Former CTC members launch new committee

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September 21, 2021

PHOTO: UPMTC

Back row, from left, are Jay Everitt, ACE, Rottler Lawn & Pest Solutions; Ted Thorpe, ACE, Pit Bull Pest Control; Alex Blahnik, ACE, Terminix Commercial; Santos Portugal, BCE, ABC Home & Commercial Services; Jim Nase, ACE, Moyer Indoor Outdoor; David Moore, BCE, Dodson Pest Control; Jeff Weier, BCE, Sprague Pest Solutions; Bart Foster, BCE, Bill Clark Pest Control, Inc.; Christian Wilcox, ACE, McCauley Services; Cory Goeltzenleuchter, PHE, McCall Service; and Mark VanderWerp, BCE, Rose Pest Solutions. Seated, from left, are Rolie Calzadilla, CWCP, Pest Wildlife Pro; Tom Myers, BCE, All-Rite Pest Control; Ashley Roden, BCE, Sprague Pest Solutions; and Mark “Shep” Sheperdigian, BCE, Rose Pest Solutions. PHOTO: UPMTC

In 2020, after the Copesan Technical Committee (CTC) was discontinued following the acquisition of Copesan by Terminix two years before, its former members wanted to find a way to continue the interaction and support they got from the group. They decided to start an independent, non-profit corporation: the Urban Pest Management Technical Committee (UPMTC). In August, this organization met in-person for the first time as a non-profit, self-guided corporation with a visit to the Rollins Urban & Structural Entomology Center at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. As a UPMTC news release states:

As a diverse network of pest management technical experts their members include technical directors, trainers, QA managers and consultants from established pest management firms around the country. The mission of the committee is to support its members through professional development by sharing ideas and best practices from their various companies. They will also provide a broad industry perspective to the researchers and manufacturers they visit. The group provides support and guidance for those members early in their careers and, for those with experience, to share what they have learned.

In addition to monthly Zoom meetings, the UPMTC meets in person to visit the people and places that most influence our industry… With destinations that include universities that are centers of urban entomology, governmental agencies, manufacturer facilities, and member locations, the members are exposed to the leading edge of urban pest management.

Jay Everitt, ACE, technical director of St. Louis, Mo.-based Rottler Pest & Lawn Solutions, is the founding president of the UPMTC.

“I’m glad we were able to make this happen,” he said in the news release. “The learning and mentorship I have found with these people has been a more valuable education than any course I could have taken.”

Board member Mark “Shep” Sheperdigian, BCE, agrees, adding with a characteristic quip, “We gather where the gravitational pull is greatest that affects the tides of our industry.” The VP Technical Services for Rose Pest Solutions in Troy, Mich., is also Pest Management Professional’s SHEPerspective columnist.

UPMTC membership is by invitation. To learn more, visit UPMTC.org or visit its profiles on FaceBook and LinkedIn.

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About the Author

Heather Gooch

Heather Gooch is the editor-in-chief for PMP magazine. She can be reached at hgooch@northcoastmedia.net or 330-321-9754.

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