Outstanding Industry Contributors Recognized at NPMA PestWorld 2017
Published November 27, 2017
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BALTIMORE — The National Pest Management Association (NPMA) presented its annual industry awards program at NPMA PestWorld 2017 last month in Baltimore.
Highlights included the presentation of the NPMA Pinnacle Award to Bob and Judy Dold, longtime leaders of Chicago area-based Rose Pest Solutions. The Pinnacle Award is the association’s highest honor and it is presented annually in recognition of an individual(s) for their outstanding contributions to both NPMA and the industry.
In addition to leading the successful Midwest firm, both Dolds served terms as NPMA president (Bob in 1984 and Judy in 2001) and have left their legacies in many ways. As NPMA President Bryan Cooksey noted, Bob Dold was NPMA president during a turbulent time in the association’s history. He was a steadying force who spent more than 180 days on the road visiting with members and helping the association “weather the storm.” Judy Dold, a former English teacher, is a champion of “paying it forward” and was the impetus behind the NPMA’s mentor program, which has helped develop many future-generation NPMA leaders and is still going strong today.
Other awards included:
Women of Excellence Award, sponsored by Target Specialty Products: Kim Kelley-Tunis, Rollins, Atlanta
Young Entrepreneur Award, sponsored by Rentokil: Sarah Thomas Clark, Thomas Pest Services, Albany, N.Y.
2016/2017 Committee of the Year: Diversity Committee
2016/2017 Committee Chair of the Year: Marty Overline (PestVets Committee), Aardvark Pest Management, Philadelphia
ESA’s ACE Professional Award: Alan Feuer, staff entomologist and technical Director, Preventive Pest Control, Albuquerque, N.M. — Brad Harbison
FMC Corporation Completes Transformative Transactions with DuPont
PHILADELPHIA — FMC Corporation, in November, announced that it successfully completed the closing of its two pending transactions with DuPont. The companies signed a definitive agreement on March 31, 2017, and have now satisfied all necessary conditions and approvals. FMC has acquired the portion of DuPont’s Crop Protection business that DuPont had to divest to comply with the European Commission ruling related to its merger with The Dow Chemical Company, which was completed on Aug. 31, 2017, to form DowDuPont. Additionally, FMC has completed the sale of FMC Health and Nutrition to DuPont.
NPMA Announces Two New Membership Programs and Strategic Partnership Programs
BALTIMORE — In response to requests from its membership, the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) launched two new programs at PestWorld 2017 — a comprehensive online Resource Center and a Health Insurance Exchange.
During his remarks at PestWorld’s Opening General Session on Oct. 24, NPMA President Bryan Cooksey spoke about the new online Resource Center. He said, “The Resource Center is a one-stop shop with a vast array of up-to-the-minute technical and business management resources to help our members’ employees succeed. The NPMA staff has curated our online resources and created an easy-to-navigate section within our web site to help PMPs easily find the information they need.”
A key component of the Resource Center is the new online learning module, where employees of NPMA member companies can earn state-required recertification credits and their managers can manage training records.
On Oct. 25, NPMA President-Elect Dennis Jenkins announced NPMA’s Health Insurance Exchange Program. “NPMA’s goal is to provide small and mid-sized employers with cost-effective benefit solutions,” he said.
The NPMA Health Insurance Exchange offers multiple options for NPMA members, including a self-funded medical plan for companies with two or more employees, a health reimbursement arrangement that allows members to use tax-advantaged account dollars to pay for individual health-care premiums, consumer-directed spending accounts, such as health savings accounts and flexible spending accounts, and guaranteed-issue programs.
Also at PestWorld, NPMA announced the creation of its Strategic Partnership program, designed to provide companies that promote the association’s strategic initiatives of education, advocacy and market outreach, the opportunity to align themselves with NPMA and its work on behalf of the pest management association.
“BASF, Bayer Environmental, Dow AgroSciences, FMC and Syngenta have been significant supporters of NPMA’s programs for decades,” said NPMA CEO Dominique Stumpf. “Through our Strategic Partnership program, we are able to recognize their commitment to the structural pest management industry by maximizing the visibility opportunities for these companies.”
To be considered an NPMA strategic partner, companies engage representatives of their organizations as members and correspondents of NPMA committees, participate in leadership on allied industry groups and more.
Univar Expands ProTraining Online Catalog Through PCT Partnership
BALTIMORE — In October, Univar Environmental Sciences (Univar ES) and Pest Control Technology (PCT) announced a partnership that makes PCT’s Label Training available across Univar’s online ProTraining platform.
ProTraining is a part of PestWeb, which has been providing the convenience of online technical training for CEUs for licensed professionals for nearly 20 years in the pest management, turf and ornamental, wildlife management, and public health industries, as well as other related fields.
