70th annual NCPMA event breaks attendance records

LOGO: NCPMA

The 70th annual North Carolina Pest Management Association’s (NCPMA’s) Pest Control Technician’s (PCT) School attracted more than 1,000 pest management professionals, making it the largest event for the association to date.

This year’s event took place Jan. 26-30, 2020 at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel and Conference Center in Durham, N.C. The three-day event featured sessions for education, training and networking.

“In February 1951, a group of pest management individuals gathered for two days of classes that were designed to broaden their knowledge of their craft and create unity among our industry. What started as a two-day course has evolved into what we today call the Pest Control Technician’s School, and it has served as one of our greatest achievements for 70 years,” said Clint Miller, NCPMA president. “We are proud to continue this great tradition and look forward to our biggest event yet.”

Highlights of the 2020 event include:

• Keynote speech: Ray “Cash” Care, a Navy SEAL veteran presented about the value of teamwork and self-improvement.
• North Carolina State University hands-on spray school, live learning course: Started in 2019, this hands-on training session for pest management managers and technicians focuses on proper equipment handling, calibration and repair and how to ensure accurate pesticide application rates and techniques.
• Dr. Faith Oi: The associate extension scientist in urban entomology at the University of Florida discussed termites with a presentation titled, “Termite Control: More than Applying a Termiticide.” She is also a member of Pest Management Professional’s (PMP’s) Editorial Advisory Board and was featured in PMP’s December 2018 Women in Pest Management issue.
• A.C.E. review course and exam: The Associate Certified Entomologist (ACE) Review Class and Exam from the Entomological Society of America. Eleven participants took the review course and nine of those 11 participants scheduled for the exam the following day, according to the NCPMA. Five out of the nine participants who took the exam passed it, but NCPMA notes that 100 percent of the participants that committed to the prep course at least six months in advance passed the exam.