Global Pest Management Coalition Welcomes New Council Members

FAIRFAX, Va. — In December, the Global Pest Management Coalition (GPMC) held its opening council vote introducing nine new council members. In 2017, the GPMC was founded by pest management associations from around the world with the mission to act as a unified voice and promote the value of professional pest management, ensuring the protection of health, homes and businesses.

During the coalition’s first council vote, members selected a new council of nine leaders from pest management associations worldwide. GPMC said these leaders were chosen based on their service, passion and dedication to the industry. The newly appointed council members for the GPMC are:

Vasili Tsoutouras, Chair: CEO of Allstate Pest Control, South Australian director of the Australian Environmental Pest Managers Association (ARPMA) and president of the National Board of the Federation of Asian & Oceania Pest Managers Associations (FAOPMA)

Moisés Capetillo González, Vice Chair: President of the National Association of Urban Pest Controllers, A.C. ANCPU Mexico

Dominique Stumpf, CMP, CAE, Secretary/Treasurer: CEO of the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), U.S.

Mirko Baraga, Director: Fénix, Latin-American Association of Professionals in Pest Management, Cordoba Pest Management Association, Argentina

Paloma Castro, Director: Secretary General of the Confederation of European Pest Management Associations (CEPA)

Carlos V. Peçanha, Director: President of the Federation of Pest Control Associations of Brazil (FEPRAG) and president of Rio Grande do Sul Pest Management Association

Alberto Ponjoan, Director: President of ADEPAP, the Association of Pest Control Companies of Catalonia

Jaldhi R. Trivedi, Director: President of the Indian Pest Control Association (IPCA)

Chris Gorecki, Director: Vice President of Operational Support at Orkin

“As chair of the Global Pest Management Coalition, I look forward to collaborating with this strong group of individuals to ensure we are continuing to share important information and consistent messaging throughout our associations,” said Tsoutouras. “Together, we will work towards our common goals of promoting professionalism of the pest management industry and take advantage of the global impact that can be made when we coordinate a worldwide action.”

The Global Pest Management Coalition was created after the successes of the Global Summit conferences organized in France (2015), New York (2017) and the creation of World Pest Day in Beijing (2017). Those three events underlined the potential impact of a global message and a coordinated worldwide action supported by the professionalism of our industry, the group says. The coalition’s mission is to provide a unified voice across the globe promoting the value of pest management in ensuring the protection of health, homes, food and businesses. Learn more at www.pestmanagementcoalition.org.

Nominate Your Company As a PCT Rising Star

VALLEY VIEW, Ohio — PCT’s Rising Star program, sponsored by Univar Solutions and VM Products, is designed to recognize companies on the move. Is your company filled with self-starters who have fresh, new ideas? Are you growing at a rapid pace due to innovative service programs? Has your company been recognized for its high-quality pest control offerings or creative marketing initiatives? If so, we’re looking for you! (This program is intended to recognize non-PCT Top 100 firms.)

2019 IPM for Food Plants Seminar Announced

HERSHEY, Pa. — Collins Pest Management is bringing together industry experts June 11-12, in Hershey, Pa., for its annual IPM for Food Plants Seminar event.

The event will feature industry experts — including Dr. Bobby Corrigan, Richard Kammerling, Al St. Cyr, Dr. Faith Oi and Rod Wheeler — to share their knowledge with those interested in improving their understanding of science-based pest management strategies and advancing their programs. Attendees can listen to and speak with industry leaders in a relaxed atmosphere to get questions answered.

Integrated Pest Management practitioners currently working in or looking to become involved with the food industry will benefit from this seminar, organizers say. What are current regulatory trends, strategies for insect management and third-party audits that will affect PMPs’ programs? Whether a manager or technician, this course is structured to provide information employees need to make the right decisions.

The workshop is intended for food safety and quality assurance managers, pest management professionals and other personnel who work in food-processing plants, food distribution, packaging facilities, pharmaceutical plants, retail food establishments and food-service operations.