For current ProTraining users, this partnership makes available all PCT Label Training courses via the ProTraining platform. At press time, 65+ training courses have been added to ProTraining’s library of over 200 courses, marking the largest single expansion of the ProTraining course catalog.
As an addtional benefit, all PCT Label Training courses are free of charge, and all 65+ have been approved for CEUs in at least one state.
The Univar-PCT partnership also makes available a single-source transcript, as well as reporting on any user’s training history through the ProTraining platform. In the past, technicians and managers who wanted the “big picture” view of training history — either for themselves or to evaluate an employee — had to cross-reference reports from both Univar and PCT. That history is now unified within ProTraining, giving professionals a quick and complete method of tracking their continuing education requirements.
Making this announcement from the floor of NPMA’s PestWorld were Karl J. Kisner, vice president of marketing at Univar ES, and Dan Moreland, publisher of PCT.
“ProTraining was already the best option in online training for professionals in North America,” Kisner said, “but after today, it’s also the most comprehensive, and the easiest to use.”
Citing user experience as the leading driver behind this decision, Kisner thanked Moreland for making the partnership possible. “Dan really wanted to make this happen, to give all our users one place where they could get outstanding training and complete reporting coverage. We’re proud he wanted to make ProTraining that place.”
Moreland stated, “This is a win for PCT readers, PestWeb users and pest management professionals in general. From the beginning, our mission as a company has been to educate and inform PMPs on a variety of topics, including the importance of label training. By partnering with Univar, PCT is going to make CEU-accredited label training more visible and accessible for PMPs everywhere. This partnership means greater educational reach for the entire industry — and that’s something everyone should get behind.”
Rollins Reports 2017 Third Quarter Revenues and Nine Month Financials
ATLANTA — Rollins reported in October unaudited financial results for its third quarter and nine months ending Sept. 30.
The company recorded third quarter revenues of $450.4 million, an increase of 6.2 percent over the prior year’s third quarter revenues of $424 million. Rollins’ net income increased 3.6 percent to $51.4 million or $0.24 per diluted share for the third quarter ending Sept. 30, 2017, compared to $49.7 million or $0.23 per diluted share for the same period in 2016.
Rollins’ revenues rose 6.0 percent for the first nine months of 2017 to $1.259 billion compared to $1.188 billion for the prior year. Net income for the first nine months of 2017 was $145.4 million, an increase of 12.4 percent, or $0.67 per diluted share compared to $129.4 million or $0.59 per diluted share for the same period last year.
Gary Rollins, vice chairman and CEO of Rollins, stated, “We are pleased with the overall revenue results our company reported for the third quarter and first nine months of this year. For the quarter, revenue increased 6.2 percent and 6.0 percent year-to-date. We were disappointed however with the impact to profitability that Hurricane Harvey had on several of the company’s regions: Southwest and North Texas, South Central Commercial, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Mississippi. These areas were negatively impacted by pre-hurricane preparation, flood conditions, closed branches and our inability to service many of our customers.”
Rollins added, “Fortunately our people were unharmed, and where appropriate we compensated them even when they were unable to work. Our Employee Relief Fund has also been beneficial to many impacted employees. Hurricane Irma followed at the end of August with a similar effect in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.”
RISE’s Reardon Honored for Efforts to Defend Against Preemption
Reardon
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Karen Reardon, vice president of public affairs for RISE (Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment) received one of CropLife America’s highest honors for her successful efforts to defend against the ban of pesticide use on private property in Montgomery County, Md.
The award was presented to Reardon on Sept. 25 during the CropLife America (CLA) annual meeting held in Dana Point, Calif. CLA, a sister association to RISE, is the national trade association for manufacturers, formulators and distributors of pesticides used in agriculture, food and fiber.
CropLife Americas President & CEO Jay Vroom presented Reardon with the Chairman’s Award, which recognizes individuals within the CLA/RISE staff for exceptional service to member companies, the industry and the association.
In presenting the award, Vroom said, “Karen has shown exceptional dedication to her position and leadership within the entire pesticide industry, ag and non-ag alike. She led our entire industry’s successful effort to defend against the ban of pesticide use on private property in Montgomery County, Md. Karen’s leadership of this multi-year effort resulted in one of the strongest legal rulings on behalf of this industry’s most important issue — defense of preemption. This effort has and continues to be exceptional service to member companies, the industry and the association.”
Reardon began working with RISE in 2006; prior to that she was with CLA for 10 years.
Stevenson to Lead Terminix’s Residential Business
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — ServiceMaster has named Matthew (Matt) Stevenson president of its Terminix residential pest control and termite business.
