Industry Event Cancellations and Postponements Announced

VALLEY VIEW, Ohio — With the continued spread of COVID-19 across the U.S. and restrictions on gatherings and social distancing requirements, a number of industry events are being cancelled or postponed. (See page 30 of this issue for additional news.)

The following are event changes of which PCT has been notified. We will continue to update this information online as other cancellations or postponements are announced. Visit www.pctonline.com and click on “COVID-19 News” for the latest developments.

Fumigants & Pheromones Conference cancelled. The Fumigants & Pheromones Conference planned for May 12-14, in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, has been cancelled.

Global Health & Food Safety Summit postponed. The Global Health & Food Safety Summit, planned for June 2020 in Singapore, has been postponed to June 2021. The Summit is an effort of NPMA, the Confederation of European Pest Management Associations (CEPA), and Federation of Asian & Oceania Pest Managers Association (FAOPMA), in conjunction with the Singapore Pest Management Association (SPMA).

International Professional Women in Pest Management Leadership Forum postponed. The inaugural NPMA International Professional Women in Pest Management Leadership Forum has been rescheduled from May to Nov. 8-10, 2020.

International Conference on Urban Pests (ICUP) postponed. The 10^th International Conference on Urban Pests (ICUP) planned for June 29 to July 1 in Barcelona, Spain has been re-scheduled for Sept. 13-15, 2021, at the same location.

National Conference on Urban Entomology (NCUE) cancelled. The NCUE planning committee made the decision to cancel this year’s conference in Mobile, Ala., and reschedule it for May 23-26, 2021.

McCloud’s Pest Invasion Seminars cancelled. The events in Hershey, Pa., and Oak Brook, Ill., this summer have been cancelled.

Phil Cooper Leaves ServiceMaster

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Phil Cooper, who previously worked at ServiceMaster as senior director of specialty brands, Terminix, announced he has left the organization to launch a start-up business, EvolveYT. Cooper made the announcement in an e-communication.

Cooper had been with ServiceMaster since 2018 when he sold Cooper Pest Solutions to ServiceMaster. In his announcement, Cooper stated, “I’ve spent the last 18 months working as part of an amazing leadership team at Terminix. I would not trade the last 18 months for anything. It was like going for a master’s degree, I grew immeasurably, both personally and professionally from the experience. For many reasons I decided to go in a different direction and my time with ServiceMaster/Terminix ended on March 20. We parted on great terms and I wish them only the best into the future.”

Cooper said his new venture is in the knowledge management sector. “We will look to serve a variety of industries of which pest management will be one. As this is a full-time commitment, I will not be involved with BedBug Central on a day-to-day basis, much to the relief of my very capable BBC team. We are rolling out our initial product offerings under the brand of EvolveYT.”

Cooper said Evolve will offer both in-person training/consulting as well as a comprehensive virtual university, focusing on topics as varied as: leadership, bridging generational relationships in the workplace, creating replicable systems, improving your firm’s transferrable value and other crucial, but potentially neglected aspects of a successful business. Sessions will be geared to both ownership (train-the-trainer) as well as for key members of company leadership teams.

Kevin Pass Launches New Pest Control Company

NEWBURGH, Ind. — Kevin Pass, longtime owner of Action Pest Control, Evansville, Ind., announced his return to the pest control industry with the March 2 launch of Pass Pest Control.

Pass had built Action into a $12.6 million firm when he sold the company to Scotts in 2015. Since then, he was enjoying retirement, splitting time between homes in Indiana and Florida. “But I was a little bit bored, and I also felt like I still had a lot to offer the community and to past employees who want that family-owned business atmosphere,” Pass told PCT. “I saw an opportunity to launch and grow a business…and we are off and running.”

Pass said his non-compete agreement with Scotts ended on Jan. 2, and he filed his corporate papers on Jan. 3.

Pass Pest Control services Evansville, Henderson (Ky.) and Owensboro (Ky.) with plans for expansion to Terre Haute, Ind., and Indianapolis. Pass said the company has four full-time employees, two part-time contract sales professionals and it has already landed about 70 accounts.

Pass said that in the first year of operation he expects his service mix to be more heavily residential than commercial, but he also sees potential growth opportunities in the commercial segment. The Evansville area is home to numerous food-processing facilities and medical laboratories.

Pass said he expects to grow both organically and via acquisition, and his plans are to become a $6 million operation in five years.

A former president of the National Pest Management Association, Pass said he has been blown away by the response from friends and acquaintances.

