Bill Welsh

Leadership comes in many forms — inspiring others to achieve greatness, facilitating change to affect a company’s growth, creating a better industry through legislative pursuits, and being successful through hard work using natural talents. With Bill Welsh, it’s all of the above.

Welsh, vice president of operations for Troy, Mich.-based Rose Pest Solutions, has had a tremendous impact on the growth of Rose in his 30+ years with the company. He’s also been a passionate industry professional when it comes to public policy matters — working on behalf of the pest control industry at the local, regional and national levels.

Welsh is NPMA’s Michigan Public Affairs Representative and has been the NPMA State Policy Affairs Representative (SPAR) in Michigan for 10 years. He’s an active member of the Michigan Pest Management Association, including serving as president from 2015-17. He’s a former at-large director on the NPMA Board of Directors and an advisory council member at the Michigan Department of Agriculture. At Rose Pest Solutions, Welsh manages staffing, coaches team members and is a key decision maker.

‘THIS IS IT!’ Welsh was an air traffic controller who had been offered a job overseas when his dad — who didn’t want him to go — got Bill’s younger brother, Rich, to convince him to get started in pest control.

“I fell in love with the business. Only two days in I said, ‘This is it!’” He worked for pest control firms in Ohio his first few years, then was recruited to Rose. “I didn’t know where the heck Kalamazoo, Mich., was,” he recalled. “They said, ‘Take a week, figure the place out, and next thing I know, May of 1991, I am the manager of [Rose] Kalamazoo!”

Thirty-three years later, Welsh looks back at the ride with fondness. “I was, at that time, a branch manager in Kalamazoo. It was a very small operation — five technicians and a couple of salespeople — and I grew it in the first few years, then was promoted to director of sales and marketing in 1996. We were maybe $12-13 million with 200 employees, an up-and-coming company, and moving forward from there.”

Greg Long, president of Indiana-based Ace Pest Control, has worked with Welsh for decades. Long was part of an Indiana legislative committee for NPMA while Welsh served on a legislative committee for Michigan. Since Kalamazoo is close to the Indiana border, Welsh joined the Indiana group and pitched in right away. “That’s how we met,” Long recalled. “He had been quite involved with Michigan legislative issues for a while, and his experience helped us. Since that first meeting, I’ve been very impressed with Bill. He’s the epitome of a leader.”

Welsh said industry colleagues like Long almost always become friends — and that’s what he cherishes the most when asked what’s the most important part of his career.

“I have great friendships here, and I developed many through Copesan (an alliance of regional pest management providers that was sold to Terminix in 2018) and NPMA and state associations,” Welsh said. “I value all of them because those are people you can go to in order to share information and learn together. I think the friendships, whether it was me mentoring someone, or someone mentoring me, those close ties are what makes this whole thing work.”

LEADERSHIP SKILL SET. Jim Ives, president of Rose Pest Solutions, has worked at Rose for 43 years — the last five as the leader of the firm. He has watched Welsh’s career flourish and grow from branch manager to regional manager to corporate management.

“Bill likes numbers, he likes to analyze them, and he also likes one-on-one coaching,” Ives said. “He likes to get people to understand their capabilities. He’ll recognize when people can do better, help them recognize it and then help them reach their potential.”

Ives added,“He also knows just about everything and always volunteers. He was affiliated with Copesan and gained a lot of knowledge working on those committees with other people from companies around the country. He really has a broad base of knowledge and sources.”

PUBLIC POLICY. Welsh said one of the most fulfilling aspects of his career has been working on public policy to affect change on behalf of Rose Pest Solutions — and for the industry overall — at the local, state and national levels.

“I’ve been working with the Michigan association for 25 years now, and I served as president three terms, but the part I’m enjoying now is working in government affairs,” Welsh said.

In Michigan, Welsh works directly with regulators. For example, he’ll be on the phone with the Michigan Department of Agriculture to discuss licensing issues or pandemic-related issues.

In Indiana, Welsh worked for several years on issues with the state’s chemists to help get bills passed. “It’s been wonderful to get some stuff done and change the dynamics for the Indiana pest control industry,” he said.

Welsh serves on NPMA’s Public Policy committee. “I’ve been involved in the preemption discussion and we are ready with a backup plan just in case. These things are going to affect the next generation,” he said.

Ives said Welsh thrives at helping the industry by working with associations. “It’s kind of his passion. He’s always been heavily involved in legislative committees both with the Michigan Pest Management Association and NPMA,” Ives said. “He likes to deal with issues. He’s very good at it, and he’s good at figuring out what people are trying to do in hopes of charting a path.”

Jim Fredericks is president of the Professional Pest Management Alliance (PPMA), the consumer-facing sister organization of the National Pest Management Association (NPMA). He has worked with Welsh on numerous occasions and considers Welsh a trusted industry colleague.

“I have had many opportunities to work with Bill over the years,” Fredericks said. “He has been an active member of the National Pest Management Association, serving on the board of directors, the Public Policy committee and acting as the state policy affairs representative for Michigan.

“Bill is an excellent resource for NPMA staff as we determine how regulatory changes could impact business operations for member companies. When I was working as part of NPMA’s Public Policy team, Bill was frequently involved in our efforts, both in formal and informal ways, on issues ranging from pesticide preemption to pollinator protection,” Fredericks added.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE. What impresses colleagues about Welsh is his passion for making a positive impact on legislative and regulatory affairs. As Fredericks noted, “He takes initiative and seeks out opportunities to engage with lawmakers at both the federal and state levels.”

When Ives pursued Welsh to become his “right-hand man” at the corporate level, he knew it would not only affect the company positively as a whole, but every employee as well, he said.

“The one thing you always think about are the relationships that he builds and this includes with suppliers and manufacturers,” Ives said. “He is very adept on the sales side and being able to persuade others.”

Ives added that Welsh has been able to take a number of management tasks off his plate “and this has allowed me to break in the next generation of leaders at the company,” he said

Long said Welsh has helped Indiana enhance its presence when it comes to regulatory and government affairs.

“He’s outspoken, and he’s able to get his point across,” Long said. “When we go into a senator’s office, he sits right down, and we get to it. He takes the lead on various things — that’s just his personality.

“If he said something, he’ll follow up, so it’s been welcoming in that regard. He’s really helped Indiana when it comes to NPMA Legislative Day. We used to have one or two representatives there and Michigan would have eight or 10. Now we’re like Michigan. We’re also far more involved in the Indiana issues we’ve faced. He’s right there as an ally for us. Even though he’s from Michigan, he does jump right in with us to help Indiana.”

TRULY DESERVING. Fredericks said that Welsh has proven himself in many ways that go beyond the normal measurement of an employee or industry veteran.

“Bill is never afraid to voice his opinion and stand up to defend the interests of the pest control community,” Fredericks said. “He is always willing to share what he knows with industry colleagues for the betterment of the industry. He works tirelessly on behalf of the industry, devoting many nights and weekends to the cause of protecting the tools and methods that the industry relies on to protect public health, food and property.”

Ives said what makes Welsh successful when it comes to advocating for industry issues is what makes him a leader at Rose.

“We’re on our fourth generation now at Rose, and we knew we needed to bring them along,” Ives said. “Bill has the most tenure and the broadest knowledge, so it’s made sense for him to help shepherd this process.”