Cleveland Association Recognizes Bill Birkner with Lifetime Achievement Award

CLEVELAND, Ohio — As part of the Greater Cleveland Pest Control Association’s annual spring meeting and awards banquet in April, GCPCA recognized Univar’s Bill Birkner with the first-ever GCPCA Lifetime Achievement Award. Birkner was not able to attend the meeting, so Univar’s Carl Hinderer accepted the award on his behalf.

Birkner has long been an important behind-the-scenes contributor, lining up speakers not only for GCPCA training events, but for training programs held by various Ohio pest control associations. Hinderer described his colleague as “the ultimate professional” who has been a steadying presence through several mergers and acquisitions, most recently in 2010 when Southern Mill Creek Products of Ohio was acquired by Univar. 

In other GCPCA news, the association’s president, Molly Patton, Patton Pest Control, provided a member update. Patton, who also is vice president of the Ohio Pest Management Association (OPMA), encouraged members to earn Associate Certified Entomologist (A.C.E.) credentials from ESA. She noted that at OPMA’s Winter Meeting the association held an A.C.E. training/testing course that resulted in four professionals earning their A.C.E. credentials. Patton also said Ohio pest management professionals benefited from a recent technical, hands-on training program presented by Ohio State entomologist/professor Dr. Susan Jones.

Lonnie Alonso, president of Columbus Pest Control, provided a legislative update. Alonso noted that there have been a couple of incidents in which errors were found in Ohio re-certification tests, and that if PMPs think “something doesn’t look right” with the tests, they should contact the Ohio Department of Agriculture directly, or contact him. Alonso also encouraged members to get involved legislatively and set up meetings with their elected officials. “In my experience, most politicians are trying to do a good job,” Alonso said. “Meet with them and tell them about your families. Let them know you are a business that hires workers and pays taxes.”

The featured speaker was Rich Kozlovich, president of Pest Management Inc., Mentor, Ohio, who gave a rebuttal to “Silent Spring,” the 1962 Rachel Carson book that launched the modern environmental movement. Carson argued widespread misuse of agricultural chemicals was having serious cumulative effects throughout the ecosystem. The book was instrumental in the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Kozlovich noted that while Carson was a skilled writer/communicator, she was not a scientist, and that if “Silent Spring” would have been peer-reviewed it would have been exposed for having many scientific inaccuracies. In “Silent Spring,” Carson wrote of the hazards of DDT, which was removed from shelves not long after EPA was formed; the international community soon followed suit. Kozlovich said many believe the removal of DDT internationally is largely responsible for the re-emergence of malaria and other vector-borne diseases throughout the globe. — Brad Harbison

PCT Announces Additions to Online Label Training

VALLEY VIEW Ohio — PCT announced that the California Structural Pest Control Board has approved 27 online label training courses for CEU credits. The courses can be accessed from https://training.pctonline.com and from Univar’s ProTraining library at www.pestweb.com/protraining.

The following courses have been approved:

• AMVAC Nuvan Directed Spray Aerosol
• AMVAC Nuvan Fog 5%
• BASF PT Avert DF Dry Flowable Cockroach Bait
• BASF Termidor HP Termiticide — Part 1
• BASF Termidor HP Termiticide — Part 2
• BASF Termidor HP Termiticide — Part 3
• BASF Termidor SC Termiticide/Insecticide — Part 1
• BASF Termidor SC Termiticide/Insecticide — Part 2
• BASF Termidor SC Termiticide/Insecticide — Part 3
• BASF Termidor SC Termiticide/Insecticide — Pest Control Uses
• Bayer DeltaDust
• Bayer Maxforce Magnum Roach Gel Bait
• Bayer Tempo Ultra WP Insecticide — Part 1
• Bayer Tempo Ultra WP Insecticide — Part 2
• Bayer Temprid FX — Part 1
• Bayer Temprid FX — Part 2
• Bayer Temprid Ready to Spray
• Innovative Products Gourmet Ant Bait Gel
• Innovative Products Gourmet Liquid Ant Bait
• MGK Crossfire Bed Bug Concentrate
• Noble Pine SteriFab
• Liphatech Takedown Soft Bait
• Syngenta Advion Ant Gel Bait
• Syngenta Advion Cockroach Gel Bait
• Syngenta Tandem Insecticide — Part 1
• Syngenta Tandem Insecticide — Part 2
• Syngenta Talon Weatherblok XT

Also, PCT announced the addition of the following label training modules from Control Solutions: Taurus SC, Parts 1 and 2; and Taurus — Misc./Pest Control.

Accessible by computer, tablet or smartphone, PCT’s Distance Learning Center training is presented in modules designed to take a half-hour to an hour to complete. Their brevity gives individuals the opportunity to fit this label education in whenever their schedules allow. And if a user needs to stop while taking a course, no problem: He or she can close the program and pick up at the point left off later.

In Memoriam: Marv Morford, Founder of Gremar

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — Marv Marford, inventor of the Kwik Katch Mouestrap and PowerPuff Duster, died on Dec. 5, 2017, at age 92.

