ViewPoint: What An Issue!

This issue is 112 pages. It’s the largest December issue of PCT that anyone around GIE Media can remember. (FYI, last December’s issue was 76 pages.) In the winter, as is the case with some of your own companies, it’s our slower season — and our magazines tend to be smaller. But this month, PCT is packed with information I hope you’ll find informational and practical.

First, as we do every December, PCT named a Professional of the Year. This year, our honoree is Ed Martin. Martin, who owns the fourth-largest Terminix franchise in the United States, has been indispensable in the fight against the Formosan termite. He’s worked with the United States Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, manufacturers and other PCOs to win his own "Battle of New Orleans." To find out more about this remarkable man, turn to page 28.

PCOs deal every day with pests that cause disease. Do you know how to answer tough public health questions from your customers? In this month’s issue, we feature an 8-page supplement called "Public Health: The State of the Industry." Based on a public health symposium co-hosted by PCT and Aventis Environmental Science, this special report focuses on tick-borne diseases, West Nile virus and the PCO’s role in public health. The symposium was held in August in Snowbird, Utah, with about 20 PCOs and technical directors from around the United States in attendance. This informative meeting featured speakers from EPA, the Centers from Disease Control, the Mississippi Department of Health and more. See what they had to say in a special report sponsored by Aventis Environmental Science on page 33.

And last, but not least, PCT has a 24-page supplement dedicated to Pi Chi Omega, the industry’s international pest control fraternity. The organization is dedicated, among other things, to furthering the science of pest control and to encouraging and promoting the formal education of potential members of the pest control industry.

This year marks Pi Chi Omega’s 50th anniversary and we’ve decided to celebrate. From the first meeting of seven entomologists around a living room table to nearly 500 members today, Pi Chi Omega has grown substantially in numbers in the industry. To learn about the fraternity’s history, its future and more, be sure to see this month’s supplement on page 49.

Although I just listed many stories that are in this month’s issue there is one thing that is missing. The second part of Bobby Corrigan’s Vertebrate Pests column will appear in the January issue of PCT.

I hope you enjoy this issue of PCT and have a safe and joyful holiday season.