PHOTO: PMP STAFF
At the 2019 Pest Management Professional (PMP) Growth Summit, PMP’s staff encouraged attendees to share the business and pest control tips that work for them. Check out this column each month for advice and tips overheard at the 2019 PMP Growth Summit.
Soak up knowledge
Rodney Creech
Rodney Creech and Bob Brower are owner and general manager, respectively, of Lawn Plus, a $3.5 million West Alexandria, Ohio-based firm. They attended PMP’s sibling magazine’s event, the Landscape Management Summit, in 2018 and were delighted to learn there was a pest control version, as they were planning to launch a pest management division in 2019.
As PMP Summit attendees, they were enthusiastic participants, asking questions and sharing their own expertise about the lawn care side of their business. Last month, they made it official by hiring Thomas Broderick as branch manager of their newly launched pest management division. We asked Brower what he and Creech found to be the Top 3 surprising facts about the pest control industry:
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Bob Brower
Customers can be latchkey. “We had the misconception that all indoor pest control is actually indoors. We learned that maybe the initial visit and 30 days after are, but after that, most of the work is outdoors. We were thinking how terrible it was going to be to schedule everyone to be home. For our lawn care business, unless it’s a locked gate for a fence or some other logistics issue, we show up and treat anytime.”
- Inventory won’t be the nightmare they feared. “We are used to ordering 40 semi loads of product for lawn care, but that is not the case with pest control. It needs a lot less space compared to lawn care.”
- PMPs are a great bunch to have in your corner. “What hit home for us was a great, honest, funny quote by one of the pest owner attendees: ‘Why are you guys in lawn care? Don’t you know it’s a lot easier to kill something than to make something grow?’”
Opt for a new solution
Bill Haynes
Bill Haynes, CEO of Haynes Exterminating in Buford, Ga., said he is the first pest management professional in the state to try an innovative method for mosquito control.
The In2Care Mosquito Trap is registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to kill Aedes mosquitoes and their offspring using a slow-killing biological fungus and a larvicide that lures and contaminates Aedes mosquitoes that they then spread to other breeding sites. Mosquito larvae are killed inside the trap and in its vicinity. When research and development for the product was underway, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation provided its developers financial support.
“The In2Care Mosquito Trap is only a part of what we need to control mosquitoes,” he said. “A thorough inspection for sources of water, proper larviciding, and customer education also are key elements of our mosquito management service.”
Haynes said his customers seem to love the product, which is easy to use and does not pose a threat to pollinators, birds or pets.
When his distributor told him his was the first company in Georgia to use the product, Haynes was surprised. But he knew he wouldn’t be the only one for long, as he expects other companies to realize the benefits of using a biological fungus and larvicide to help control mosquitoes.
“In2Care is not a silver bullet, but it is a step in the right direction,” he added.
2020 PMP Growth Summit | If you’re a pest management professional who makes the purchasing decisions for your company, we invite you to apply to attend the 2020 PMP Growth Summit at Reunion Resort in Orlando, Fla. Qualified attendees receive complimentary accommodations, meals, beverages and golf. To learn more and apply, visit PMPGrowthSummit.net.
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