At the Right Place, at the Right Time - PCT

TUCSON, Ariz. — After a one-year hiatus due to COVID-19, NPMA Academy returned to an in-person event in July. Nearly 200 industry professionals traveled to Tucson, Ariz., for three days of team-building activities, educational sessions and networking opportunities.

This year's event, sponsored by Corteva Agriscience, was an opportunity for NPMA members to "reconnect with colleagues and industry friends for the first time since the pandemic," said Rachel Dittman, NPMA vice president of marketing and communications. "The energy and excitement from attendees was incredible."

NPMA's Leadership Networking Community developed hands-on networking opportunities and booked leading business/management presenters Janine Driver and Garland Vance. Driver, a former federal law enforcement officer within the Department of Justice, provided insights on how to read emotions and body language, skills that she says can enhance leadership skills.

Vance is the founder of AdVance Leadership, which helps overwhelmed influencers and organizations live with purpose, productivity and peace. During his presentation, he shared three of the most common leadership mistakes and how to avoid them.

The Professional Women in Pest Management held a half-day yoga workshop where attendees could recharge their minds, bodies and spirits before the official Academy events began.

NPMA Academy gathered 415 children's books and pajamas to donate to the Angel Heart Pajama Project in Tucson, Ariz. The organization's mission is to provide pajamas, books and literacy support to children in need. — Brad Harbison

Bayer, Bell Laboratories Win IoT Evolution Business Impact Awards

SHELTON, Conn. — TMC, a global, integrated media company helping clients build communities in print, in person and online, in conjunction with its partner Crossfire Media, announced Bayer and Bell Laboratories as winners of the 2021 IoT Business Impact Award, presented by IoT Evolution World.

The award honors Internet of Things (IoT) companies and solutions that drive innovation and progress. Winners have shown industry and thought leadership, in addition to innovative products, solutions and services that are driving the IoT into the future, the company says. Winners must have been active in the IoT, and deployed within the past 12 months as judged by the editors of IoT Evolution World.

"Having an impact on a whole industry is a function of focus and strategy and our winners have certainly shown that," said Carl Ford, reporter at large for IOT Evolution World and community developer, Crossfire Media. "We are so pleased to be able to name these five companies our Business Impact Award winners for 2021. They deserve our congratulations."

Bell Laboratories was recognized for its iQ Products, powered by Bell Sensing Technology; Bayer's Rodent Monitoring System (RMS) was honored.

iQ products, powered by Bell Sensing Technologies, is Bell Laboratories' line of smart rodent devices that was launched at PestWorld in 2019 and can now be found throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia. "When we created our Bell Sensing Technologies division, our goal was to provide pest management professionals around the globe with the ability to efficiently and accurately protect their customers from disease and damage caused by rodent populations. iQ products allow technicians to accomplish these goals, all from the palm of their hand," says Patrick Lynch, senior vice president of sales, Bell Laboratories and general manager for Bell Sensing Technologies.

The Bayer RMS is a wireless network of high-tech sensors added to traps strategically placed around a facility. Sensors in each trap monitor and broadcast their status through radio signals. These radio signals are then transferred to the cloud via cellular communication. The cloud software sends real-time notifications to users (email/text message) whenever a rodent is caught. Alternatively, users can direct the system to count bait station activity rather than issue immediate alerts. The Bayer RMS portal displays the network of monitors and the current status of each individual monitor. This enables the pest management professional to focus on proper inspection and the area of the infestation and eliminates the need to spend hours manually checking every trap, Bayer says.

Other winners included: Kloudspot; MachineQ, a Comcast Company; and OITVOIP. Learn more at www.iotevolutionworld.com.

A Child's Hope is Assisting with Haiti Earthquake Relief Efforts

HOUSTON, Texas — A Child's Hope, the Haiti community founded by Raleigh Jenkins (ABC Home & Commercial Services) that provides housing and support to abandoned Haitian children, is responding to the needs of the people of Haiti, who are recovering from a devastating 7.2 magnitude earthquake that hit southern Haiti on Aug. 14.

Jenkins reports that the home did NOT suffer damage. Tremors were felt throughout the night and the next day, including in the home near Jacmel. Children and employees slept outside that night and were safe. However, the cities of Les Cayes and Jeremie in Southern Haiti experienced massive damage and loss of life. They are in desperate need of emergency aid.

In response, A Child's Hope is directing disaster relief efforts to Mission of Hope, which has assessed the needs in Southern Haiti and have a response team in that location.

Specific emergency needs include:

Medical supplies and pharmaceuticals
Hospital generators
Cots and tent shelters
Meals and water filters
Transportation of supplies

Jenkins became involved with Haiti during his NPMA presidency (2010) when he joined other members of the National Pest Management Association on multiple trips to Haiti to provide much needed pest management services to hospitals and orphanages following the 2010 earthquake. Learn more at https://www.achildshope.org.

PCT, Syngenta Announce 2021 Crown Leadership Award Honorees

CLEVELAND, Ohio — PCT and Syngenta will recognize five industry professionals in a commemorative edition of PCT magazine and at a special Crown Leadership Awards reception at NPMA PestWorld in November.

