[PCT on the Road] Challenging Times

The often negative impact of outside forces on product suppliers serving the pest management industry was a recurring theme at the Annual Spring Conference of the United Producers, Formulators & Distributors Association (UPF&DA), as about 70 attendees listened to presentations on such diverse topics as “The New Washington and its Impact on Our Industry” to the growing influence of grassroots organizations opposed to the use of pesticides.

“I believe we are in the most challenging time in our history,” said Allen James, president of Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment (RISE). “The specialty pesticide industry has been undergoing great change, and has been under great challenges for some time, and it’s definitely accelerating.”

On the legislative front, James said RISE is currently monitoring approximately 240 bills across the country, a whopping 86 percent increase over 2006. “We are under greater stress than we’ve ever been before. Right now, we consider our greatest threats to be at the local level. It’s where we are the weakest as an industry.”

In an attempt to “bring the entire industry together to work together at the local level,” James said RISE hired Grassroots Manager Stacey Pine, who also appeared on the program. Pine warned attendees that activists don’t want to limit the use of pesticides. They don’t want to restrict the use of pesticides.

“They want to outright ban (them).” In fact, she indicated 123 local municipalities in Canada have banned the industry’s products. “If you think that can’t happen in the United States, think again,” she warned.

To counter the growing threat of anti-pesticide activism at the local level, Pine urged UPF&DA members to join RISE’s grassroots initiative, whereby industry professionals regularly monitor local government for anti-pesticide legislation, alerting RISE when such efforts occur. “We need all the help we can get,” she said. “A lot of times people are intimidated by the political process. Each of you in this room has an extremely powerful voice to be exercised on behalf of the industry.”

To learn more about the program, contact Karen Reardon at 202/872-3893, or via e-mail at kreardon@pestfacts.org.

UPF&DA Honors Tom Wright With Malcolm Stack Integrity Award

Longtime distributor Tom Wright, president of B&G Chemicals & Equipment Co., Dallas, Texas, was presented with the Malcolm Stack Integrity Award at the UPF&DA Spring Conference, held April 24-25 at the Hilton Torrey Pines Resort in La Jolla, Calif.

In presenting the award, UPF&DA President Steve Levy said Wright “embodies the qualities that one would use to describe a person of integrity,” a man who holds true to his principles when all eyes are on him, as well as when no one is watching. 

Wright grew up in the pest control industry, joining the family business founded by his parents, Clayton and Anita Wright. “Tom Wright applied what he learned in college to the running of the B&G business, but more importantly, he applied what he had learned growing up, and the principles instilled in him, to the way he treated his employees, his customers and his competitors,” Levy said. “The hallmark of his leadership is that he always works to maintain positive relationships with everyone that he comes in contact with.”

The Malcolm Stack Integrity Award is named after the highly regarded owner of Bell Laboratories, a two-time president of UPF&DA, who passed away in 2006 following a distinguished career in the pest management industry.

“Malcolm Stack was a mentor of mine,” Wright said, “so this award means a great deal to me and it always will. I am humbled. It’s a great honor.”

Wright is the second recipient of the award, which recognizes individuals working at UPF&DA member companies who have “represented the industry with the highest moral and ethical standards,” according to the association’s by-laws. The first recipient of the award was Roland Rhodes, president of Rhodes Chemical Co., Kansas City, Kan., and the current treasurer of UPF&DA.

Valera Jessee Celebrates 20th Year with UPF&DA

Executive Director Valera Jessee recently celebrated her 20th year with the United Producers, Formulators & Distributors Association (UPF&DA), a milestone recognized by board member Larry Eichler at the organization’s Annual Spring Conference.

“In 20 years of working with Valera, I’ve never had an unprofessional word with this woman,” he said. “She’s a consummate professional and a credit to our association.”

Jessee, in acknowledging the applause of the crowd, said she had the opportunity to work with 10 different presidents of UPF&DA during her two decades with the association and “I’ve never had a bad president. They always brought something wonderful to the organization.”

In her closing remarks, she said, “I hope you will see your strength and continue to work together to make change.”