Seventy-five years is a long time. Consider that 75 years ago:
- Construction on San Francisco's famed Golden Gate Bridge began;
- The original King Kong, starring Fay Wray premiered at Radio City Music Hall; and
- President Franklin D. Roosevelt uttered his famous words, "The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself."
In 1933, the United States repealed Prohibition with the 21st Ammendment. In the publishing world, Newsweek magazine as well as Pest Management Professional magazine (PMP), under the name Exterminators Log, were both published for the first time.
Founded in 1933, the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) under the name Associated Exterminators and Fumigators of
the United States and that year folded itself into the National Association of Exterminators and Fumigators (NAEF), with Bill
Buettner taking the lead.
As the NPMA prepares to host its national convention, PestWorld, in Washington, DC, it's only fitting to note that the NAEF
held its first national meeting also in Washington. The world, this industry, this magazine and the NPMA have undergone many changes in the past 75 years. Today, this industry
is in a different place than it was, thanks in great part to the support of its national association.
In honor of this momentous anniversary, PMP sat down for a candid conversation with NPMA Executive Director Rob Lederer to discuss where the association has been, and
what role he sees it playing in the future of the pest management industry.
PMP: What are some of the biggest changes you've seen in both the pest management industry and the national association since
you became executive director in 1996?
Lederer: The association in January 1997 was a different organization than it is today.
The NPMA had just let go an executive vice president that had been here for 10 years, it was facing a budget deficit and membership
was on the decline. Convention attendance was on the decline. It had hired an industry consultant that identified a limited
leadership pool and no involvement from the membership as pretty systemic problem areas.
I'm proud of the fact that today, we boast more than 6,000 members – and the membership is increasing. Our convention attendance
is consistently upwards of 3,000. I'm also proud of the fact that we have leadership actively engaged in the association with
more than 175 committee members and a board of directors 24 individuals strong.
Those are all good vital signs for an organization. We're going on 12 years of surplus budgets. It's a fairly remarkable turnaround
in a decade, one of which I'm proud.
PMP: What has been your single most joyous moment since joining the NPMA?
Lederer: I don't know that I could point to one single most joyous moment. I've certainly had some memorable moments. For instance,
the convention that followed September 11, 2001.
PestWorld was scheduled to take place less than a month after the terrorist attacks on 9/11, and the industry pulled together
quite remarkably. For someone who'd only been with the association four years, I was impressed to see the heart of this industry.
We were in the New Orleans Convention center, which is a huge convention center, and there were 11 or 12 major conventions
scheduled that week. We were the only one that showed up. More importantly, not only did we show up, but at the time it was
the single largest attendance in the history of the organization.
That speaks volumes for the heart and soul if this industry. In doom and gloom times, this industry said "We're not going
to be beaten." The industry rallied because in tough times we wanted to spend it with our peers and industry colleagues.
There were a number of associations at the time that had major problems because they cancelled their conventions for fear
nobody would show up. We did the total opposite.
We restructured the theme less than a month out and changed our speakers. Rick Pitino was our scheduled speaker, so we moved
him to the following year and booked General Norman Schwartzkopf, which was consistent with the new theme of "United We Stand."
I'll never forget that statement by the people in this industry that they weren't afraid. They didn't respond to fear; instead
they stood up to be counted. That convention was a wonderful example of the great the resilience of this industry.
