[Crown Award Winners] Elite Eight

In October, Pest Control Technology and Syngenta Professional Products announced the winners of the 2005 Crown Leadership Awards. This year marks the 17th year of the Leadership Awards Program, co-sponsored by PCT magazine and Syngenta. The program spotlights individuals who have contributed positively to the growth of the structural pest management industry and have established strong ties with fellow business leaders and customers in their communities.

The eight recipients were profiled in a special supplement that was published in conjunction with the October issue of PCT magazine and honored at an Oct. 15 reception during NPMA’s PestWorld 2005 convention in Nashville, Tenn.

"Tonight we honor the 2005 Crown Award winners. Their contributions to the industry are an example to us all," said Ashish Malik, business head, professional pest management, Syngenta, during the awards presentation. "They represent industry ethics and integrity and have elevated the profile of professional pest management, both in their communities and throughout the nation."

Winners of the 2005 Leadership Crown Awards are:

• Phil Augustine, Augustine Exterminators, Overland Park, Kan.

• Debbie Byrne, Western Exterminator, Anaheim, Calif.

• Jerome Goddard, Mississippi Department of Health, Jackson, Miss.

• Joey Harris, Cook’s Pest Control, Decatur, Ala.

• Pat Hottel, McCloud Services, Hoffman Estates, Ill.

• Cindy Mannes, Professional Pest Management Alliance, Fairfax, Va.

• Tom Walters, Western Pest Services/Orkin, Parsippany, N.J.

• Bob Wanzer, HomeTeam Pest Defense, Dallas, Texas

As part of this year’s awards program, PCT Publisher Dan Moreland honored Orkin’s Glen Rollins, the 2004 PCT Professional of the Year, and also reflected back on the contributions of 1999 Leadership winner and Holocaust survivor Richard Yashek, who passed away earlier this year. PCT and Syngenta made a $500 donation in Yashek’s name to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

"For 17 years the PCT staff has had the distinct honor and privilege to share many of your stories with the pest control industry…stories of extraordinary personal sacrifice, stories of both success and failure," Moreland said the night of the awards ceremony. "The success of the program is a direct reflection of our past and present Leadership Award winners, an elite group of pest management professionals who in the past two decades have played a central role in growing the market for professional pest control services, while protecting the health and property of millions of people throughout the United States and the world."

Click here to view photos from the reception.