Meeting of the Minds

By: Marty Whitford

This past Veteran’s Day — as has been the case since 2003 — several highly decorated pest management industry veterans gathered at The Armory in New York to share their experience with hundreds of colleagues.

This year’s event drew nearly 600 pest management professionals (PMPs), according to Andy Linares, organizer of the New York Pest Expo and owner of New York-based Bug Off Pest Control Center. In addition, Pest Management Professional(PMP) magazine and 29 other industry supporters showcased their latest products via tabletop exhibits.

“Welcome to the 9^th annual New York Pest Expo, the crown jewel of the Bug Off Pest Control Center,” Linares told attendees. “This year’s expo is chock full ofPMP Hall of Famers as speakers. Thank you for making this investment in yourselves and your businesses. … And may God help your competitors who didn’t come here today — you’ll be eating their lunches.”

	Dean Stanbridge	Dean Stanbridge
	Paul Hardy	Dr. Bill Robinson
	Paul Bello	Harvey Goldglantz
	J.T. Eaton’s Craig Martelle, right, discusses product options with a show attendee.	Andy Linares shares the spotlight with his “friends.”

Sharing pest management technology, technique and business tips at this year’s New York Pest Expo were:

• Dean Stanbridge, PMP technology columnist and VP & Technical Director for Direct Line Sales, based in Burlington, Ontario, Canada;
• Dr. Robert M. Corrigan, PMP Hall of Famer and contributor, and president of RMC Pest Management Consulting in Richmond, Ind.;
• Louis Sorkin, a board certified entomologist, founder of Entsult Associates, and treasurer of the New York Entomological Society for more than 25 years;
• Paul Hardy, PMP Hall of Famer and contributor, and senior technical director for Atlanta-based Orkin;
• Dr. Bill Robinson, technical director for Jackson, Ga.-based B&G Equipment Co.;
• Paul Bello, PMP columnist and president of PJB Pest Management Consulting, headquartered in Alpharetta, Ga.;
• Harvey Goldglantz, PMP columnist and president of Elkins Park, Pa.-based Pest Control Marketing Co.

Following are just a few of the nuggets of wisdom passed on by New York Pest Expo speakers:

• Shining the light on what he called “The Small 3” — fruit flies, phorid flies and drain flies — Stanbridge said, “Adults are but a symptom. These little guys have incredibly short development cycles. You have to pinpoint and take care of the source as soon as possible.”
• “You can put a great bait in a great bait station, and you’ll still fail if your placements aren’t based on science — on the rodents’ foraging behavior, feeding preferences, etc.” noted Dr. Corrigan (aka “The Rodent Whisperer”). “I’ve been in this business 35 years, and I’m still just a student of rodents. These animals truly humble me.”
• “When it comes to direct mail and electronic marketing, less is more. White space really matters,” Goldglantz said. “Keep your messages simple but catchy … And always have a call to action.”
• “PMPs ask me all of the time, ‘Where did all the termites go?’ I answer: ‘They’re right here, underneath our feet and all around us. They’re just not swarming as much as they used to,’” Hardy said. “Just because you don’t see something right away doesn’t mean it’s not there. We have to do a little digging … a little investigative work.”
• “Not many people know this but: All spiders can bite and every spider is poisonous — to a degree,” Dr. Robinson said.
• “Bed bugs are exposing the weaknesses of our industry,” said Bello, author of the recently published “Bed Bug Combat Manual.” “If you’re not in the bedbug business already, you will be soon. Yourcustomers will drag you into it. But that’s OK — because where there are pest management obstacles there are revenue opportunities.”