McCall Services to Host Commercial Pest Management Summit

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — McCall Service announced the launch of its 2020 Commercial Pest Management Summit in Tampa, Fla., on Sept. 25.

The summit will focus on commercial pest management where attendees will have the opportunity to learn about industry trends and issues from experts in the field, organizers said. McCall says attendees will leave the summit with the tools and knowledge they need to be better prepared for the future as the summit will bring together professionals from the food, pest management, manufacturing, housing, health care and environmental health industries, as well as those from government and global safety initiative inspectors. The summit will provide an educational experience with relevant updates across multiple industries, networking opportunities and informational exchanges for all in attendance, the firm says.

This year’s summit will feature session topics from leading professionals across multiple industries and provide pest management CEU credits.

To learn more contact Cory Goeltzenleutcher at coryg@mccallservice.com or call 352/472-5455.

Michel Maheu Recognized With Steven Graff CPMA Ambassador Award

QUEBEC CITY — At March’s Pest Management Canada 2020 in Quebec City, Canada, the Canadian Pest Management Association and Bayer presented Michel Maheu, general manager of Maheu & Maheu, Quebec City, with the third annual Steven Graff CPMA Ambassador Award. The award recognizes individuals for their contributions to the pest management industry in Canada.

Maheu has been one of the leading advocates for the pest control industry in Canada. He has been involved in his family’s business, Maheu & Maheu, since he was 13. Growing up around the business he developed a keen interest in the biology and behavior of insects and went on to obtain a degree in entomology from the University of Laval.

Today, his firm, Maheu & Maheu, is the second largest pest control company in Canada, ranking 39^th on last year’s PCT Top 100. In addition, Maheu has been a longtime director and past president of AQGP as well as the current government affairs director for CPMA.

As Bayer’s Darcy Olds noted, “Michel has dedicated much of his life to improving the profession in Quebec and the rest of Canada.”

A “shocked” Maheu, said, “Merci beaucoup Bayer. This is marvelous work we do, and a super industry.” A third-generation PMP, Maheu added, “I was raised to give back to this industry. I am deeply touched by this award.”

In presenting the award to Maheu, Sean Rollo, president of the Canadian Pest Management Association, reflected on Graff, the longtime quality assurance manager at Abell Pest Control, who passed away in 2017. “We honor the late Steven Graff, who lost his battle with cancer at a young age, with this award in his name. He exemplified what we stand for as an industry.”

Past Steven Graff CPMA Ambassador Award Winners include: Tom Schultz, Edmonton Exterminators in 2019; and Gary Muldoon, Orkin Canada in 2018.

RISE Governing Board Elects New Officers

WASHINGTON — RISE (Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment) elected new officers and welcomed new Governing Board members at a meeting March 10, in response to company staffing changes. The new 2020 Executive Committee includes:

• Sean Casey, Nufarm Americas, chair
• Stephanie Jensen, BASF, vice chair
• Karen Larson, Clarke, treasurer

“The specialty pesticides and fertilizer industry is developing innovative technologies to address growing pest and other public health threats,” said Sean Casey, RISE Governing Board chair and vice president of sales, T&O, at Nufarm Americas. “I’m pleased to lead the RISE Governing Board as we seek to address challenges to our business environment. We’ll continue to collaborate with our advocacy partners to ensure applicators can access the products they need to protect local communities.”

The board welcomed new members:

• Scott Gault, WinField United
• Michael Kropp, Wilbur-Ellis on behalf of Primera
• Jose Milan, Bayer Environmental Science
• Brian Rowan, SiteOne Landscape Supply

Others continuing terms:

• Daryl Allen, Corteva Agriscience
• Kathy Bishop, Lebanon Seaboard Corporation
• Bill Culpepper, SePRO Corporation
• Neil Cleveland, PBI-Gordon Corporation
• Michael Maravich, Sipcam Agro USA
• Scott Reasons, Syngenta
Scott Todd, Central Life Sciences

Rose Pest Celebrates 160^th Anniversary

WILMETTE, Ill. — Rose Pest Solutions, Northbrook, Ill., took an opportunity to reflect on its storied past, which dates to 1840, at a company-wide training meeting in the Chicago area, in February.

Company President Bob Dold Jr. told PCT that there is a real source of pride in leading a firm that has been in business for 160 years. “For a pest control company, and really any company, to be in business for 160 years is a remarkable achievement. We want to foster and cultivate the history of the company, and we recognize that we have an obligation moving forward to the industry and to the people we work with.”

