[NEWS]

SYNGENTA RECEIVES REGISTRATION OF IMPASSE TERMITE BLOCKER

GREENSBORO, N.C. — The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in March registered Syngenta Professional Products’ Impasse Termite Blocker, a pre-construction solution allowing pest management professionals and homebuilders to prevent plumbing penetrations and bath trap areas from becoming termite entry points.

"Impasse Termite Blocker is a new tool for the industry. It allows PMPs to stop termites from accessing homes through gaps caused by shrinkage around utility penetrations and bath trap areas," says Karen Westcott, marketing manager, Syngenta Professional Products. "PMPs can use Impasse Termite Blocker as an important complement to upgrade existing termite pre-construction treatments such as liquid termiticides, baits and borates," she adds.

Impasse Termite Blocker is made of a durable, construction-grade polymer with a specially formulated termiticide "locked in" between two outer layers. The active ingredient is lambda-cyhalothrin, an insecticide with excellent efficacy against termites. Efficacy data shows its unique formulation and design is 100 percent effective at keeping out termites when installed per label instructions, Syngenta says. Impasse Termite Blocker presents virtually no pesticide exposure to installers or release into the environment, the company adds.

Impasse Termite Blocker is available in various sizes to fit all pipe diameters, and there is a specially designed Blocker to fit all bath trap areas. Each Impasse Termite Blocker can be installed and tightly sealed around a pipe in about 30 seconds; protecting an entire home can take less than 20 minutes. There is no interruption to the construction process, yet at the same time there’s additional value-added protection built right into the home, Syngenta says.

WEISBURGER WRITING COMMERCIAL AUTO LINE WITH PROGRESSIVE INSURANCE

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — B. & D.A. Weisburger has added commercial auto coverage from Progressive to the general liability and other lines offered to its 4,000+ pest control and green industry customers.

"Progressive not only ranks as the fourth largest private passenger automobile insurer in the U.S., but it has an A+ (superior) rating from A.M. Best. Such a high rating assures consumers of Progressive’s relative strength and stability," said Michael Weisburger, president of the White Plains, N.Y.-based, full-service insurance broker. "We’re delighted to offer their coverage directly to our customers both old and new."

Progressive offers auto liability policies up to $1 million on a wide range of vehicle types driven for business. One of the few carriers that is national in scope, the company writes commercial auto coverage in 42 states [all except Hawaii, North Dakota, South Dakota, South Carolina, West Virginia, Washington D.C., Massachusetts, New Jersey and New Hampshire]. "We can already make direct quotes in 25 of those states," notes Weisburger, "but we’re working hard to add to our list."

Progressive has more than 350 claims offices and more than 10,000 people dedicated to claims service countrywide, with 2,200 "immediate response vehicles" to handle claims.

ORKIN NAMED TO TRAINING MAGAZINE'S TOP 100

ATLANTA — Atlanta-based Orkin Pest Control was recognized in February by Training magazine as part of its Top 100 list, which was announced at Training’s annual awards banquet. Orkin ranked 58th, as well as being named an Editor’s Choice. This is the first year the company has submitted an entry to the celebrated competition.

Training magazine annually selects 100 organizations that excel at human capital development. These companies are chosen based on criteria such as training practices, evaluation methods, and outstanding training initiatives. Orkin was highlighted in a feature article in the March 2003 issue of Training.

Orkin’s training department, called Orkin University, is headed by Dr. Bob Price, vice president of training, and includes 27 performance improvement specialists. They operate under the acronym SERVE (speed, execution, ROI, versatility, and excellence) to support employee development from the top down.

In addition to the dedicated trainers, Orkin’s division vice presidents and region managers spend three days a week coaching employees in the field. "The Training Center gives us a unique ability to make a connection with a new employee," Orkin’s Price says. "We also train experienced employees to keep them fresh on the ever-changing technological advances in the pest control industry."

In addition to the Top 100 honor, Orkin was chosen one of Training’s Editor’s Choice recipients. Editor’s Choice recipients are select companies that have piqued the interest of Training editors with the positive environments created for their workforce. This year, only five companies were selected for the Editor’s Choice list.

