A PestWorld Homecoming

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — PestWorld 2008 returned to the Washington, D.C. area, the site of the first such convention 75 years ago this past October.

It occurred just as the United States was jolted with the ongoing financial crises — one of the largest in its history — and just a few short week’s prior to the historic election of President-elect Barack Obama.

A testament to the dedication of NPMA members is the fact that, despite these challenging times PestWorld 2008 was attended by more than 3,000 professionals.

This year’s conference took place in suburban Washington, D.C., at the fancy Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, which features an 18-story glass atrium. This hotel is a far cry from the inaugural convention’s location — the Continental Hotel in Washington, D.C, where on Oct 2, 1933, 50 members of NPMA — which at the time was called the National Association of Exterminators and Fumigators — gathered.

SIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCES. NPMA Executive Vice President Rob Lederer used the opening session at PestWorld 2008 to reflect on both the history of NPMA and the pest control industry. Interestingly, the United States was undergoing a political change and was in the midst of a financial crisis at that time as well.

In 1933, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was inaugurated as thirty-second President of the United States, and shortly thereafter enacted several reforms aimed at lifting the U.S. out of the Great Depression.

Similarly, the election of Obama also represents a political shift, as it will bring a Democrat back to the White House for the first time in eight years. Perhaps of equal or greater significance to pest management professionals was the outcome of’08 Senate elections. Democrats picked up eight Seats, giving them 57 in the next United States Senate (three Seats were still undecided at press time). If any one party has 60 seats in the Senate they will have a filibuster-proof majority, making it much easier to pass legislation. Generally speaking, the Republican party has been more friendly to the pest control industry because its agenda is more pro-business and less focused on environmental issues (e.g., pesticide issues).

Against that backdrop, a “friendly” debate was held during PestWorld 2008 between politicos Bob Beckel (Democrat) and John Kasich (Republican). The session was sponsored by FMC Professional Products. Kasich, a former U.S. Senator from Ohio, and Beckel, who was the campaign manager for Walter Mondale's 1984 Presidential campaign, squared off in a spirited debate.

Kasich was critical of his own party for what he called “deterioration of the soul.” During the past eight years, the GOP has engaged in high spending, been plagued by corrupt congressional members such as Ted Stevens (R-Ala.), and generally has governed ineffectively.

Beckel concurred with Kasich about recent Republican mistakes, and he added that not since the 1930s have Democrats had such an opportunity to seize such governmental prowess. But that control will not ensure success if Republicans and Democrats don’t do a better job “reaching across the aisle,” Beckel added. “This polarization that has seized control of politics has got to end. (Congress) has to seek common ground and find solutions.”

Kasich added that a Democrat-controlled House, Senate and Presidency could bring forth a “plethora of regulations,” some of which could impact PCOs. “If you really want to stop a torrent of legislation against your industry, remember that your (Congress person) works for you. When you meet with them be polite, be respectful, but be firm.”

NEWS & NOTES. Politics aside, PestWorld 2008 proved to be another valuable event for all involved. In addition to the Kasich-Beckel debate, attendees heard from Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr, whose session was sponsored by Dow AgroSciences, and had the opportunity to visit the O. Orkin Insect Zoo at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, for a party sponsored by BASF.

Once again the exhibit floor was filled with attendees who where interested in checking out the latest offerings from leading manufacturers and service providers.

A wide variety of pest- and business-related sessions were held during PestWorld ‘08, with subjects ranging from “The Biology, Behavior and Control of Urban Ant Pests” to “Guerilla Marketing for PMPs.”

PestWorld 2009 is scheduled for Oct. 26-29, 2009, at the The Venetian Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nev.

LUCKY WINNERS

• Bayer Environmental Science, along with the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), at NPMA PestWorld announced the finalists and winner of the third Bayer Environmental Science “Young Scientist of the Year.” The winner was Ricky Vazquez, from the University of Florida, whose research focuses on how the nesting and foraging behaviors of Bigheaded Ants and Caribbean Crazy Ants affect the development of super colonies. Vazquez will receive a $2,500 scholarship and a $10,000 grant to further support his research. Finalist Dong-Hwan Choe, from the University of California-Riverside, is researching the necrophoric behavior of the Argentine ant and it implication on the horizontal transfer of slow-acting insecticides. Choe will receive a $1,500 scholarship. Finalist Nicola Gallagher, from Ohio State University, is conducting research to understand termite-mediated alteration to food items by the Eastern Subterranean Termite. Gallagher will receive a $1,000 scholarship.
• Roger Lewis, president of Lewis-Cobb Pest Control, Orlando, Fla., was selected as the winner of a new 2009 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy® presented by FMC Professional Solutions, a business unit of FMC Corporation, at the 4th annual FMC-sponsored Afterburner Party at PestWorld 2008. The Fat Boy was awarded by John Miller, national sales manager of FMC Professional Solutions, during a random drawing at the Afterburner Party on Oct. 23. PMPs were mailed entry forms prior to NPMA and they were also able to register at the FMC booth during the show hours.
• Terri Garren, owner and operator of Bug Lady Pest Solutions in Olympia, Washington, won a fuel-efficient Smart Car from BASF Professional Pest Control during PestWorld 2008, in Washington, DC. BASF gave the Smart Car away to promote a smarter approach to pest control, including how pest professionals like Garren can use effective products and application methods to support responsible resource management.
• Therma-Stor Products, maker of the Santa Fe and Ultra-Aire dehumidifiers, hosted an ongoing card game during PestWorld 2008 in October. Dennis Griffin, president of Griffin Exterminating in Goldsboro, N.C., won a free Santa Fe Compact high-efficiency, dehumidifier with a full house.

