[Viewpoint] Congratulations All Around

December is traditionally PCT’s "celebration" month. Each year we honor lots of different companies and individuals, and this issue is no different.

First, every December we honor a "Professional of the Year," someone who has shown leadership throughout his or her company/organization, as well as throughout the entire pest management industry. This year, after discussions with many prominent members of the pest control industry, PCT selected Glen Rollins, president and chief operating officer of Orkin in Atlanta.

While some PCOs criticize Orkin (and other large pest control firms) for their errors, the fact is that everyone makes mistakes. (If you’ve never made a mistake, give me a call. I’ve got a job at this magazine for you.) I’m not saying that some Orkin employees haven’t made mistakes that made the 6 o’clock news, but the reality is that the company has such a high volume of work that even if errors are made in a small percentage of the accounts the company treats, it’s a big number. Another challenge is that a company that’s as large as Orkin is a target. Society is filled with those who are out to make a quick buck at the expense of a company with deep pockets. The litigious nature of the world today makes many people and companies — whether they’ve done wrong or not — a target.

Glen Rollins has infused Orkin with renewed energy and a fresh perspective. In an interview I did for his profile someone told me making a change at Orkin is like turning the Titanic. The company is so large, with so many levels of decision makers — and it’s publicly held — that it takes a while to make waves. But Glen is doing just that. There are many reasons we chose Glen, but perhaps the most obvious is that he helped orchestrate Orkin’s purchase of Western Pest Services, a $72 million company based in Parsippany, N.J., which will strengthen the company’s business operations in the Northeast. To those who know Glen Rollins, I’m sure they agree we chose a winner for this year’s Professional of the Year.

Second, this issue was mailed with PCT’s Technician of the Year Awards supplement, sponsored by Syngenta Professional Products. Congratulations to this year’s honorees: Scott Leeman, Rottler Pest & Lawn Solutions, St. Louis. Mo. — residential category; Scott Sander, Action Pest Control, Evansville, Ind. — commercial category; Al Smith, Cooper Pest Solutions, Lawrenceville, N.J. — termite category. This year’s awards competition marks the ninth straight year in which PCT and Syngenta have honored a trio of the industry’s most outstanding frontline professionals in the commercial, residential and termite categories, as well as finalists in these categories. We hope you enjoy reading about this year’s winners and we encourage you to participate in next year’s competition by nominating your company’s top pest management professionals in spring 2005.

Finally, on page 36, we also congratulate the winners of the Bayer Environmental Science and National Pest Management Association’s "Young Scientist of the Year" contest. The three winners — Chad Gore, Donald Oswalt and Marc Fisher — were honored at the NPMA conference in October. Be sure to watch upcoming issues of PCT for reports of their research.

The author is editor of PCT magazine.