The seminar will be approved by state agencies for pesticide applicator recertification and CEUs. Call 866/875-PEST or email marieg@collinspestmgt.com to verify state recertification credits and category approval.

Turner Pest Control Acquires Brandon Pest Control

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.— Turner Pest Control, a Jacksonville-based Anticimex company, acquired Brandon Pest Control. Brandon, an $8 million company, has been a locally owned and family-operated pest control service provider in Jacksonville for more than 45 years and has 65 employees.

This acquisition is the first in a planned aggressive growth strategy Turner says it will execute throughout the state of Florida. Turner is a fast-growing business that ranked #41 on PCT’s Top 100 list of the largest 100 companies in the pest control industry based on prior years’ revenues.

“With its focus on customer service and innovation, Brandon sets the standard for future acquisitions we have planned for the coming years,” said Turner Pest Control CEO Mark Slater. “Brandon’s values and culture are very much in line with ours, which is critical to a successful and seamless transition as we join forces.”

Brandon Pest Control President and Owner Stuart Herman agreed, noting that the two pest control companies share a commitment to providing the highest-quality services and products. “Our management team and technicians look forward to working together with Turner to ensure that customers continue to enjoy the same safe, effective pest control they’ve come to expect from Brandon. We couldn’t have asked for a better fit as we join the global Anticimex family.”

Tekko Pro IGR Concentrate Label Training on PCT’s DLC

VALLEY VIEW, Ohio — PCT announced the addition of Control Solutions Inc.’s Tekko Pro Insect Growth Regulator Concentrate label training module.

Pest management professionals can access the new modules from PCT’s Distance Learning Center or via Univar Solutions’ online ProTraining platform.

Created by Board Certified Entomologist and industry consultant Stoy Hedges, the courses use photographs, video clips and reference materials to challenge users’ knowledge, experience and problem-solving skills for a wide range of products and pest problems.

Accessible by PC, tablet or smartphone, 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 education in whenever their schedules allow — even during breaks or lunchtime. 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.

Bronze Statue of Truly Nolen of America Founder Unveiled

TUCSON, Ariz. — As Truly Nolen of America kicked off its 16th annual Manager Meeting on Jan. 15, a special unveiling took place in the glass atrium of the company’s large training building. That morning, a bronze statue of company founder Truly David Nolen was unveiled. The statue sits on a bench with a special mouse feature to symbolize one of his greatest inventions — the mouse car.

Truly’s wife, Vickie Nolen, a longtime employee and company board member, commissioned the creation of the statue and donated it to the Leadership Center on her behalf. Local Tucson artists — Lynn Rae Lowe, who worked on the bench; Linda Ahearn, who sculpted the statue; and Mark Rossi, who created the mouse — helped bring Nolen’s vision to life.

“Truly was a brilliant and special man, and Tucson was always a special place to him,” Vickie Nolen said. “Our ‘home office’ has been in Tucson for over 60 years and our employees train at our Leadership Center so it seemed like the perfect place to have this statue and honor his legacy.”

The engraving on the bench reads: TRULY DAVID NOLEN (1928-2017); Leader, entrepreneur, aviator, sailor, diver, polio survivor. A man of integrity and resilience, with a wonderful sense of humor who lived his life by “The Golden Rule.” May the memories of Truly continue to inspire us all.

“This project took a year to complete, requiring multiple trips from where I reside in Florida to meet with the artists to get Truly ‘just right,’” Vickie Nolen added. “I thank Lynn Rae, Linda and Mark who put so much time into making this statue the way I wanted it to be.”

Advanced Services’ Kevin Hudson Writes Sales Book for the Pest Control Industry

ATLANTA — Kevin Hudson, an Associate Certified Entomologist for Advanced Services, has published the book “Just Ask: A Practical Sales Guide for Pest Control Professionals.” It is available for $5.99 at barnesandnoble.com.