Morford spent 42 years in the pest control industry, first working for Lystad’s in 1952 and later retiring as district manager for Ecolab in 1994. This experience led him to believe there was a need for a better mousetrap; after many prototypes he came up with the first plastic multiple-catch trap. Marv and son Greg Morford started a family business, Gremar, that continues today. In 1999 Morford invented the PowerPuff, the first hand-held battery-powered duster.

Morford spent his retirement years volunteering and working on neighborhood, church and family projects. He was a WWII veteran.

Dugas Pest Control’s Laura Simpson Receives Award of Excellence from LPMA

BATON ROUGE, La. — Laura Simpson, president of Dugas Pest Control, was presented with the Paul Adams Award of Excellence at the annual banquet of the Louisiana Pest Management Association (LPMA) held in late January. This award, which has only been given to 13 people since its creation in 1983, is the highest honor the association can bestow upon a member.

“Laura has done so much for our industry both in Louisiana and nationally through the National Pest Management Association,” said Jeff Porter, executive director of LPMA. “She has served the local, state and national organizations with skill and leadership for many years and is a well-deserving honoree.”

Simpson has been the president and primary license holder of Dugas Pest Control since 1996, succeeding her father, Doug MacPherson, who purchased the company in 1973. She has been active in the pest control industry for more than 35 years, serving as president of both the Louisiana Pest Management Association and the National Pest Management Association.

Dugas Pest Control, a QualityPro Certified and family-owned company, has been serving South Louisiana for more than 50 years.

CPCO of Georgia to Host 20^th Anniversary Fall Conference

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — The Certified Pest Control Operators Association of Georgia (CPCO of Georgia) announced the association’s annual Fall Conference will be held Oct. 3-5 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga. “CPCO of Georgia celebrates their 20^th anniversary this year and we are on the track to success,” says president Marty Jones of Prestige Pest Control. “We are very excited to offer pest control professionals throughout Georgia a fun, innovative and educational experience at Atlanta Motor Speedway this fall.”

Glenda Lehmberg, executive director, CPCO of Georgia, says, “CPCO of Georgia is very fortunate to have leadership that is willing and able to be creative in its efforts to bring great value to pest control operators and professionals in Georgia. CPCO has been assisted by Jeff Swaney of Jeff Swaney Consulting Group who has been instrumental in developing this year’s conference venue and events.”

Highlights of the fall conference include keynote speaker Dr. Austin Frishman, sponsored by Syngenta, pace car rides, a P.E.S.T. Relief International fundraiser, a pit crew competition and a networking gala. Learn more at www.cpcoofga.com.

CPCO of Georgia is a membership-supported pest management association dedicated to promoting professionalism within the pest control industry. The association offers a wide variety of services to the industry, including district training around the state, online webinars, a webinar-style course to assist professionals prepare for the Certified Operator’s Exam, A.C.E. training, the Premier Business Development series and more.

$3 Million Gift from PMP Victor Hammel To Launch Cohen-Hammel Fellows Program at Penn State Berks

READING, Pa. — With a joint gift to Penn State Berks, two Penn State alumni couples have launched a comprehensive new scholarship program and raised the bar for private giving to the campus. The $3 million gift from Irvin and Lois Cohen and Victor and Dena Hammel — one of the largest ever to the campus — will create the Cohen-Hammel Fellows Program for outstanding Penn State Berks undergraduates. In addition to providing participants with significant scholarships, the program will prepare students for leadership within the Reading community and beyond, the university said.

Victor Hammel is former president and CEO of J.C. Ehrlich and chairman of Rentokil Pest Control, North America.

Kathryn Quinn, Penn State Berks

“The Cohen-Hammel Fellows Program will prepare some of our most talented students to become leaders of principle at our university, in their careers, and in their communities,” said Penn State President Eric Barron. “We are fortunate that Irv and Lois Cohen and Vic and Dena Hammel have chosen to make this innovative program a reality through their visionary philanthropy.”

The Cohen-Hammel Fellows Program will be designed to prepare students to become engaged and ethical leaders in the 21^st century. Each year, a cohort of outstanding undergraduates across all academic disciplines will receive a combination of scholarship support; mentoring from faculty and community leaders; and educational opportunities such as undergraduate research, travel and service within the Reading community, the university says. Cohen-Hammel Fellows will continue to participate in the program until they graduate.

“The Cohen-Hammel Fellows Program will enhance our ability to recruit and retain outstanding students at Penn State Berks, which will in turn elevate the climate of our entire campus,” said Penn State Berks Chancellor R. Keith Hillkirk. “As one of the largest gifts ever to Penn State Berks, the Cohens’ and Hammels’ support also elevates our understanding of what is possible through private philanthropy.”

Through “A Greater Penn State for 21^st Century Excellence,” the university’s current fundraising campaign, Penn State will provide $1.25 million in matching funds and endow the Cohen-Hammel Fellows Program at $4.25 million. These funds will support the program in perpetuity.

“We are grateful to be able to assist students in attending Penn State as we did, where we met more than 50 years ago,” said Vic and Dena Hammel. “We are extraordinarily impressed with the quality education and experience that Penn State Berks provides, and we believe that the Cohen-Hammel Fellows Program will make that even more accessible to some of our area’s brightest students.”