The company’s roots trace back to Cincinnati, Ohio, where Solomon Rose founded the Rose Rat Exterminator Company in 1840. The Dold family’s involvement began in 1921 when Bob’s grandfather, O. Norman Dold, went to work for Rose; he was made general manager of the company’s Chicago office in 1931. In addition to Bob, Rose’s longtime leaders are his parents, Bob Sr. (affectionately known as “The Chief”) and Judy Dold, both past presidents of the National Pest Management Association.

Bob Dold Jr. said Rose holds company-wide meetings every three to five years and decided 2020 would be a good opportunity to bring everyone together for training, to recognize standout individual achievements and to celebrate 160 years in business.

Bob and The Chief welcomed attendees and gave a “State of the Company” presentation, which included sharing the Rose’s philosophy and four cornerstones: integrity, service, growth and profit. “It was a look at where we’ve been and where we are going,” he said.

Attendees also heard from Bill Blue of Corteva Agriscience, who presented on Sentricon, and Arnold Ramsey of FMC Corp., who discussed exterior pest control. Curtis Rand and Danny Yunez of Rose Pest Solutions provided an overview of the company’s recent performance. The meeting also was a good opportunity for Rose to focus on growth opportunities, including how they can better bundle services. For example, Dold said the company sees potential growth opportunities with preventive services, such as selling and servicing the Sentricon System.

Another highlight of the program was the presentation of company awards and recognition of milestone anniversaries:

AWARDS

Sales Professional of the Year: Scott Kaufman, Chicago branch

Service Professional of the Year – Customer Retention: Keith Riggle, New Albany branch

Service Professional of the Year – Fewest Callbacks: Brian Mitchell, Rockford branch

Top Inside Sales Professional: Marquise Weatherspoon, Customer Care Center

Highest Branch Customer Retention: Racine

Branch with Highest Percentage of Recurring Sales: Racine

Branch with Highest Percentage Over Budget Revenue: New Albany

Branch with Highest Percentage Over Budget Profit: Wheeling

Lowest Over 50 Day Accounts Receivable Percentage: Krystina Hamelin

Branch with Most 5-Star Reviews: Wheeling

Employees with Most 5-Star Reviews: Jeff Floody, Lombard Branch and Dean Martinez, Wheeling branch

Branch with Star Rating Above 4.80: New Albany, Wheeling and Chicago branches

Safe Driver of the Year: Mike Riley, Hammond branch

ANNIVERSARIES

Five Years of Service: Allen Ishoo, Gary Howard, Michael Riley, Mitchell Dudek and Vannessa Perez

10 Years of Service: Bery Pannkuk

15 Years of Service: Candace McDaniel-Delgado, Janelle Iaccino, Nicholas Poindexter and Tom Snyder

20 Years of Service: Brian Mitchell

Pest Management, Food Safety Event Held in Pair of Pakistan Cities

ISLAMABAD and KARACHI — On Feb. 18 and 20, C-Shine Group Pakistan held “Value of Effective Sanitation and Pest Management in Food Safety” events, which were organized in collaboration with Structural Pest Management Association and Brandenburg UK.

These events were held in Islamabad and Karachi and were attended by more than 200 professionals, including representatives from pest control, government, food safety officials, restaurants, packaging industry and food manufacturing.

A number of high-profile speakers presented at the events, including Hasan Orooj from Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad, Qutbuddin Kakar from World Health Organization, Dr. Falak Naaz from Department of Plant Protection and Tahir Rashid from Brandenburg UK.

This was the first event of its kind which brought together government bodies, pest management companies, food safety authorities and various food industries under one roof with the purpose of aligning the understanding of the value of sanitation and pest management in food safety.

PWIPM of New England Recoginizes Award Winner

NASHUA, N.H. — On March 5, the PWIPM of New England awarded its first Women of Excellence Award. The winner, Julie Heincelman, A.C.E., of JP Pest Services in Milford, N.H., has worked for the firm for 12 years and has moved through various positions. She has been a commercial service technician, a food and pharmaceutical account support specialist, an area manager, and most recently a territory manager. In 2017, she was awarded Employee of the Year at JP Pest Services.

Heincelman is involved in PWIPM of New England. She also was a volunteer firefighter and EMT for seven years with the Lee Fire and Rescue where she received the status of lieutenant in 2014. Her manager, Brian Leahy, said, “Julie is the type of employee any company would love to have. Her dogged determination and work ethic set a high standard. The fact that Julie has chosen to work in our industry is a blessing; her involvement raises the bar of professional pest control. I am proud to work alongside Julie and learn from her each day.”