[News]

PPMA Releases Results of Pest Control Attitudes and Usage Survey

FAIRFAX, Va. — Late last year, PPMA released the results of its 2013 Pest Control Attitudes and Usage Survey results.

The Professional Pest Management Alliance (PPMA) commissions a national survey every three to five years to answer questions like “Why do consumers use professional pest control services?” and perhaps more importantly, “Why don’t consumers use professional pest control services?” and explore the opinions of homeowners across the United States.

PPMA invests in consumer research to help shape the industry’s national marketing presence, but the survey results also can be helpful to pest professionals and the suppliers who support them as they work to better understand the concerns and attitudes of their customers. Additionally, the results can be used as a resource when crafting individual companies’ marketing messages, which aim to educate the media and homeowners about the value of professional pest management.

A few highlights from the survey:

• 29 percent of those not currently using professional pest control said they would be extremely or very likely to use a professional in the future compared with 17 percent who indicated that in 2010.
• 57 percent of the public feels positively about this industry vs. 40 percent who did in 2010.
   

The study results offer a look at what pests consumers most fear, insights into buying decisions and perceptions about the professional pest management industry. The survey consisted of self-administered online interviews from 1,001 homeowners, each with a household income of $60,000 or more. The household profile breaks down as such:

• 78 percent are married
• 41 percent have children younger than 18
• 67 percent have pets
• 61 percent live in a suburban community
• Collectively, these homeowners mirror a national sample on several key dimensions, including age, gender and geography.
• The responses were collected between Sept. 5-10, 2013.
   

The information offers significant insight to aid PMPs in marketing and planning for the years ahead. The full survey results are only available to PPMA Guardians and Contributors. To learn more about PPMA, visit www.npmapestworld.org/ppma.
 

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Despite Snow, 78th Annual Purdue Pest Management Conference Goes On

Editor’s note: The annual Purdue Pest Management Conference features the latest research findings and field observations from renowned industry speakers, as well as an exhibit hall filled with product innovations from various industry suppliers. The Purdue Conference Planning Committee had put together another stellar lineup of speakers and topics for this year’s conference but unfortunately, Mother Nature did not cooperate. Indiana was crippled by blizzard-like conditions and sub-zero temperatures that closed the university on Jan. 6 (the first day of the conference). The conference resumed on Jan. 7.

Purdue’s Gary Bennett provided the following recap of this year’s memorable event in West Lafayette, Ind.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — About 50 pest management professionals gathered in the Purdue Union Club Hotel and other local hotels Jan. 5 for the 78th Purdue Conference scheduled to start Jan. 6.

Speakers Ted Granovsky, Dale Hodgson, Pat Hottel, Jay Kelley, Drew Martin, Jeff McGovern, David Mueller, Arnold Ramsey, Mark (Shep) Sheperdigian and Gerry Wegner were present, and in consultation with the others present, decided to proceed with the conference program despite the closure of Purdue’s campus due to 8 to 10 inches of snow on the ground and blizzard conditions. With Shep, Scott Robbins, Gene White, Ted Granovsky and Jeff McGovern filling in for speakers who couldn’t get to Purdue, the updates on spiders, flies, carpenter and odorous house ants, and rodents were admirably covered.

The 50 or so “pioneers” met the first afternoon in the Exhibit Hall (with Scott Robbins providing the AV equipment and Shep helping out with his laptop). The second and third days of the conference were held in regular classrooms in Stewart Center (courtesy of room keys provided by Purdue Memorial Union staff). Attendance numbers jumped dramatically on the second day with an additional 50 PMPs joining the conference.

The 78th Purdue Conference will be remembered for its unique organization and delivery. The program was reshaped daily to match speakers with the topics on the program. Those knowledgeable with the subject matter were inserted on short notice for those speakers who could not get to the conference, and in every case, these substitute speakers did a wonderful job. Meetings were held in places where we had never had meetings before, and audio-visual equipment just happened to be available because Scott Robbins had the equipment in his vehicle. Food and beverage was virtually unavailable for a day or two. It was truly a great example of the “can do” spirit of the pest management industry.