FMC’S NEWEST SMARTBIZ DESIGNED TO INCREASE PROFITABILITY

PHILADELPHIA — FMC’s Software Solutions Center recently released the latest SmartBiz, version 6.0, and a new feature, called Quick Scheduler, has helped create the most advanced scheduling module in the industry, FMC says. Quick Scheduler integrates the routing and scheduling functions, resulting in a more intuitive and efficient process for PCOs’ businesses.

"We have seen a double digit percentage increase in productivity since we started using the Quick Scheduler," said Mike Reynolds, director of information systems and fleet manager, for Orlando, Fla.-based Middleton Pest Control. "We use it to take the errors out of our routing and scheduling. It really makes the front-line technicians’ jobs easier."

Quick Scheduler allows users to schedule customer appointments from almost any screen in the program, without disruption of the normal workflow.

By integrating the scheduling and routing functions, Quick Scheduler searches the current schedule of appointments and offers the best times available for a new appointment based on the closest geographical fit to the technician’s route. The results are more efficient routing and scheduling, saving pest management professionals time and money.

The scheduler allows the user to view open time over a specified time by day, several days, a week or longer. Similarly, several geographical criteria are available to the user: ZIP code, geographical coordinates, map grid, city or zone.

Cross referencing performed by the program happens quickly so that the customer isn't waiting on the telephone for an extended period of time. Version 6.0 is the second phase of the SmartBiz scheduling enhancement process.

For additional information about FMC Corp.’s complete line of pest control products, call 800/321-1FMC or visit the company’s Web site at www.fmc-apgspec.com.

PESTEX 2003 – EUROPE’S LEADING PEST EVENT

BIRMINGHAM, UNITED KINGDOM — PestEx 2003, to be held June 3-4, in the United Kingdom, will be the largest pest control exhibition held outside the United States, according to the British Pest Control Association (BPCA).

The exhibition is to be held at the National Exhibition Center near Birmingham, UK. The venue is adjacent to Birmingham International Airport. There are several hotels located on the exhibition site, as well as a main line rail station, which has direct links to London and other spots in the UK.

For further information on Birmingham visit www.birmingham.org.uk.

"We have more exhibitors from the U.S. than ever before and, with still two months before the event takes place, we have pre-registered visitors from 24 countries," said Christine Selden, exhibition organizer.

The PestEx 2003 Web site at www.bpca.org.uk has a complete, up-to-date listing of all the events and exhibitors.

"We want overseas visitors and exhibitors to feel comfortable about visiting PestEx," Selden said. To that end, the show’s Web site is in French, German, Italian and Spanish and promotional flyers in these languages are also available.

This international emphasis is illustrated by the large number of overseas exhibitors attending. There are nearly 60 exhibitors scheduled to exhibit, including PCT, J.F. Oakes, Kness Manufacturing, the National Pest Management Association and Rockwell Laboratories.

On June 3, BPCA is organizing two free, half-day seminars. The first, The Fumigation Revolution, will address the future for fumigation in light of the withdrawal of methyl bromide – what plans do organizations have that relied on this active ingredient and what are the alternative options? The second seminar addresses an issue the industry faces on a regular basis – in the eyes of the general public, are the perceived risks of using pest control chemicals outweighed by the benefits they bestow. Titled There is more than one way to kill a rat – Social responsibility in the pest control industry, well-known figures from the industry will debate the worth of their products with those who aim to achieve a pest-free status without their use entirely. — Frances McKim, BPCA

TAKE THE ADVANCE ANT BAIT CHALLENGE

ST. LOUIS — To promote three of its products, Whitmire Micro-Gen is offering a special program during March and April. Buy $50 of Prescription Treatment brand Cy-Kick CS controlled release cyfluthrin plus $50 of PT Advance 375A Select granular ant bait and/or PT 388B Advance ant gel bait and receive a free sturdy, high-performance flashlight known as the G-Tech. This rubber flashlight is water-proof and will hold up under the toughest conditions.

