NCPMA Hosts Inaugural 'Bug Cup' Charity Golf Tournament

RALEIGH, N.C. – On Oct. 5, more than 100 golfers, volunteers and supporters with the North Carolina Pest Management Association (NCPMA) gathered at the Crooked Tree Golf Course in Brown Summit, N.C. for a charity golf tournament affectionally dubbed “The 2022 Bug Cup.” The tournament raised more than $10,000 to benefit NCPMA Charities and the NCPMA Extension Program Endowment in Honor of Mike Waldvogel.

This was the inaugural year for the charity golf event designed to raise funds for various charities, including the NCPMA Extension Program Endowment in Honor of Dr. Mike Waldvogel at North Carolina State University (NCSU). 

The Endowment supports the ongoing work of NCSU, focusing on supporting positions that directly contribute to the education of the pest management industry. Waldvogel is a retired Extension Associate Professor and Extension Specialist at NCSU’s Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology. 

Twenty-seven golf teams and 19 sponsors, led by title sponsor Syngenta, raised more than $10,000. 

“We are thrilled with the results of our first ever charity golf tournament,” said tournament director Kyle Franklin, who is a Manufacturer Representative for BASF Professional & Specialty Solutions based out of Research Triangle Park. “The Crooked Tree Golf Course was a fantastic partner for this event, and we thank them for their hospitality and phenomenal course.” 

“The Bug Cup allowed pest control professionals from across the state to come together to network and have fun while also contributing to a great cause,” said NCPMA president Marie Horner, Vice President of Government Affairs for Arrow Exterminators. 

Additional information on the Extension Program Endowment can be found at https://www.ncpestmanagement.org/endowment. 

EIGHT NEW PREMIER TECHNICIANS. In other NCPMA news, the association announced that eight individuals completed its Premier Technician Program throughout the courses offered Sept. 7-8, 2022. 

Premier Technician is a course designed to elevate a pest management professional’s knowledge of the industry through the in-depth study of at least eight key areas including ants, bed bugs, cockroaches, flying insects, occasional invaders/stored product pests, rodents, wood-boring inspection or WDIR Accreditation, and wood-destroying organisms. 

The Premier Technician program offers a continuous series of courses to help professionals develop a deeper and clear understanding of pest infestations from discovery to treatment. Individuals who complete the program must have worked in the industry for at least one year and must complete the Wood-boring beetle/Inspection course or have WDIR Accreditation through NCPMA. 

In order to maintain the Premier Technician designation, professionals must continue to take at least one, 8-hour course every two (2) years.

The Premier Technician Program is made possible through the contributions of its Strategic Founding Partners: BASF, Bayer, Bell Laboratories, Inc., Corteva Agriscience, FMC and Syngenta.