Stevenson
In his new role, Stevenson will report directly to ServiceMaster Chief Executive Officer Nik Varty. Stevenson will have full P&L responsibility for Terminix’s residential business and will be focused on driving growth and profitability in the $5 billion residential pest and termite market.
“Putting dedicated focus on the residential market will allow us to leverage our understanding of the homeowner’s specific pest and termite control needs into unique offerings to attract and retain customers, and accelerate growth,” said Varty.
“The route to faster growth in Terminix, and all of our ServiceMaster businesses, begins with a leadership team that drives a performance culture, is accountable for results, and keeps its commitments to customers and shareholders,” said Varty. “Matt is an accomplished executive with an impressive track record of generating multimillion-dollar sales growth, building world-class organizations and expanding revenue streams. We’re excited to have him join our team.”
Stevenson joins ServiceMaster from Meritor WABCO in Detroit, where he served as president and general manager. At WABCO, he transformed an underperforming business and significantly improved many areas including sales, operations and marketing, and repositioned the business for greater profitability, growth and long-term success, a press release said.
Prior to WABCO, he spent three years in a variety of executive sales, marketing and operations roles at Bridgestone Americas, the largest tire producer in the world, with more than 140 facilities in 24 countries, based in Nashville. While at Bridgestone, he was responsible for substantial market share growth and tapped into $200 million in new top-line growth opportunities working closely with distributors, franchisees and company-owned branches. Prior to Bridgestone, he spent 10 years in a variety of sales, marketing and strategy roles at Daimler Trucks North America, the commercial vehicle division of German Daimler AG. He graduated with a bachelor of science degree in management from Kettering University and holds an MBA from the University of Michigan, Ross School of Business.
Pi Chi Omega Honors Frishman’s Contributions with a Named Scholarship
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — Pi Chi Omega, the international fraternity for pest control professionals, annually awards $9,000 in scholarships to undergraduate or graduate students pursuing degrees in urban and industrial pest management. Currently, two of the four annual scholarships pay tribute to early founders and industry leaders: the Founders Endowment Scholarship and the John Osmun Scholarship.
At their annual meeting on Oct. 24, members voted to name a third scholarship — the Austin Frishman Scholarship — to honor Frishman for his vast contributions to the pest management industry. Officials said it is only fitting that a Pi Chi Omega scholarship be awarded in perpetuity in his name since he has had a tremendous impact on the industry not just through his own work, but through each of the students he has nurtured and mentored.
In recent months, more than $6,000 has been raised to support Pi Chi Omega’s scholarships in Frishman’s name. This pushed the contribution total over the original threshold of $20,000 needed to name five scholarships for Frishman.
Stephanie Hill, chair of the PCO Scholarship Committe, discussed the Austin Frishman Scholarship at NPMA PestWorld.
“It is clear that Pi Chi Omega members hold Austin Frishman in high esteem as evidenced by this surge in contributions in his name,” said Stephanie Hill, chair of the PCO Scholarship Committee, and newly elected director on the PCO Board. “We saw the proposal to create the Frishman-named scholarship as a timely directive by the members to celebrate the life and expertise of Austin Frishman,” she said.
Members present at the meeting voted on the matter, and the motion carried unanimously.
Dale Baker, the newly elected president of Pi Chi Omega, challenged members: “Make this honor for Dr. Frishman really count. Make a contribution in his name to the scholarship fund and help us achieve the pinnacle of raising $50,000 for this perpetual scholarship!”
The Pi Chi Omega Board would like to invite anyone moved to support this effort to make a donation directly to Pi Chi Omega. So that 100 percent of your donation will go toward this effort, mail a check to: Pi Chi Omega, P.O. Box 187, Fredericksburg, VA 22404. Write “Dr. Frishman Named Scholarship Fund” on the check memo line. If you’d like to pay by credit card, call Pi Chi Omega at 540/376-3617 or make the contribution through PayPal by paying pichiomega@pichiomega.org and adding a note that the funds are made in support of the Dr. Frishman Named Scholarship Fund. Please note that while Pi Chi Omega is a non-profit organization, the fraternity is not a charity, and donations are not deductible on an individual tax return.
NOAA Releases 2017-18 Winter Weather Forecast
SILVER SPRING, Md. — Expect a cooler, wetter North and warmer, drier South thanks to La Niña, forecasters at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center announced.
Forecasters at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center have released the U.S. Winter Outlook, with La Niña potentially emerging for the second year in a row as the biggest wildcard in how this year’s winter will shape up. La Niña has a 55- to 65-percent chance of developing before winter sets in.
NOAA produces seasonal outlooks to help communities prepare for what’s likely to come in the next few months and minimize weather’s impacts on lives and livelihoods. NOAA says empowering people with actionable forecasts and winter weather tips is key to its effort to build a Weather-Ready Nation.
