[PCT On The Road] High Stakes Part 2

Editor’s note: The December issue of PCT featured articles and photos from NPMA’s PestWorld 2009, held in October at the Venetian Palazzo. On the following pages is additional coverage from the event, as well as photos and news. Suppliers: If you have news from the show to share, or introduced a new product in Las Vegas, please send a press release and high-resolution photo to jdorsch@giemedia.com. To learn more about PestWorld 2010, to be held Oct. 20-23, 2010, in Honolulu, Hawaii, at the Hawaii Convention Center, visit www.npmapestworld.org/events.

Bedbug.com Debuts at PestWorld 2009

PestWorld 2009, held in October in Las Vegas, marked the debut of Bedbug.com, a manufacturer of mattress, pillow, luggage and other bed bug protective encasement products.

The Bedbug.com staff was on hand to answer inquiries about the proper use of encasement products as part of an overall bed bug treatment solution. Rich Saffern, marketing manager, Bedbug.com, told PCT he was pleased with the reception that the company and its products received. "We are looking to get distributors and that’s why we came to PestWorld. Our short-term goal is to set up pest control operators throughout the country and to continue to build brand recognition," Saffern said. "We have a marketing center and a knowledge center to support them with various mechanisms for getting the word out, including providing them resources like tip sheets."

The Bedbug.com line features proprietary zipper technology, known as Zip Tech, a bite-proof yet comfortable micro-polyester fabric and a special seam system, the company reports. Saffern says this technology makes the products different from encasements that require the ends to be sealed with duct-tape.

"We think it’s a product that makes the pest exterminator’s life easier," Saffern said. "Let’s say they do have to exterminate and then come back for a follow up in 14 days. If they encase the mattress, then they don’t have to worry about a nymph or an egg that they don’t detect basically multiplying within that period of time."

In addition to mattress and pillow encasements, Bedbug.com sells luggage liners and laundry bags. "Whether used by a college student returning to the dorm, an elderly parent coming home from the hospital, or a family member who took a trip abroad, we are considered a first line of defense both home and away," Saffern says.

Saffern added that Bedbug.com recently was endorsed by the American Sleep Association (ASA).

A highlight of Bedbug.com’s PestWorld participation was the drawing for its grand prize giveaway — a four-day Carnival cruise valued at approximately $3,000. The prize was awarded to David Lisanby of Nick’s Pest Management, Madisonville, Ky. Lisanby is the company’s vice president of operations. Nick’s Pest Management is an authorized Bedbug.com distributor.

For more information visit www.bedbug.com.
 

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McCauley Accepts Farm Service
Job in Obama Administration

The Obama Administration in October announced that John McCauley, a popular figure in the pest management industry, will serve as Kentucky State Executive Director for the Farm Service Agency at the USDA.

"John McCauley has a solid understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing our rural communities and will help build on the Obama Administration’s efforts to rebuild and revitalize rural America," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

"I’m looking forward to working in the Obama administration," McCauley told PCT. "It gives me a chance to sink my teeth back into the agricultural side. I’m excited about it."

In 2003, McCauley was hired to serve as BASF Pest Control Solutions’ government relations representative. Additionally, he served as director of the Division of Pesticide Regulation in the Kentucky Department of Agriculture in the 1990s and served on the Governor’s Commission on Literacy five years before that. He also has worked in the Kentucky Labor Cabinet and Kentucky General Assembly.

USDA’s Farm Services Agency works to increase economic opportunity and improve the quality of life for rural Americans. Some of the agency’s efforts include facilitating income support, disaster assistance and conservation programs, providing operating loans for the procurement of farm equipment, seed and fertilizer, as well as offering ownership loans to help new and veteran producers purchase a farm. FSA also works to procure various commodities to benefit low-income families through domestic food assistance programs.
 

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Syngenta Awards $300 to three lucky pmps

Syngenta announced that three pest management professionals received a 2009 PestWorld Syngenta booth drawing prize for a $300 gift certificate.

Scott McNeely, founder and president of McNeely Pest Control in Winston-Salem, N.C.; Phillip Cooper, president of Cooper Pest Solutions in Lawrenceville, N.J.; and Jeff Annis, president and CEO of Advanced Services, in Augusta, Ga., were the lucky winners. They can redeem the gift certificates to buy tickets of their choice to tens of thousands of sporting, concert, theater and other live entertainment events.

All booth visitors who had their badges scanned were entered into the contest when they stopped by to hear more about the Optigard line of products including
Optigard Flex and Optigard Ant Gel Bait, and previewed a new Optigard Fire Ant Bait, launching early this year. PMPs also learned about the newest Demand EZ pint size offering, which offers the lowest entry-level price point in the Demand family.