UPFDA: Connecting for the Greater Good

Networking. Learning. Sharing. Growing. Uniting. Together, these five words summarize the spring conference of the United Producers, Formulators and Distributors Association (UPFDA) — held at Florida’s Westin Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort April 22-23.

The about 60 attendees of the close-knit gathering left UPFDA’s conference richer in knowledge and connections, and with sunnier outlooks on the state of professional pest control.

The conference kicked off with a board meeting during which UPFDA’s directors and members discussed organization, industry growth obstacles and opportunities and strategized how best to overcome challenges and capitalize on the positives. Afterward, attendees donned their shades and hit the pool deck for UPFDA’s welcome reception. Florida sunshine, ocean views, live music and fresh seafood added to attendees’ upbeat conversations.

Day 2 educational sessions started with keynote speaker Steve Good, a former 20-year Terminix senior exec turned consultant. In his “State of the Pest Control Industry,” Good shared trends including:

• Service revenue for the 17,000-plus U.S. structural pest control providers rose nearly 8 percent last year and is expected to climb another 6 percent in 2025.
• Private equity firms hold the market’s leading two software suppliers, plus:
  • Pest control companies generating $2.5 billion per year in combined
    service revenue,
  • Manufacturers selling $250 million+/year to U.S. PMPs, and
  • Distributors selling $400 million+ per year to U.S. PMPs.

But just as sunshine sometimes comes a bit of rain, Good noted U.S. pest management professionals (PMPs) face myriad challenges, including:

• Tariffs
• 40-year record inflation
• Housing market slowdowns
• Labor shortages
• Further restrictions on pest control products, and
• Continued consolidation of service providers, manufacturers and distributors.

A trio of engaging panels comprised of UPFDA members teed up regulatory concerns and shared how pest control is growing despite myriad market challenges. Manufacturer and distributor panelists discussed everything from product development to online ordering and technical support, to rebates and early order programs. Demonstrating pest control’s perseverance were several UPFDA panelists and members.

“Some nights, a lot of things keep me up — emotion-based regulations, unnecessary reporting requirements,” said Heather King Alonso, BCE, director of customer service, training and regulatory at Target Specialty Products. “But what keeps me up the most is something many of our mentors, like my wise father-in-law, PMP Hall of Famer Lonnie Alonso, have warned us about: Don’t let them take away our pest control tools — especially without science-based data.”

Colleague Tom Algeo, director of pest management sales-east for Target Specialty Products, concurred and added that organizations such as UPFDA give pest control pros a stronger voice.

“Together, as an industry, we usually win,” Algeo said. “Even when proven pest control products are banned or further restricted in use we usually adapt, innovate and overcome.”

How does professional pest control keep winning? Patrick Lynch, ACE, UPFDA president and chief commercial officer for Bell Laboratories, has an idea: “People. That is what UPFDA means to me. The talented people of the manufacturing and distribution community gathering to protect our vital industry in the present and ensure its success for all in the future.”