NPMA launches “NPMA Hives” networking program

IMAGE: NPMA

The National Pest Management Association (NPMA) recently launched the “NPMA Hives” program to help members build a diverse network and find industry mentors.

NPMA Hives was designed and piloted by NPMA’s Professional Women in Pest Management (PWIPM) and the Leadership Networking Council (LNC).

“It has connected me to a group of inspiring industry professionals that I did not know or did not know well prior to this experience,” Leigh Fryxell, Anticimex’s North American SMART operations manager, said in the news release. “I was able to learn valuable insights about personal branding, leadership, and marketing from industry peers. I loved how our Hive included representation from folks in different roles working for different companies — some large, some small — as this helps us to understand various perspectives.”

The program consists of joining five to seven industry professionals together weekly for 30 minutes each week. Same time, same day, same group for the duration. Each week, one Hive participant gives the group a topic of their choosing. Then the group gathers and discusses that topic, focusing on helping that person, for 30 minutes.

“I loved getting to meet new people that I may not have met otherwise because of our companies or roles we have where we work,” said Megan Jacobson, ACE, co-owner of Steve’s Pest Control in Holts Summit, Mo. “It was also a great place to talk about literally anything. I was happily surprised by some of the topics my hive mates brought to the table that would normally not be information share outside of a tight personal circle.”

NPMA expects to run Hives beginning in September, November and February each year. Learn more and sign up for the next Hive by Oct. 20, 2023, at www.npmapestworld.org/hives.