Cal Ripken Jr.’s Eight Steps to Success
Baseball’s Iron Man spoke to a packed house about leadership and success at the 2008 PestWorld convention near Washington, D.C. Cal Ripken Jr. retired from baseball in 2001 after 21 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles. He is one of only eight players in history to achieve 400 home runs and 3,000 hits.

In 1995, Ripken broke Lou Gehrig’s record for consecutive games played (2,130) and voluntarily ended his streak in 1998 after playing 2,632 consecutive games. Although he finished his career at third base, this future Hall of Famer is still best known for redefining the position of shortstop.
During the standing-room-only keynote session, sponsored by Dow AgroSciences, Ripken outlined his eight steps to reach personal and professional success:

1. Take the right approach. Ripken said his position as shortstop and his longtime record as a great hitter sometimes put a lot of pressure on him. When he would get in a slump, he would really beat himself up, and sometimes question if he should take a day off. So, one day he took his case to teammate Rick Sutcliffe. The six-foot-eight-inch, 260-pound pitcher said if Ripken took a game off, the story would certainly appear all over the newspaper: the sports page, the front page, maybe even the business section. But he told the Iron Man that his name would certainly appear in another section he hadn’t yet thought of if he skipped a game: “The obituaries, because I’m gonna kill you.” That encounter made Ripken realize that he was more than just a hitter for his team. The rest of the squad relied on him. “My job is just to be available to the manager,” Ripken said.

2. Have a strong will to succeed. When Ripken was a young ballplayer, he became very upset when things wouldn’t work his way. He would throw tantrums, helmets, even his fists, because he wanted to win so badly. But his parents encouraged him to channel that inner drive and power to more positive endeavors: running, doing pushups or practicing his fielding. “That’s what it is, it’s power inside of you,” he said.

3. Be passionate. Ripken credits his many successes to the fact that he truly enjoyed what he did for a living.“I absolutely loved every minute of what I did,” said Ripken. During the 1988 season, his team started 0-21. “It was the love of what I did that got me to the other side.”

4. Be competitive. Ripken came up through the baseball system as a third baseman. One day, his manager tried him temporarily at shortstop. That "temporary" move lasted 15 years. But when new, younger players would come up and gun for his position, he wouldn’t turn them away. He would give them advice and try to make them feel comfortable. But, when it came to doing drills on the field, he was out to beat them on every play. “You shouldn’t be satisfied with who you are. You should always strive to be better,” he said. “Try and find something that will give you that edge.”

5. Be consistent. Hitting homeruns for the Orioles was great, Ripken said, but he could do much more than that. He could sacrifice fly, he could bunt, he could bunt for a hit, he could steal a base, he could even call pitches when he had to. He told the audience that they should look outside their skill set, and find things they can do that other members of their team can’t (or don’t). That makes you irreplaceable, he said, and allows you to define your own true value to your organization. 

6. Be a person of conviction. Stand up for yourself when you know you’re right, Ripken said. Be courageous and stubborn if you have to.

7. Be strong. A baseball player’s physical and mental strength are his primary tools for success. Ripken said business owners should find out what their main tools are, and focus on maintaining them. “Don’t forget about your tools. Keep them sharp,” he said.

8. Manage your life well. During his tenure with the Orioles, Ripken played for nine different managers. That’s a lot of different management styles and opportunities for his role with the team to change. He couldn’t control who a new manager would be, or how he would run the team, but he could work with his new boss.

Whenever a new manager would come to the team, Ripken would go into his office before spring training and ask him what he thought Ripken’s role would be. He would listen, and then offer his own perspective on the upcoming training and season: He needed to focus more on his fielding and spend more time in the batting cages, and then play more on the field as the season approached. 

“Change came to me,” he said. But by making himself available and by working with his boss, Ripken was able to establish his own place with the team.

Ripken closed his talk with a quote from Teddy Roosevelt: “Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”

Then, he simplified the message through a baseball filter: “You can’t accomplish anything from the sidelines,” he said. “You’ve got to have the courage to get in the game.”

After the session, NPMA raffled off an autographed No. 8 jersey. Barbara Nixon, American Pest Management, Takoma Park, Md., won the jersey, and gave it to her son Matt, a longtime fan of the Orioles.