Craig Thomas takes a turn for the better — leaving New York State's DEC after 10 years to become a PMP — en route to building a $2.7 million-a-year company anchored by solid relationships with clients and employees

Over the years, Terminix International and Orkin Pest Control have served as the proving grounds for many entrepreneurial pest management professionals (PMPs).

Can you still build a successful company in this country primarily through dedication and hard work? Yep, you sure can — just ask Ed Bradbury, president of Viking Termite & Pest Control, based in Bridgewater, N.J.

After completing successful tours of duty with two large pest management companies, Harvey Massey bought a small firm and has grown it into a powerhouse. On his watch, Maitland, Fla.-based Massey Services has recorded 23 consecutive years of growth and bolstered sales nearly 20-fold

The University of Florida's Faith Oi shares laughs and credit with her colleagues as she brings an IPM approach to termite training and Florida schools

Patrick Quigley understands the challenges of being a pest management professional (PMP) in a highly competitive environment. After all, he learned the business literally from the ground up.

Richard Cooper lives to put pests, as well as pest management perceptions and practices, under a microscope. But when Cooper himself is placed under the microscope (say as a bed bug expert speaking at an industry conference or as co-author of the soon-to-be released Bed Bug Handbook: The Complete Guide to Bed Bugs and Their Control), the otherwise-quiet entomologist still can't help but feel like he's strayed outside his preferred habitat.

Stuart Aust — aka Bug Doctor — stands tall with his high energy, world-class showmanship, entrepreneurial spirit and old-fashioned family values

Even after merging family-owned Ehrlich Pest Control with the global giant Rentokil, Victor Hammel still runs the business the only way he knows how — building long-lasting relationships by exceeding expectations one customer, one day, one opportunity at a time