucester, Mass. Commander Christopher Alexander, director of the Auxiliary First Coast Guard District, presented Wetherbee with the award on Nov. 17.

Wetherbee has been a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary since 1996. He is a radio watch stander at Coast Guard Station Gloucester. The station’s area of responsibility is from Ipswich to Swampscott.

"Tom’s commitment to the Coast Guard is much like his commitment to Waltham Services," said Clarke Keenan, president of Waltham Services. "His customer service and team-building skills are readily transferable to his work with the Coast Guard. We encourage all who can do so to lend a hand in their community. He has set a fine example."

Wetherbee and his wife, Georgia, also a Waltham Services employee, live in Woburn, Mass.

FISCHER TO RETIRE FROM DOW AGROSCIENCES; PERIBERE NAMED AS SUCCESSOR
INDIANAPOLIS — A. Charles Fischer, president and chief executive officer, of Dow AgroSciences LLC, recently announced his plans to retire effective Feb. 1. Jerome Peribere, vice president, Agricultural Chemicals, has been named Fischer’s successor.

Fischer, who has served as president and CEO of Dow AgroSciences since March 1999, will complete 37 years of service with The Dow Chemical Company. He will become chairman of the Dow AgroSciences Members Committee, which is the executive board overseeing policy and investment for Dow AgroSciences.

Peribere will report to J. Pedro Reinhard, executive vice president and chief financial officer, The Dow Chemical Company.

Peribere’s nearly 27-year career with The Dow Chemical Company has spanned sales, management and strategic roles around the globe. He joined the company in 1977 as a sales representative in France for Specialty Chemicals before joining the agricultural business as regional marketing manager of Eastern Europe. In 1989, he was appointed commercial director of Europe for Dow’s agricultural business, and moved to Indianapolis, Ind., in early 1993 to assume the position of global commercial director. He became corporate strategy leader for the agricultural business and joined the Dow AgroSciences Management Board in 1997. He was named a vice president in 1998.

LIPHATECH NAMES TED BRUESCH NATIONAL TECHNICAL SUPPORT MANAGER
MILWAUKEE — Liphatech Inc. has named industry veteran Ted Bruesch as the company’s national technical support manager. In the newly created position, Bruesch’s primary role is to assist the company’s sales force in their efforts to deliver superior technical support to the pest management industry.

Bruesch, who has nearly 30 years of professional rodent control experience, most recently served as Liphatech’s Midwest district sales manager. He began his career in the 1970s as a service technician for Wil-Kil Pest Control. He joined Liphatech in 1996 as the company’s Midwest district sales manager.

"The creation of this new position raises the bar in product support and customer service," said Liphatech CEO Carl Tanner. "Ted can now focus entirely on helping our sales force provide their customers with answers to the many technical questions and issues they encounter daily, which in turn, helps them service their customers that much more effectively. Ted’s vast rodent control knowledge, combined with his deep industry experience, makes him the ideal person for the job."

In addition to providing overall technical support, Bruesch’s responsibilities will include troubleshooting challenging accounts; developing and executing training presentations for customers, state associations and universities; and writing rodent control documents and articles.

PENN STATE PESTICIDE EDUCATION EFFORTS GARNER NATIONAL RECOGNITION

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. — Penn State’s Pesticide Education Program recently was one of four such state programs to be recognized as models by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

In its publication, "Helping People Use Pesticides Safely," USDA’s Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service highlighted the pesticide safety education programs at Penn State, Purdue University, North Carolina State University and Washington State University, saying that the programs "demonstrate the commitment to excellence shared by most pesticide safety education programs."

Nationally, pesticide safety education training is coordinated by USDA-CSREES at land-grant universities. Funding is provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, state governments and other sources.

Led by John Ayers, professor of plant pathology, the Penn State program was cited for making "great strides in addressing urban concerns about pesticide issues." The publication noted the program’s outreach initiatives and its leadership of Penn State’s West Nile virus educational efforts.

The program also was lauded for producing a series of consumer fact sheets, and for creating educational materials aimed at children — including a computer-based game — featuring the cartoon character, D.B. Pest. Kerry Richards, manager of the program’s Pest Management Information Center, developed D.B. Pest to teach such concepts as integrated pest management, alternatives to pesticide use and safe use of pesticides when necessary.

In 2002, Penn State’s Pesticide Education Program trained more than 5,200 new pesticide applicators and recertified another 25,600. In addition, the program reached more than 45,000 people through educational sessions for consumer groups, 4-H youth, school children, educators, Master Gardeners and others.

For more information, visit the program’s Web site at http://www.pested.psu.edu.