Next year’s Purdue Pest Management Conference will be Jan. 12-14, 2015.— Gary Bennett

 

Date Book

Send your announcement at least 14 weeks in advance to jdorsch@giemedia.com. For additional dates, visit www.pctonline.com/events. March 9-11: NPMA Legislative Day 2014, Washington, D.C. Contact: See Jan. 9. March 20-22: NPMA/CPMA’s Pest Management Canada 2014, Mont Tremblant, Quebec. Contact: See Jan. 9. April 22-24: UPF&DA Spring Conference, Rosen at Shingle Creek Property, Orlando, Fla. Contact: www.upfda.com. May 18-21: 2014 biennial National Conference on Urban Entomology, San Antonio, Texas. Contact: http://ncue.tamu.edu. June 2-4: 11th International Fumigants & Pheromones Conference, Krakow, Poland. Contact: Visit www.insectslimited.com. June 4-5:  2014 IPM for Food Plants Seminar, Hershey, Pa. Contact: Richard Kammerling, 631/421-1120 or visit www.rkchemical.com/trainingandseminars.htm. June 17-18: PCT Top 100 Awards Ceremony and Executive Summit, Hyatt Regency San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas. Contact: Kim Anderson, 330/523-5362. July 17-19: NPMA Academy 2014, Westin La Paloma Resort, Tucson, Ariz. Contact: See March 9-11. July 24-26: NPMA Mid-Atlantic/Carolinas Summer Conference, Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort, Wrightsville Beach, N.C. Contact: See March 9-11. Oct. 21-24: PestWorld 2014, Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin, Orlando, Fla. Contact: See March 9-11. Nov. 16-19: 62nd Entomological Society of America’s Annual Meeting, Entomology 2014, Portland, Ore. Contact: www.entsoc.org/entomology2014.

America’s Wildlife Problems a Recent Time Magazine Cover Story

NEW YORK CITY — Time magazine’s cover story for its issue the week of Nov. 27 was “America’s Pest Problem: It’s Time to Cull the Herd,” and it focused on why wildlife in the United States needs stronger management.

The article noted that Americans now live, work and play in closer proximity to untamed fauna than any other generation of Americans in more than a century.

Some examples highlighted in the article include:

“Faced with an outbreak of Lyme disease and rising deer-related car accidents, the city council of Durham, N.C., authorized bow hunting inside city limits in November. Authorities in San Jose, Calif., in the heart of Silicon Valley, voted to allow hunting wild pigs within that city in October. Rock Island, Ill., one of the five Quad Cities on the Mississippi River, recently approved bow hunting in town, provided that it occurs in green spaces — golf courses, parks, cemeteries — or on private land.”

Read the issue here: http://ti.me/1cjg6YC.
 

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Industry Educator Doug Palmer Passes Away

DAVIE, Fla. — Dudley (Doug) Palmer, who headed up the Pest Control Technology program at Broward Community College for more than 30 years, died on Nov. 16. He was 81.

Palmer was a University of Florida graduate who majored in entomology and horticulture. Prior to joining Broward College he worked for the Florida Department of Agriculture, Division of Plant Industry as a plant inspector.

While at BCC, Palmer started the Pest Control Tutoring School, which was the first of its kind tutoring students on how to take the state of Florida pest control exams. Palmer taught hundreds of students about insects and pest control. Many of those students eventually went into business for themselves.

Palmer retired from Broward College in 1994 and moved to Avon Park where he lived until his passing.
 

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Naffziger Forms Product Development Consulting Firm

ST. LOUIS — David H. Naffziger has established a product development consulting firm, DHN Solutions in St. Louis.

In this new position, Naffziger will work with companies to develop products in the professional pest control market, greenhouse, turf and ornamental markets, animal health market and the ag market. Specific services will include identifying and reviewing product offerings, identifying new technology for licensing, product design, product efficacy studies, toxicology studies and EPA registration package compilation.

Naffziger most recently worked for BASF as a senior research associate. Before that he was business development/senior research scientist for Whitmire Micro-Gen, where he identified and developed products for the professional pest control industry.

Throughout his career, he was instrumental in developing numerous products and EPA registrations as well as licenses in the European market, Mexico, Canada and South American and Asian countries.

Naffziger has degrees in chemistry from the University of Northern Iowa and the University of Iowa.

DHN Solutions can be reached at 636/439-7047 or at dhnaffziger@yahoo.com.
 