PT Advance 375A Select granular ant bait, one of the new products from Whitmire Micro-Gen, is a bait designed specifically to target "hard-to-control" ant species. PT brand 388B Advance ant gel bait is a new product designed to control a broad range of ants, eliminates ants inside homes while working in conjunction with other exterior PT Advance ant solutions. For more information visit www.pctonline.com

N.J., S.C. APPROVE UNIVAR ONLINE CEUs

AUSTIN, TEXAS — Univar USA recently announced that the company has been granted CEU approval in New Jersey and South Carolina for its online training courses at www.pestweb.com and www.turfweb.com.

New Jersey has approved all 34 online training courses. South Carolina has approved 11.

Univar said it expects the others to be approved in the near future. There are a number of topics covered in the one-hour courses, including "core" and many category-specific areas.

With these additions, Univar now has approved online CEUs for 15 states, and expects to add more soon.

PCTONLINE TAKES MEASURES TO ENSURE MESSAGE BOARD INTEGRITY

CLEVELAND — GIE Media Inc., parent company of the PCT Media Group, has taken legal action to ensure the integrity of the PCTOnline Message Board.

Since it was introduced in September 2000, PCTOnline’s Message Board has become a popular virtual community in which pest management professionals gather to ask questions, give advice and share experiences with one another. Recognizing that the PCTOnline Message Board had the potential to be abused, PCT included a "Terms of Use" policy — a code of conduct that all message board participants must follow.

PCT recently took additional steps to further protect its users from abusive participants by filing a lawsuit in U.S. District Court against one such individual.

The complaint alleged that during the past two years, the PCTOnline Message Board had been disrupted by an individual violating the Terms of Use in a number of ways, including defaming, abusing, harassing and threatening others using the board. In addition, the complaint alleged that this individual participated in a number of racially charged exchanges and that several PCT Message Board users who were offended by the behavior stopped participating on the message board.

The PCT Media Group, acting in accordance with the PCTOnline Message Board’s Terms of Use, took appropriate action by deleting said individual’s offensive posts, informing him of his violations, and finally blocking his IP address. Despite being banned from the board, the complaint alleged that the individual regained access to the online service by signing up for user accounts with false e-mail addresses.

After several written warnings, PCT’s next course of action was to file a lawsuit in U.S. District Court.

Upon being served with the lawsuit, the defendant immediately signed an Agreed Order to: 1) permanently refrain from accessing directly or indirectly the PCTOnline Message Board, and; 2) permanently refrain from threatening or harassing any of the shareholders, officers, employees, or consultants of the PCT Media Group.

In exchange, the PCT Media Group dismissed, without prejudice, its complaint against the defendant. The Agreed Order was signed by Judge Lesley Brooks Wells in Cleveland, Jan. 27, 2003.

"Although taking legal action may seem like an extreme measure, GIE Media Inc. is steadfast in its belief that all of our message board users, as well as our employees, be protected from Internet harassment and personal attacks," said Richard Foster, president, GIE Media Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.

"The PCTOnline message board was designed to be an educational resource for our customers, providing a valuable venue for the exchange of information with the goal of educating and enhancing the professionalism of pest management professionals throughout the United States and the world," added Dan Moreland, publisher, PCT Media Group. "We will do whatever is necessary to continue to protect the ‘mission’ of our Message Board both now and in the future."

CPCO ANNOUNCES WDO INSPECTOR REGISTRY PROGRAM

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. — The Certified Pest Control Operators Association of Florida (CPCO) will be unveiling the WDO Inspector Registry program at the 9th Annual CPCO Convention on Wednesday, May 28, at the Wyndham Bonaventure Resort and Spa, Ft. Lauderdale.

Now there will be a statewide WDO inspector registration program in Florida. This registry of WDO inspectors will be made available to homeowners and homebuyers, real estate agents and others who want someone who has verifiable credentials as a trained WDO inspector.

Every year, these registered WDO inspectors will be able to gain additional training on updated topics relevant to WDO’s when they renew their registry status.

