VIEWPOINT

How many e-mails do you receive each day? How many do you actually read? Are there certain messages you read no matter what – regardless of how busy you are? That’s exactly how we want you to feel about PCT’s weekly E-newsletter. It’s the only industry newsletter that delivers hard-hitting news, product innovations and other important announcements right to your desktop on a weekly basis.

Our staff works far in advance to put PCT magazine together. But it takes two weeks from the time the magazine leaves our office to when it hits your mailbox. And we all know what can happen in two weeks’ time. EPA can make important regulatory announcements. Companies can be bought and sold. Manufacturers can acquire new active ingredients.

The E-newsletter allows us to alert you immediately about a breaking news story and we want you to be a part of this exciting free service. Simply send an e-mail to me at jdorsch@pctonline.com or to PCT Internet Editor Brad Harbison at bharbison@pctonline.com and we’ll sign you up, delivering valuable “news you can use” every Monday.

Here’s an update on some other developments at PCT:
 •The nomination process for PCT’s annual Technician of the Year Awards begins this month with a nomination form on page 84. These awards, co-sponsored by Syngenta Professional Products, honor front-line technicians — the backbone of the pest control industry. Use the form in the magazine or visit www.pctonline.com and download a copy.
 •PCTOnline now has an electronic reader service program so readers can request free product information online and receive a response immediately. Click on the “free product info” logo on the PCT home page and submit product information requests directly to manufacturers.
 •Virtually everything in PCT magazine has an online component – i.e., an additional story, links to recent articles or a video or audio clip. For example, this month online we have audio clips from the PCT Rodent Management Summit; additional stories from this month’s cover story about Centex Pest Management; Product Promotions, a Web page featuring the latest special promotions from manufacturers; and much more. Stop by today!

The author is editor of PCT magazine.

We would be remiss if we didn’t take a moment to acknowledge the many contributions of Pest Control Publisher Jerry Mix, who announced his retirement in early May. As both a friend and a “friendly” competitor, I had the good fortune of getting to know Jerry on both a personal and professional level, always enjoying my interaction with this “gentle giant” of a man. Jerry has always had the best interests of the pest control industry at heart. I’m sure all of our readers join me in wishing Jerry many years of health and happiness as he enters this new chapter of his life. — Dan Moreland, Publisher, PCT Media Group