UPFDA Membership Meeting Covers Much Ground

UPFDA President Tom Eichler, Neogen Corp., left, receives a plaque from Election Committee Chair Tommy Reeves, Oldham Chemicals Co., upon his election of a second term in office. Photo: Heather Gooch

At its General Membership meeting held Oct. 21 at PestWorld 2015 in Nashville, the United Producers, Formulators & Distributors Association (UPFDA) covered a lot of ground. After approving the minutes from its last meeting, which took place in April in Scottsdale, Ariz., there was a touching tribute to the late Roland Rhodes by UPFDA Public Relations Chair Dan Moreland. It was also noted that monies had been donated to the Roland and Winona Rhodes Scholarship Fund.

Other highlights of the meeting included:

National Pest Management Association (NPMA) Vice President Alexis Wirtz reported that while the 198 exhibitors at PestWorld 2014 in Orlando, Fla., set a record, it was broken this year with 213 exhibiting companies.

Andy Linares, president of Bug Off Pest Control Center in New York, was introduced as UPFDA’s newest member by Membership Committee Chair Donna Giacalone,] The Bug Stop, Chicago.

Regulatory Committee Chair Steve Levy, president and CEO of Bell Labs, Madison, Wis., said there are three topics of particular importance right now:

1. The U.S. Inspector General’s Office is looking into how the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducts its oversight on structural fumigants. “The expectation is that some rules are going to change,” he said.
2. The recent expansion of rodenticide labels was due in no small part from the input of industry associations such as Association of Structural Pest Control Regulatory Officials (ASPCRO), UPFDA and NPMA, and that such a united strategy might be helpful on other regulatory concerns in the future.
3. The U.S. Department of Labor’s proposed overtime ruling could “change the way PMPs do business,” he said. As currently proposed, employees earning between $23,660 and $54,000 annually could not work more than 40 hours without overtime pay. They would have to clock in and clock out, and there is even concern about recording the time stamps on work-related emails. It’s currently up for public comment, but Levy said that if it were to pass as-is, it could take effect as soon as January 2016.

The 2016 UPFDA Spring Conference will take place at the J.W. Marriott Las Vegas Resort & Spa April 26-28, 2016. More details will be announced as they are finalized.

The following officers were elected at the meeting:

• President Tom Eichler, segment consultant at Neogen Corp., was elected to a second term.
• Past President Karen Furgiuele, president of Gardex Chemicals, was elected to a second term.
• Secretary/Treasurer Dr. Cisse Spragins, founder and CEO of Rockwell Labs, was elected to a second term.
• Board Member Donna Giacalone was elected to a second term.
• Ron Johnson, senior account manager/Southeastern region sales manager for AMVAC Environmental Products, was elected to fill the vacant board seat from when Brian Lish left the industry.

After the meeting, UPFDA held a cocktail reception for its members.