SYNGENTA INTRODUCES NEW RODENTICIDE PACKAGING

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Syngenta Professional Products announced its new packaging of Talon-G, which makes the rodenticide easier to pour and place. Based on customer feedback and marketplace needs, Syngenta developed the 25-pound "Cubitainer" of Talon.

"Syngenta is pleased to be able to quickly respond to feedback from pest management professionals by offering this innovative packaging of Talon. A proven rodenticide leader, Talon is now more convenient and easier to use," said Randy Moser, professional pest management market manager, Syngenta Professional Products.

Other Talon packaging solutions that Syngenta has recently introduced include the 8 by 5-pound service container/case and the 25-gram Place Packs in a plastic pail. The 5-pound service container comes with a twist and pour spout to dispense measured quantities of pellets into stations or burrows. Due to these new packaging introductions, the 45-pound drums, the 4 by 100 by 50-gram place packs and the 4 by 10-pound packages of Talon will be discontinued.

MARATHON DATA SYSTEMS SWEEPSTAKES WINNER ANNOUNCED

CLEVELAND — Jason Winkler, technical director of Black Pest Control, Stanley, N.C., was the winner of a sweepstakes from Marathon Data Systems that ran on PCT Online September to November.

Winkler won a copy of the new Pocket PestPac software and a Dell Axim X5 Pocket PC — a combination that allows pest management professionals to mobilize their field service personnel with powerful hand-held software.

Winkler has had a long history in pest control, beginning at age 12 when he worked for his late-grandfather, Fred Winkler, owner of Bonus Pest Control, Hickory, N.C. Winkler continued working in the family business during his college years and eventually joined Black Pest Control in 1998. Black Pest Control, a 30-person operation, has been in business since 1940 and offers both general pest control and termite services.

As technical director, Winkler has a variety of responsibilities including training and supervising technicians, as well as quality control.

UNIVAR ANNOUNCES INSECT IQ cONTEST WINNER; RECEIVES CEU APPROVALS

AUSTIN, TEXAS — Univar USA recently announced the October 2003 winner of its online contest Test Your Insect IQ.

Joe Clements of Jitterbug Pest Control, Roseville, Calif., correctly answered the trivia question posed for October. The question was: "What group of South American ants has no permanent nests, but instead moves daily along with their queen, eggs, larvae, and pupae?" The correct answer was South American army ants. Clements’ prize was a Canon A40 digital camera.

The Test Your Insect IQ contest is a monthly contest that premiered in January on the Univar desk calendars and Univar’s Web site, PestWeb. Any licensed pest management professional is eligible to enter by answering the monthly trivia question. One correct entry per participant is entered into a random monthly drawing for prizes. For details on the contest, visit www.pestweb.com and click on the Test Your Insect IQ link.

In other news at Univar, the company recently announced that it has been granted CEU approval by Rhode Island for the company’s online training courses at www.Pestweb.com.

The Rhode Island Division of Agriculture currently allows only one-half-hour of credit for each course, and each course may be taken only once by a certificate holder. There are 37 courses available and more expected to be added.

With this addition, Univar now has approved online CEU credits for 23 states.

SYMBIOT SURPASSES 500

LEXINGTON, KY. — Symbiot, a national provider of multiple property services, has added its 500th partner. The ability to offer pest control services through the Symbiot Pest Management Network has boosted interest from national and regional clients as well as current Symbiot partners, and now Symbiot has sold nearly $3 million in landscape, pest control and interiorscape work, according to the organization.

"We joined Symbiot because we believe it to be an important step for us in all future business," said Brian Campedelli, president of Pioneer Landscapes Inc., Symbiot’s 500th partner. "From national pricing to [help with the immigrant labor program] H2B to business-management consulting, Symbiot gives us access to benefits we plan to take advantage of immediately." The Easthampton, Mass.-based company provides exterior landscape services and is now a Symbiot Landscape Network partner.

The Symbiot Pest Management Network has 70 partnerships.

"I joined Symbiot to ‘jump start’ my sales team," explained Jack Marlowe, Eden Advanced Pest Technologies, Olympia, Wash. "With Symbiot, not only are we able to compete on a nationwide basis, but we have increased our professionalism and confidence to go after larger, locally based accounts."

Symbiot, a national provider of multiple property services was founded in 2001. The company provides profit-building services to Symbiot partners that provide landscape services, interiorscaping, pest management, irrigation and water management, holiday lighting and decor, snow and ice removal or parking lot sweeping services. Symbiot then offers one-stop shopping for those services to national and regional clients.

For more information, 866/223-9049 or visit www.symbiot.biz.