“Just Ask” is a guide to help pest control professionals close sales and increase retention. Topics include the seven common steps of the sales process; behavior styles; customer communication; and how to read body language.

“I’m the sales director here at Advanced Services, and we are always trying to come up with new ways to teach and coach our employees,” Hudson said. “There are a lot of sales resources out there, but none of them are industry-specific to pest control. So, I decided I would write something myself. It’s not difficult to read. It’s only about 50 pages, and I just hope it helps others in the industry.”

In the book, Hudson discusses the “chameleon approach” to sales, a term he said he coined. “The chameleon approach is all about adapting,” he said. “I tell our sales team to be like chameleons and change or adapt to the environment we are in and the person we are talking to.” For more information about Advanced Services Pest Control, visit teambugstopper.com.

American Pest Announces Acquisition of Innovative Pest Management

FULTON, Md. — American Pest, an Anticimex company, announced it acquired Innovative Pest Management, a family-owned pest control firm serving D.C., Maryland and Virginia.

Founded in 1992 by Richard D. Kramer, Ph.D. and Board Certified Entomologist, Innovative Pest Management evolved into a full-service pest management firm in 2004 with the introduction of partners Josh Kramer and Luke Krikstan. The company has a solid reputation in metro Washington, D.C., for offering steadfast, consumer-focused services for local, state and government institutions, private businesses, and residential homes, the company said.

“Innovative brings a level of professionalism and quality second to no one,” says David Billingsly, president of American Pest. “It is with this latest acquisition that we are especially honored of the expertise and focus on leadership that the Innovative team brings to our own.”

Josh Kramer added, “The decision to partner with American Pest will allow us to remain true to our core values — Focus on People, Focus on Customers, Professional Integrity, Spirit of Innovation, Peak Performance and Personal Leadership. And I am confident that as a part of American Pest we will propel our vision, fulfill our strategy and further accelerate our growth.”

The acquisition of Innovative Pest Management is American Pest’s eighth acquisition, bringing 46 professionals to its growing team.

Paul Giannamore of The Potomac Company acted as exclusive financial advisor to Innovative Pest Management.

Mosquitoes Show Resistance to Common Insecticide, USDA Study Shows

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Mosquitoes that can carry Zika virus and other diseases are showing resistance to pyrethroids, according to a new study by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists and their collaborators.

The mosquito Aedes aegypti, the main carrier of dengue, Zika virus and yellow fever worldwide, is becoming more common in Florida. Limited Florida outbreaks of dengue in 2009-10 and Zika virus in 2016 involved Ae. aegypti as the major disease carrier, according to James Becnel, an entomologist in the Mosquito and Fly Research Unit with the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology (CMAVE).

A collaborative group from USDA-ARS, the Navy Entomology Center of Excellence, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and Florida mosquito control districts published the first statewide study measuring the scope of pyrethroid insecticide resistance in Ae. aegypti and Aedes albopictus, another local species that is a known carrier of chikungunya virus.

Pyrethroid insecticide resistance is common in Ae. aegypti in many locations worldwide and can adversely affect mosquito control operations, Becnel said. However, the resistance status of Aedes in Florida has largely gone unreported until now.

The four-year study, published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, shows that resistance to permethrin — an insecticide in the pyrethroid family — was present in all 20 Ae. aegypti strains collected from around the state. Importantly, permethrin doses up to 60 times above susceptible levels were required to effectively control some resistant populations, according to Becnel. In contrast, Ae. albopictus strains collected did not show permethrin resistance.

The study found a strong correlation between the actual resistance status of adult Ae. aegypti (determined by topical application) and the mosquito genotype. This data can be used to rapidly predict pyrethroid-resistance in mosquitoes within 24 hours by detecting certain genetic mutations. This information, Becnel said, can then inform control districts as to whether they need to try other control strategies, such as using larvicides to target immature aquatic mosquito life stages before they become adults.

Full text of the publication can be found here.