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.
Richard Cooper (right) and his older brother, Phil, represent the left brain and right brain, respectively, of Lawrenceville,
N.J. -based Cooper Pest Solutions.
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Michael F. Potter, professor of entomology for the University of Kentucky, is one of many admiring Cooper, technical director
for Cooper Pest Solutions of Lawrenceville, N.J., for constantly stepping outside his traditional comfort zone, and selflessly
sharing on public stages his knowledge and research findings with pest management companies and industry manufacturers and
academia.
"Rick was one of the first to bang the drum loudly that bed bugs were coming back with a vengeance," Potter says. "He nailed
it early on — way back in 2003, well before most — that we didn't have the research the industry needed to deal with the growing
bed bug epidemic. The industry is fortunate to have insightful, passionate professionals like Rick on our side."
Richard Cooper's office is adorned with this European hornet nest and dozens of insect specimens and antique pest management
products.
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In his office, tucked well away from the business world, Cooper's coal-colored eyes laser in on a big screen displaying high-definition
pest images from his high-powered microscope. He's in his element, magnifying the key differences between a bed bug and a
bat bug. With the power of proven technology at his fingertips, the scientist is beaming — and so is his work.
"Our technicians know if they suspect a bed bug infestation, it's an absolute must they bring back specimens for confirmation,"
Cooper says. "The human eye is a wonderful thing, but it can miss so much.
"The differences between a bed bug and bat bug are practically invisible to the human eye — that is, until we place the specimens
side-by-side on a slide magnified thousands of times and projected onto a big screen like this," Cooper beams. "Some folks
have home theatres. I have an office theatre, and I use it every chance I get to study insects, train technicians and troubleshoot
accounts."
MAGNIFYING DIFFERENCES
It's easy to see why Cooper likes to shine the light on key differences in God's creations. Both Richard and Cooper Pest Solutions
understand firsthand, the myriad benefits of identifying and capitalizing on differences.
Richard Cooper on
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Cooper represents the cerebral side of Cooper Pest Solutions, while his more-outgoing, older brother Phil, company president,
is the operations/marketing mind. On this particular day, even the brothers' uniforms underline their personality differences:
Richard wears a lime- and Phil a lemon-colored corporate shirt.
The younger Cooper claims that he's not a great communicator, but his years of training technicians, speaking and writing
to pest management professionals (PMPs), manufacturers, academia, businesses and consumers, suggest otherwise. If Richard
were all analytical, he wouldn't have joined me on the other side of his desk, removing the three-foot barrier that typically
separates Newsmaker interviewers from interviewees.
The scientist in Cooper knows that feelings can cut both ways. When Cooper was younger, it was his feelings that almost drove
him away from pest management for good.
