[NPMA Convention] Record Breaker

NPMA PestWorld 2007, held Oct. 17-20 in Orlando, was attended by more than 3,600 pest management professionals, suppliers and distributors, including 450 international delegates and 175 exhibiting companies, NPMA reports. These attendance numbers break the previously held attendance record from Pest Management 2000 in Las Vegas.

NPMA Executive Vice President Rob Lederer announced a year-long campaign to celebrate the upcoming 75th anniversary of the association and the PestWorld Convention. Based around the theme of 75 years of service to the industry and the consumer, Lederer said, “Consistent with the importance of this milestone, NPMA will launch a year-long campaign culminating in Washington, D.C. NPMA will be joining hands with the Professional Pest Management Alliance to launch a campaign designed to build brand awareness in the association within the membership and to boost media coverage by putting an aggressive face forward to the consumer.”

Other highlights of this year’s event included:

• An exhibit floor with the latest products and services from leading manufacturers.
• The opening ceremony, which was an appearance by Rhythm Extreme, was sponsored by Bayer Environmental Science. Rhythm Extreme created unique music using metal and rubber products such as garbage cans.
• Seventy-five educational sessions, including five all-day intensive learning center meetings.
• Appearances by speakers James Bradley and Billy Donovan.
  Bradley, who wrote the New York Times best-seller “Flags of Our Fathers,” spoke at the opening session Thursday morning. His book focuses on the six men — including his father — who raised the American flag after the battle of Iwo Jima, and how everyday Americans can find the strength and courage to do extraordinary, and seemingly impossible, things. Bradley’s presentation was sponsored by Dow AgroSciences.
• Donovan brought his tales of his success on the basketball court as a player under Rick Pitino in the 1980s, as the youngest NCAA head coach in history at Marshall and as the coach of unprecedented back-to-back national championships for the Florida Gators. Donovan spoke about how he realized his life’s dream by applying his fire, passion and discipline for basketball. Donovan’s presentation was sponsored by FMC Professional Solutions.
• Field trips that focused on three pest management and lawn care companies in the Orlando area — Massey Services, Middleton Lawn and Pest Control and Truly Nolen.
• The presentation of the NPMA Pinnacle Award to Orkin Technical Director Paul Hardy. NPMA’s Pinnacle Award is presented annually to an individual or group of individuals for industry contributions.
• The Professional Pest Management Alliance celebrated its 10th anniversary during a special reception.
• NPMA’s Minorities in Pest Management selected Mississippi State University graduate student Sandra Woolfolk as the first-ever recipient of the MPM Scholarship. MPM’s Genma Holmes presented the award to Woolfolk during PestWorld.
• PCT and Syngenta honored this year’s Crown Leadership winners during a special ceremony.

PestWorld 2008 will be held Oct. 22-25 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center on the Potomac in the Washington, D.C., metro area. For more information, contact NPMA at 703/352-6762 or visit www.npmapestworld.org.