“If La Niña conditions develop, we predict it will be weak and potentially short-lived, but it could still shape the character of the upcoming winter,” said Mike Halpert, deputy director of NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. “Typical La Nina patterns during winter include above-average precipitation and colder-than-average temperatures along the Northern Tier of the U.S. and below normal precipitation and drier conditions across the South.”
Other factors that impact winter weather include the Arctic Oscillation, which influences the number of arctic air masses that penetrate into the South and is difficult to predict more than one to two weeks in advance, and the Madden-Julian Oscillation, which can affect the number of heavy rain events along the West Coast.
Bayer Appoints Mark Schneid to Head of Environmental Science North America
Schneid
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — Environmental Science, a business unit of the Crop Science division of Bayer, announced that Mark Schneid, former chief marketing officer of the Environmental Science business unit, has been appointed head of Environmental Science North America. In this new role, Schneid will be responsible for leading the business unit in the United States and Canada with a vision focused on the needs of customers in the markets it serves, including: Professional Pest Management, Vector Control, Turf & Ornamentals and Vegetation Management.
“Mark displays tremendous leadership within our organization, incredible passion for advancing our purpose of Science for a Better Life, and a tireless commitment to serve our people, our customers and the industries in which we operate,” said Gilles Galliou, head of Region Americas for Environmental Science.
“We could not be more excited for Mark to be taking the helm of our Environmental Science business unit in North America, working to shape the future of our business and the markets we serve,” he added.
In his 15 years at Bayer, Schneid has excelled in several leadership roles, most recently serving as chief marketing officer for the Environmental Science business unit as well as global market manager for the Turf & Ornamentals segment. With 28 years of professional experience, Schneid has held various marketing, sales and business development roles in consumer and professional businesses.
Prior to joining Bayer, Schneid held positions with Monsanto, Chevron and Kimberly-Clark. He holds a bachelor of science in marketing from Siena College and a master of business administration from Syracuse University in the fields of marketing and finance.
“Our customers are doing incredible things to protect and care for the environments and the spaces where we live our lives, and we are deeply proud to partner with them every step of the way, bringing the kinds of ideas and innovations that contribute to a better life,” said Schneid.
WorkWave Acquired by IFS
HOLMDEL, N.J. — IFS, a global enterprise applications company, has signed an agreement to purchase WorkWave, a leading provider of scalable, cloud-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions for th
e pest control industry. Commenting on the acquisition, Fredrik vom Hofe, group senior vice president for business development at IFS, said, “This acquisition is further evidence of how IFS is investing to extend its global leadership in service management. WorkWave, with its very strong SaaS offering and deep knowledge of how to serve SMB service businesses, complements IFS’ already leading service management offering that is used by many larger service-centric companies. We can now offer the most complete, connected service management solutions across the full-spectrum of service organizations and service-intensive industries, globally,” Von Hofe said.
“In addition, we have significantly strengthened our presence in North America, the world’s largest software market, meaning that the Americas is now the largest region in the IFS Group,” he said, adding, “we are very pleased to have WorkWave’s CEO, Chris Sullens, and the talented WorkWave team join IFS to continue our growth in service management.”
Sullens said, “We are very excited to join the IFS team and are looking forward to mutually accelerating our growth in the field service, last mile delivery and logistics industries — and beyond. Being part of IFS will greatly benefit our clients, partners, and employees.”
Cooper Pest Solutions Named a ‘Best of Bucks 2017’
LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. — Cooper Pest Solutions was recently announced as the “Best of Bucks 2017” winner for pest control by the readers of the Bucks County Courier Times and The Intelligencer.
“I am proud of my team that serves the Bucks County market,” said Cooper Pest Solutions CEO Phillip Cooper. “Our commitment to delivering an amazing customer experience is validated by our raving Bucks County fans.”
The “Best of Bucks” is a list created by the readers of Bucks County Courier Times and The Intelligencer that includes favorite businesses, products and services in Bucks and Montgomery counties.
For the fifth year in a row, the Bucks County Courier Times readers named Cooper Pest Solutions as the “Best” in pest control. This is the second year Cooper Pest has also taken “The Best of Bucks Mont” recognition for The Intelligencer readers of Bucks and Montgomery counties.
Phil Cooper said the company is honored to have received this recognition again for 2017, and he believes it is Cooper Pest’s unique philosophy that makes it stand out among the other pest control companies in Bucks and Montgomery counties.
“While we’re great at killing bugs, we deliver an amazing value and experience, which makes us a unique provider of pest control services,” Cooper said. “We’re able to combine amazing science that is led by my brother, Dr. Richard Cooper, doctorate of entomology, with a passionate approach to customer experience. The power of these two together makes us a very different pest control company.”
