12 Legends: The Bugs Aren't the Only Ones Evolving, Adapting

1 Apr, 2008 By: Austin Frishman Pest Management Professional

Fifty years ago, when I first was a pest control operator (PCO), now called pest management professional (PMP), we primarily had the same pests we have today: mice, rats, cockroaches, ants, flies, bed bugs and fleas. My prediction is that they will still be here 50 years from now. How we approach control may change, but the chances of any of these pests become extinct is remote.

Austin Frishman

Looking at the bigger picture, some very positive steps have occurred since I first started in this field. Here are a few:

We now plaster signs on our vehicles and have large billboards proclaiming who we are and what we do. No more "unmarked cars available."
Women have entered the field in considerable numbers, and are doing a great job at all levels, from service technicians to owners. The era of hesitancy to hire a female to do this work is over.
When you went to a meeting of any consequence, there would only be a few vendors. B.&D.A. Weisburger, Velsicol and J.J. Dill come to mind. As we grew as an industry, however, we became more noteworthy: Today you can go to an industry convention and see computer companies, truck manufacturers and a host of vendors not immediately associated with pest management.
In the fall of l967, when I initiated my first pest management class for the industry (night school), bosses would not send their technicians. The first class was just bosses, and I was the youngest one in the class. Once they saw how practical the course was, they began to send their technicians. Soon we had so many people, there were waiting lists. I had to open a second session. Over the l2 years I taught at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Farmingdale, more than l,000 technicians took the course.
In the 1960s and '70s, very few training meetings were held by universities and distributors. The ones I was involved with for private pest management firms resulted in my speaking for six to eight hours. There were no other speakers on the program. As more universities became involved in urban pest management curriculums, however, very competent people joined the lecture circuit.
Today, PMPs can go to industry training meetings — on technical and business matters — almost every day and still miss some because two or three usually are being conducted simultaneously somewhere in the country.
Marketing and sales used to be nearly unheard of in most pest management firms. Only the large companies used such "specialists." In fact, some PMPs thought it was unethical to solicit business, believing we should wait for our telephones to ring before rendering service.
During World War II, certain pest management firms were selected to work with the U.S. Army in the event we were attacked. PMPs would be involved in applying rodenticides. Fortunately, our industry was not needed. It is interesting to note, however, that several successful pest management firms received their initial experience in the military.

You can reach PMP Hall of Famer Frishman, Al Hochman, at 561-487-1585.

Bookmark it: digg propeller del.icio.us technorati yahoo facebook

Add Comment