The class of 2021 includes:

Gary Curl, Specialty Consultants, Jacksonville, Fla.
Freeman Elliott, Orkin, Atlanta, Ga.
Suzanne Graham, Massey Services, Orlando, Fla.
Marty Overline, Aardvark Pest Management, Philadelphia, Pa.
Donnie Shelton, Triangle Pest Control, Raleigh, N.C.

"It's been 33 years since PCT and Syngenta began recognizing individuals who have contributed to the growth and development of the pest control industry, and I believe this year's class continues that tradition," said PCT Publisher Dan Moreland. "Each, in their own way, has played a key role in advancing the industry."

"We are thrilled to welcome the Crown Leadership Awards Class of 2021," added Marshall Gaster, head of marketing, Professional Pest Management, Syngenta. "They have worked tirelessly on behalf of their customers and colleagues to make a positive difference in the industry."

Since 1988, the Crown Leadership Awards have been presented annually to pest management professionals, university educators, consultants, industry distributors and association officials who uphold the highest standards of industry ethics, while contributing their time and talent to a wide range of professional and civic organizations.

PCT and Syngenta will honor this year's class during a special ceremony to be held at NPMA PestWorld in Las Vegas. Also at the ceremony, PCT and Syngenta will present a "Lifetime Achievement Award" to a past Crown Leadership Award winner and acknowledge the Class of 2020, which was recognized virtually last year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

For ongoing coverage of the Crown Leadership Awards or to learn more about previous winners of this prestigious award, visit www.pctonline.com.

PPMA: Rodent Awareness Week To Be Held in October

FAIRFAX, Va. — This Oct. 17-23 is Rodent Awareness Week, an annual designation established by the Professional Pest Management Alliance (PPMA) and recognized by Chase's Calendar of Events, to promote public knowledge of rodents and the dangers they present to home and health. PPMA, which serves as the public outreach arm of the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), also uses this week to encourage homeowners to work with a qualified pest management professional to address rodent issues.

Recently, PPMA conducted more than 1,000 online interviews with homeowners in the interest of understanding similarities and differences across millennials, Gen X and baby boomers related to pest control needs and perceptions. The study showed that when aided, homeowners quickly make the connection between pest control professionals and protecting both public and family health. Yet less than 40 percent of homeowners across all generations will call a professional if they find several rodents in their home. PPMA said it wants to move that needle.

"Rodent Awareness Week presents a unique opportunity for pest control companies to unite behind a timely and pertinent campaign," said Cindy Mannes, executive director of PPMA. "It is imperative that we continually educate the public about the property and health risks associated with rodents when they invade people's homes and businesses and that we urge them to call a professional instead of attempting to handle a mouse or rat problem on their own."

PPMA says rodents are top of mind for consumers during the fall months. According to PPMA's Living Survey using its artificial intelligence research, there were more than 1.2 million online engagements on the topic of rodents in November of 2020, a 28 percent increase from October of 2020. Rodents also were a top concern as a health and home issue in November 2020, with more than 266,000 engagements on the topic. (Source: Advanced Symbolics)

During this year's Rodent Awareness Week, PPMA will devote all @PestWorld social media pages to address these vertebrate pests, highlighting its Rodents Revealed microsite and consumer site, www.pestworld.org. There also will be a new consumer campaign featuring rodents announced in October. PPMA is asking all pest management companies to join in this awareness initiative by focusing their social media content on rodents throughout the week and to use the hashtag #Rodent Awareness.

PPMA has created an exclusive Rodent Awareness Week toolkit available for Mainframe subscribers to download on PPMAMainframe.org. The toolkit includes a customizable press release, suggested social media content, Rodent Awareness Week logos, high-resolution photography, media training documents as well as a list of video content that can be directly embedded on a company's website.

For more information about PPMA visit http://www.npmapestworld.org/ppma.

PestVet of the Year Award Renamed for David Cooksey

FAIRFAX, Va. — The National Pest Management Association (NPMA) PestVets Council voted to rename the PestVet of the Year Award to the David Cooksey PestVet of the Year of the Award. Cooksey, a retired Air Force colonel, former member of the NPMA PestVets Council and CFO of McCall Service, operating in Northern Florida and Southern Georgia, passed away in May.

The council remembered Cooksey as a key member who never missed an in-person meeting or event.

"The PestVets Council is deeply saddened by the sudden passing of David Cooksey," said Jake Plevelich, NPMA PestVets Council staff liaison. "He was an incredible member of the PestVets Council, family man and human being. He will be greatly missed. Every member of the council unanimously supported renaming the award after David because he embodied the values of military service, the PestVets Council and the criteria to win the award itself. He was an amazing person that stood for values that we should all strive to embody."

Added Joe Campbell, PestVets Council chairman and senior vice president of the residential department at ABC Home & Commercial Services DFW, "I was saddened to hear of David's untimely passing. His contribution to the U.S. military and pest control industry on both the state and national levels was immeasurable. He will be dearly missed by us all."

FMC, sponsor of PestVets, will deliver the first David Cooksey PestVet of the Year Award at NPMA Legislative Day 2022 in Washington, D.C. Learn more at https://npmapestworld.org.

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