 

Comings & Goings

If your company has added new personnel, send a photo and press release to jdorsch@giemedia.com.   Dow AgroSciences named Ty Ferraro product manager for its U.S. Pest Management Baiting and Monitoring business. In his new role, Ferraro will be responsible for marketing of the Sentricon System, Halo Electronic Termite Detection and Hex-Pro Termite Baiting System. Ferraro joined Dow AgroSciences in June 2013, and replaces Jill Zeller, who was named U.S. brand manager for the Enlist Weed Control System for Dow AgroSciences. The Professional Pest Management Alliance appointed Andrew Klein to its board of directors. Klein is president of Assured Environments in New York. There have been several promotions at Truly Nolen. Dean Lampert has been promoted to branch manager of the Port St. Lucie Branch of Truly Nolen of America. Anthony Molina has been promoted to branch manager of Truly Nolen’s East Tucson branch. Greg Bohne was named branch manager of the company’s flagship location in Tucson. After leading his Fort Myers, Fla., team from No. 23 to the No. 1 rank in company sales, Truly Nolen Branch Manager Ken Smith has been promoted to district manager of the Southwest Florida region. Lance Washington has been promoted to district manager of the South Florida region of Truly Nolen. Chris Mure has been promoted to branch manager of Truly Nolen of America’s South Miami branch. Truly Nolen has hired three full-time employees at the newly opened, independently owned and operated franchise in Omaha, Neb., including Service Specialist Mark Wagoner, Service Coordinator Noe Flores and Sales Manager Mike Losole. Joellen Lampman, a Cornell University alum, has joined the staff of the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program at Cornell as a community IPM specialist focusing on the nearly 700 school districts and 20,000 day-care centers and those who care for the turfgrass that covers about 11 percent of the state. Florida’s Reynolds Pest Management has added Robert Hendricks to its team. Hendricks has nearly 30 years of experience in household pest control, termite, fumigation and wildlife trapping. AJ Treleven has been promoted to service center manager of Sprague Pest Solutions’ Salt Lake City, Utah, service center. Treleven started his career with Sprague as a service technician during college, joining the firm full-time in 2012. Phil Cooper, owner of Cooper Pest Solutions and BedBug Central in Lawrenceville, N.J., was awarded the Corporate Citizen of the Year from New Jersey’s weekly business journal, NJBIZ. Cooper has been an avid supporter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society for years and also has helped those in need receive free bed bug services as part of BedBug Central’s holiday charity, “Taking the Bite Out of the Holidays.” Norman Cooper, an NPMA past president, joined PCO Bookkeepers as a director, managing the firm’s merger and acquisition and family succession planning practice. Tony Massey, president and COO of Massey Services, has been appointed vice chair of the Heart of Florida United Way (HFUW) 2013-14 fundraising campaign.

Bob Dold Featured in New York Times Story on 2014 Election

CHICAGO — Rose Pest Solutions’ Bob Dold, a former congressman who represented the 10th District of Illinois, was featured as part of the recent New York Times article “G.O.P. Firebrands Tone Down Their Message and Run Again.”

Dold is seeking a political resurrection in November’s election, after serving one term on Capitol Hill.

Visit http://nyti.ms/1m91yzR to read the article.
 

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Pappas Honored for Contributions to the Industry

HOUSTON, Texas — With his family beside him, Emile Pappas was honored at the Greater Houston Pest Control Association’s annual holiday party in December in Houston, Texas. Mark Foltz, the president of GHPCA, presented Pappas with a certificate from the president of the Texas Pest Control Association, Kerry Maples-Batterman, recognizing his contributions to the industry. The party also celebrated his 88th birthday.

Pappas began in the pest control industry in 1942 in Mobile, Ala., at the age of 16. During WWII, the Navy discovered he had pest control experience and asked if he could rid a hospital ship of Pharaoh ants that were transmitting staph infections to wounded soldiers. Since early pest control operators had to mix their own pesticides, he agreed as long as they provided him the ingredients for his bait — for which he had to dissolve thallium sulfate in boiling water on the deck of the ship. Pappas successfully eliminated the ants and was asked to perform this service many times during WWII. Pappas also served during the Korean War.

He eventually moved to Houston where he began VP Exterminators. When he sold his company to his son this past year, 68 of his regular customers had been using his services since the 1950s.

