What is the greatest obstacle to implementing a diversity strategy? One third of PMPs said there isn’t one, according to the 2018 PCT-NPMA Workplace Diversity Survey. Eighteen percent said they’re not interested in implementing such a program; 14 percent lack a qualified staff member to lead this initiative; 26 percent cited other reasons.
One of these is company size, said PMPs in follow-up interviews. Finding employees with the right attitude and who fit the company culture can be challenge enough for a small business, let alone ensuring they’re also diverse.
“I think people feel comfortable with people that they know, with people who are like-minded, so people tend to hire those people,” said Audrey Hall, president of Eco Serve Pest Services, Orchard Park, N.Y.
Companies err when they hire “the man in the mirror,” cautioned Curtis Rand, Rose Pest Solutions.
“I’ve seen really good companies wreck their infrastructure” doing this, said one former sales manager for a large, generally diverse pest control company who ultimately launched his own pest control business. “They started switching out managers and those new managers brought in managers like them, at the lower level who then replaced lower managers with managers like them and over the course of five years it’s a whole other landscape,” he observed. As a result, it became hard for diverse employees to see opportunities for advancement.
Another obstacle, said PMPs, is the English-only licensing exam for structural pest control. People who speak English as a second language may not be fluent enough reading it to feel confident taking the exam. PMPs said product labels likewise should be translated into other languages, like in agriculture.
Customer racism is another problem. “It’s not something that we will accept as a company. If the customer wants to openly display that and make comments, we chose not to have them as a customer,” said Billy Olesen, describing a time when his technician was on the receiving end of such behavior.
Julio Camacho, owner/operations manager of IPM Specialist, Soledad, Calif., had a similar situation with a client, who now represents $400,000 in yearly revenue. He chose to “die on the hill” and explain why this technician was the best person for the client’s job. “Luckily it worked out and I think they respect us more for that,” he said. Still, business owners (even Hispanic ones) typically address Camacho’s white employee as the boss.
Is diversity a business strategy? For most, NOT INTENTIONALLY
Workforce diversity is not a core business strategy at pest control companies, reported 63 percent of PMPs in the 2018 PCT-NPMA Workforce Diversity Survey. Sixty-two percent believes diversity at companies will occur naturally as the U.S. population becomes more diverse.
In follow-up interviews, PMPs said they welcome people with different backgrounds, perspectives and ages and try to seek them out, although the industry can do better in these efforts.
Curtis Rand, Rose Pest Solutions, urged PMPs to focus on attracting young people, especially college graduates. “That’s going to be the future of our industry,” he said.
More professionals, especially diverse ones, need to visit elementary and high schools to promote the industry. “If we do that, I think we could attract more college and high school kids,” said Sylvia Kenmuir, Target Specialty Products.
“Veterans often get overlooked as well. They bring a lot of skills that somebody who’s not a veteran isn’t really aware of,” said Billy Olesen, Chuck Sullivan Exterminators.
Joe Campbell, vice president of operations, ABC Home and Commercial Services, Dallas-Fort Worth, would like to see more women in customer-facing positions. “Some of my best technicians and salespeople have actually been female, but you just don’t get the volume of women that are drawn to the industry,” he said.
“I don’t look at the ethnicity of my company as a determinant of diversity; what I’m looking for is people that think differently enough to help us make the best decisions,” said Ravi Sachdeva, American Pest Management.
Other companies take a more deliberate approach. The goal at Sprague Pest Solutions in Tacoma, Wash., “is to really mirror the communities that we work in,” said Leila Haas, director of human resources. “We strive to really look at hiring a team that has diversity of skills, backgrounds, learning styles, looking at the communities we serve and reflecting the communities that we serve,” she said.
Haas assesses this strategy by evaluating demographics in the communities that the company serves, comparing this to company demographics, and developing ways to better align the two.
Most people in the pest management industry are white (78.5 percent) and male (76.7 percent), found the 2018 PCT-NPMA Workplace Diversity Survey. Two-thirds are between 35 and 64 years old; almost 12 percent are veterans (11.7 percent) and 3.5 percent have a disability.
“I think we have a hard time recruiting women, people of color. I think we do need to spend a lot of time working on that,” said Faye Golden, governmental affairs manager at Cook’s Pest Control in Decatur, Ala., and chair of NPMA’s Diversity Committee.