Successful participants in the CPCO WDO Inspector Registry program will be presented with a Certificate of Registration, uniform patch and vehicle decal. All registered WDO inspectors will have their names, phone numbers and e-mail addresses placed in the CPCO Registered WDO Inspector Web site so they can be contacted directly by prospective clients. The Registry will be updated every year with inspectors receiving the newest updates in WDO inspections, equipment and techniques.

To sign up for the program contact CPCO of Florida at 954/724-8806 or download the registration form, visit www.pctonline.com/events, and fax it to 954/724-8947.

BAYER REDESIGNS PROFESSIONAL SITE

MONTVALE, N.J. — Bayer Environmental Science recently unveiled the company’s redesigned professional Web site, BayerProCentral.com. The new site is a consolidation of the Bayer, Aventis pest management professional, and Aventis/Chipco sites.

"The success of our company depends on the success of our customers," explains Bayer Vice President, Chipco Professional Products, Dan Carrothers. "It’s our goal to give them an edge in the marketplace. This new site was developed with their needs in mind."

BayerProCentral.com provides valuable content to Bayer customers based on their profession — pest management, lawn and landscape care, golf course management, or greenhouse/nursery operation. Customers have access to product information, business building programs, labels and MSDS sheets.

The site goes beyond the promotion of Bayer products and programs by offering the Business Resource Center. In this section, a guest will find objective help with such industry concerns as employee management, environmental and safety issues, sales and marketing, and legal issues.

Visitors can customize their experience even further by creating a personal profile. This gives them the opportunity to join exclusive programs and subscribe to "The Insider," a free industry newsletter.

To visit the new site, log on to www.BayerProCentral.com.

CLEMSON UNIVERSITY OPENS NEW URBAN ENTOMOLOGY INSECTARY

CLEMSON, S.C. — The Urban Entomology Insectary at Clemson University in South Carolina celebrated a grand opening last fall. The new 1,300 square-foot facility was made possible by a $50,000 gift from the South Carolina Pest Control Association (SCPCA) and matching funds from many other generous contributors.

More than 40 people from Clemson, the SCPCA and other allied professionals attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony and toured the new building.

The insectary boasts four rearing rooms and a large common work area. The first room is dedicated to rearing more than 15 species of cockroaches used in Clemson’s research and outreach programs. Currently, the second and third rooms are used to rear carpenter ants and maintain field-collected termites. The fourth room houses environmental chambers in which researchers can maintain insects under different temperatures, humidities and light cycles. Presently, the chambers are used to study the foraging activity and colony interactions of two species of native subterranean termites. The main common room is equipped with a large industrial sink, laboratory equipment, computer station and countertops to maintain Clemson’s insect colonies.

To help keep insects from escaping, the front and back of the building have double-door vestibules with strong air curtains. All of the conduits for the electrical lines are caulked and the air-handling units are screened with a fine mesh. The doors all have bottom sweeps that make a tight seal with the floor and the few windows to the facility do not open. The building is also well insulated and energy efficient.

The new insectary quadruples Clemson’s insect rearing space and provides a good environment for research. Inside the front door hangs a plaque with a list of contributors.

ARROW EXTERMINATORS MAKES TWO ACQUISITIONS

ATLANTA — Arrow Exterminators Inc. announced the acquisition of All Pro Pest Control in Las Vegas, Nev., and Top Notch Pest Control in Naples, Fla.

"The All Pro acquisition falls right in line with our efforts to become more national in scope, and the Top Notch acquisition makes us a major player in the fast-growing Naples market," said Ray Crim, senior vice president, Arrow Exterminators.

The Atlanta-based company also announced a national expansion plan focusing in the Midwest, Southwest and Eastern Seaboard states.

INSECT-O-CUTOR "ZAPPERS" FEATURED ON HGTV

STONE MOUNTAIN, GA. — Home & Garden Television (HGTV) network’s "How’s That Work" program recently featured Insect-O-Cutor’s industrial insect light traps in an entertaining look at the inception and evolution of the "bug zapper."

Episode #105 will be periodically rerun. For schedule and product information, visit www.hgtv.com or contact Insect-O-Cutor at 770/939-2835. Also visit the Insect-O-Cutor Web site at www.insect-o-cutor.com.