Pappas consulted, lectured and helped many leaders in the industry over the years and was a regular fixture at National Pest Control Association meetings.

Videos of Pappas stories are posted at www.youtube.com/bravofincannon.
 

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Fumigants & Pheromones Event: ‘Pest Management Around The World’

WESTFIELD, Ind. — The 11th International Fumigants & Pheromones Conference will be held June 2-4, in Krakow, Poland. The theme of the conference is “Pest Management Around the World.”

The program includes two days of presentations on current issues in pest management, with day three offering various guided excursions in and around the historic city of Krakow. The UNESCO Wieliczka Salt Mines will be the venue for this year’s gala dinner on June 3.

Professor Stanislaw Ignatowicz from Warsaw University of Natural Sciences will welcome guests to his country. For conference information and registration, visit www.insectslimited.com.
 

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UPF&DA Spring Conference to be Held in April in Orlando

ORLANDO — The UPF&DA Spring Conference will be held April 22-24, at the Rosen at Shingle Creek Property in Orlando. There will be a golf outing on Tuesday morning, April 22. For reservations, call 866/996-6338. Price per night is $235.

To learn more about UPF&DA, visit www.upfda.com.

 

PCO News

Please send press releases about your firm to jdorsch@giemedia.com.   The following companies have earned Angie’s List Super Service Award for 2013, reflecting an exemplary year of service provided to members of the consumer review service:  Scherzinger Pest Control, Cincinnati, Ohio A Humphreys Insect and Rodent Control, Stirling, N.J. Inspect-All Services, Conyers, Ga. Thomas Pest Services, Albany, N.Y. Heron Lawn and Pest Control, Orlando, Fla. Hometown Pest Control, West Palm Beach, Fla. Gannon Pest Control, Syracuse, N.Y. BugsDotCom of Waco, Texas, has changed its name 855Bugs.com and updated its logo. The company said it will consist of the same staff and continue providing the same customer service and quality work in customers’ homes. Presto-X Pest Control opened a new branch to serve the metropolitan Indianapolis area. The company has been servicing the area for more than two years. Presto-X, a Rentokil pest control company, provides full service pest control for both the residential and commercial markets. The office is co-located with Rentokil’s interior landscaping company, Ambius. Food Protection Services, a food safety pest management and fumigation company in Carmel, Ind., has new partners to form stronger and broader market coverage. On Jan. 1, 2014, the Kansas regional branch of Research Fumigation, along with Alliance Pest Solutions based in the Great Lakes region, joined with Food Protection Services. The company will now have 12 offices servicing 20 agrarian states allowing Food Protection Services to service Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio through two established offices in Chicago and Toledo, and a new office recently opened near Indianapolis. The inclusion of the Kansas market will bring offices in Kansas City, Salina and Wichita. H&H Pest Management, St. George, Utah, acquired Monticello, Utah-based San Juan Pest Management. It is the first acquisition for H&H. San Juan is a four-person operation servicing 600-plus customers in Eastern Utah and Western Colorado. The company’s owner, Thomas Wiggington, will remain as an employee of H&H, serving as the company’s San Juan branch manager. The acquisition fills a geographic void for H&H and provides the company with a platform for westward expansion, according to H&H Sales Manager Carson Hunt. A All Animal Control (AAAC), Charleston, W.Va., celebrated its 19th anniversary in January. AAAC began in 1995 in Denver, Colo., after CEO Mark Dotson recognized an opportunity when his neighbor offered to pay him to remove a squirrel from her attic. Today, the company has 40 offices nationwide, with more set to open in 2014. Last year, AAAC was named a 2013 Franchise Business Review Top 50 Franchise (FBR50), landing the #6 spot for franchises with under 50 locations; a FBR Top 100 Franchise for Veterans; and a Top 100 Military Friendly Franchise by G.I. Jobs magazine. The company recently was featured on the cover of FBR’s Top Low Cost Franchises report. Pestguard Commercial Services (PCS) of Sarasota, Fla., provided the non-profit Goodwill with grounds maintenance services. PCS has been servicing 32 of the local Goodwill stores and donation centers in Manatee and Sarasota counties since March 2012. Its latest project for Goodwill Manasota was the installation of new landscaping at the donation center at 1935 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota.