ServiceMaster to Acquire Assured Environments

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — ServiceMaster announced in December that it would be acquiring Assured Environments, a $31 million firm based in New York City that ranked 25^th on the PCT Top 100 list. The announcement was sent out in a press release prior to ServiceMaster’s 2018 Investor Day meeting.

Assured Environments is primarily a commercial pest control company specializing in servicing property management, hospitality, retail, education and food processing facilities. Assured provides pest control services to many of New York’s best-known buildings, including Rockefeller Center, Madison Square Garden and the 9/11 Memorial Museum.

Assured Environments is led by Andrew Klein, who has served as the company’s president since 1994, when it was known as Allied Exterminating.

“Andrew Klein and the Assured team have an incredible reputation for exceptional customer experiences in one of the key urban markets in the world,” Chief Executive Officer Nik Varty said in the press release. “This acquisition is well-aligned with our growth strategy, and we are excited about the potential to leverage this great team and their capabilities as we look to accelerate our expansion into exciting urban markets.”

As part of Varty’s Investor Day presentation, he noted that Terminix’s profile was very strong in suburban and rural markets, but that “one of the areas that was a huge untapped opportunity for us was the urban market space. It just makes the perfect right sense to bring in the leading provider [Assured Environments] in a tough, challenging market.”

Founded in 1934, Assured Environments has built a culture of excellent customer service and employee satisfaction. The acquisition brings more than 200 full-time employees and marquee clients into the Terminix portfolio. Assured Environments will continue to operate as a separate company and as a Copesan partner, servicing national accounts in the New York area.

Klein also spoke as part of ServiceMaster’s Investor Day meeting. He reflected on his lifelong involvement in the pest control industry as a third-generation PCO, noting that he began to view the pest control industry differently after Assured Environments became a Copesan Partner in 2004. “I realized that there was an entire universe of other opportunities out there in the country that we were missing,” he said. Klein said that as part of his “Copesan transformative journey” he met with Terminix and was impressed with the potential growth opportunities for he and his team. “I realized that Terminix wanted us not because of our revenue and customer base — although that was attractive. They wanted [Assured] for me and my team — and for what we could do for their team nationally and perhaps internationally.” – Brad Harbison

NPMA PestWorld Achieves Record-Breaking Attendance

ORLANDO, Fla. — The National Pest Management Association (NPMA) said more than 4,000 pest management professionals traveled to Orlando in October to attend the organization’s annual trade show and convention. NPMA says it was the association’s most well-attended annual conference since its inception in 1933.

“It’s no secret that PestWorld has proven itself once again as the premier pest management event in our industry,” said NPMA CEO Dominique Stumpf. “With packed educational sessions and a sold-out exhibit hall, this year’s event demonstrated the industry’s desire for an event with emphasis on learning and networking.”

PestWorld featured general session speakers Yossi Ghinsberg and Dennis Snow. During the Opening General Session, Ghinsberg delivered his message that nobody can be courageous unless fear comes first; fear is the guide that shows you the way. Snow shared stories of his time working at Walt Disney World and offered attendees advice on how little moments of ‘wow’ add up when it comes to customer service.

Next year’s PestWorld will be held in San Diego, Oct. 15-18.

Harvey Massey Recognized With Pinnacle Award at NPMA PestWorld 2018

ORLANDO, Fla. — The National Pest Management Association (NPMA) presented the Pinnacle Award to Harvey Massey, founder and CEO of Massey Services, at PestWorld in Orlando in October. NPMA’s Pinnacle Award is the association’s highest honor, and it is presented annually in recognition of an individual for his or her outstanding contributions to both NPMA and the industry.

A former executive at Orkin and Terminix, Harvey Massey purchased Walker Chemical and Exterminating Company in 1985, and two years later he renamed it Massey Services. He took a modest $3.9 million operation and turned it into a $230 million business with 142 service centers throughout Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina, North Carolina and Texas.

Harvey Massey has been a leader at NPMA and was instrumental in the founding of the Professional Pest Management Alliance, the public outreach arm of NPMA that has made significant strides in raising public awareness about the value of professional pest management services.

Massey also is well known for his philanthropic endeavors. In 2014, the Harvey and Carol Massey Foundation was formed to further solidify the company’s personal and professional commitment and mission of being contributing members to their community.

In accepting the award Massey thanked Carol and the couple’s family for their support, and he shared the spotlight with the entire Massey team. “This type of recognition is not something I accept personally and privately. You don’t do these things alone. We have 2,100 team members in our organization and this award is theirs.”

Other industry awards that were presented included:

• Women of Excellence Award: Amy Chapman, Corteva Agriscience
• Young Entrepreneur Award: Kevin Thorn, Thorn Pest Solutions
• NPMA Gives Award: EnviroPest of Loveland, Colorado
• Global Ambassador Award: Xiaoyun Huang, Chinese Pest Control Association
• 2017/2018 Committee of the Year: The Public Policy Committee
• 2017/2018 Committee Chair of the Year: Bobby Jenkins, chair of the Blue-Ribbon Membership Task Force.

EPA, Department of the Army Propose New ‘Waters of the United States’ Definition

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In December, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of the Army (Army) proposed a clear, understandable and implementable definition of “waters of the United States” that clarifies federal authority under the Clean Water Act.

“Our proposal would replace the Obama EPA’s 2015 definition with one that respects the limits of the Clean Water Act and provides states and landowners the certainty they need to manage their natural resources and grow local economies,” said EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “For the first time, we are clearly defining the difference between federally protected waterways and state protected waterways. Our simpler and clearer definition would help landowners understand whether a project on their property will require a federal permit or not, without spending thousands of dollars on engineering and legal professionals.”

A press release from EPA says the agencies’ proposed rule would provide clarity, predictability and consistency so that the regulated community can easily understand where the Clean Water Act applies — and where it does not. Under the agencies’ proposal, traditional navigable waters, tributaries to those waters, certain ditches, certain lakes and ponds, impoundments of jurisdictional waters and wetlands adjacent to jurisdictional waters would be federally regulated. It also details what are not “waters of the United States,” such as features that only contain water during or in response to rainfall (e.g., ephemeral features); groundwater; many ditches, including most roadside or farm ditches; prior converted cropland; stormwater control features; and waste treatment systems.

As reported previously in PCT, despite the fact that pesticides applied in accordance with FIFRA have already undergone a thorough review during the EPA registration and reregistration processes, National Pollutant Discharge and Elimination System (NPDES) permits are required under the Clean Water Act any time chemical pesticides are used in, over or near Waters of the United States (WOTUS). The pest control industry has long been of the belief that these permits place an unnecessary and costly burden on them.

More information, including a pre-publication version of the Federal Register notice, the supporting analyses and fact sheets are available at: https://www.epa.gov/wotus-rule. Source: EPA

The Aust Group Announces Launch of New Website

Upper Saddle River, N.J. — The Aust Group, a mergers and acquisitions and consulting firm, announced the launch of its newly developed website at http://theaustgroup.com.

The site features easy access to services offered on mergers and acquisitions (for buyers or sellers); customizable consulting services for individuals or entire staffs; and mentorship programs with specialized one-on-one coaching for small to large companies. “We are very excited about the unveiling of our new website for our customers and partners,” said Stuart Aust, CEO/president.

CPCO of Georgia Celebrates 20^th Anniversary

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — The Certified Pest Control Operators of Georgia held its annual Fall Conference Oct. 3-5, at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga., with BASF as the presenting sponsor.

A gala was held in the Club One luxury suite at the Speedway as part of the festivities. CPCO of Georgia President Marty Jones presented Bob Shelnutt with the 2018 Award of Excellence and welcomed attendees to participate in the P.E.S.T. Relief Silent Auction, which raised $3,700.

Glenda Lehmberg, executive director, shared the association’s vision for the future and Syngenta sponsored Dr. Austin Frishman as the keynote speaker with a talk titled, “Ladies and Gentlemen Start Your Innovative Engines: A 21^st Century Approach to IPM.” The conference also featured a Truck Parade sponsored by Real Fleet Solutions where participants drove their vehicles around the Atlanta Motor Speedway track.

More than 400 people attended the conference, as well as 40+ vendors who showcased their products and services. Sponsors included Airofog USA, AMVAC, BASF, Bayer, Bell Laboratories, Briostack, Ensystex, Fallaize Insurance, Forshaw, ML Web Design, Matttress Safe, McGriff Insurance Services, Oldham Chemicals Co., Real Fleet Solutions, Rid-A-Critter, Rockwell Labs Ltd, Syngenta, Target Specialty Products, Univar and VM Products.