Women account for 83 percent of office staff and more than a quarter of managers. In follow-up interviews, PMPs said they’re aware of more women-owned pest management companies than in years past.
“The woman component has changed” with more daughters of company founders taking over and more women managers, said Sylvia Kenmuir, national director of technical training, Target Specialty Products, Santa Fe Springs, Calif. “I do see where we’re having that shift,” she said.
An average 8.4 percent of technicians are women, found the survey. At some companies this number is much higher. Seven of the 28 service technicians at American Pest Management in Manhattan, Kan., are women, said CEO Ravi Sachdeva, who also employs three veterans and two first responders.
And all residential service technicians will be women at Rosie’s Pest Control, a new venture of Pugh’s Earthworks landscaping company in Memphis, Tenn. Women customers relate better to women technicians, explained Mark Pugh, an owner of the company. Hiring women “was spurred by more of a niche and a need in the marketplace,” he said.
Technicians are the most ethnically diverse group (nearly a quarter are non-white) and accounted for the most veterans (10 percent).
Julio Camacho, owner of IPM Specialist in Soledad, Calif., said companies are more diverse at the technician level, but not so much at higher levels of management. “I just don’t know how much forward movement there is for those people down below,” he said.
As for age, managers were the oldest employees — about 60 percent were between 45 and 64 years — and field technicians were the youngest with almost half ranging in age from 25 to 44.
Rose Pest Solutions employs six generations from the 20s through the 80s. “We definitely do not discriminate based on age,” said Vice President of Operations Curtis Rand.
Since 2015, BASF has been proud to sponsor an annual survey in cooperation with PCT and the National Pest Management Association devoted to addressing key issues of importance to pest management professionals. The first of these research studies was titled “Benchmarking Your Business,” featuring an operating cost ratio survey designed to allow PMPs to compare their business costs and financial performance against their industry peers. In 2016, we sponsored a “Compensation & Benefits” survey, and in 2017 we supported a “Business Outlook” research study. Last year we addressed a topic that is top-of-mind for virtually every PMP in North America — “Employee Recruitment & Retention.” The results of that survey offered information to PMPs about the challenges of recruiting and retaining quality employees, as well as possible solutions for addressing this industry-wide challenge.
This year, we switched gears to do a first-of-its-kind survey about diversity in the pest management industry. What does diversity mean to PMPs? Well, via interviews with owners and operators, we found it means something different to everyone. On the following pages we’ll explore the topic of diversity and its role in business success, particularly as it relates to the number one problem facing PMPs today, employee recruitment and retention.
Diversity creates openness — to cultural and demographic changes within our society — and to the needs and wishes of our customers. It also leads to innovation. Diverse cultural backgrounds, individual perspectives and experiences, and the various ways of approaching business challenges help us to solve problems faster and more creatively. While competitors can try to replicate our products and technologies, the aspect of BASF chemistry that is most uniquely our own is the powerful combination of our people and their ideas.
At BASF, we believe in the power of diversity to create rich connections with our people, our customers and our communities. Individuals with different backgrounds and experiences bring new ideas and fresh perspectives to the table. Diversity makes us stronger, and leveraging our differences enables us to bring the best of BASF to everything we do. In short, diversity is our competitive advantage.
We hope you find the information featured in this special report beneficial to your business. The future of the industry is bright and BASF recognizes that each of you has a unique story to tell. For those PMPs interviewed for this special report, thank you for sharing your market insights. We’ll look forward to hearing from others as we continue the conversation on this important topic.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — ServiceMaster announced in December that it would be acquiring Assured Environments, a $31 million firm based in New York City that ranked 25th on the PCT Top 100 list. The announcement was sent out in a press release prior to ServiceMaster’s 2018 Investor Day meeting.
Assured Environments is primarily a commercial pest control company specializing in servicing property management, hospitality, retail, education and food processing facilities. Assured provides pest control services to many of New York’s best-known buildings, including Rockefeller Center, Madison Square Garden and the 9/11 Memorial Museum.
Assured Environments is led by Andrew Klein, who has served as the company’s president since 1994, when it was known as Allied Exterminating.
“Andrew Klein and the Assured team have an incredible reputation for exceptional customer experiences in one of the key urban markets in the world,” Chief Executive Officer Nik Varty said in the press release. “This acquisition is well-aligned with our growth strategy, and we are excited about the potential to leverage this great team and their capabilities as we look to accelerate our expansion into exciting urban markets.”
As part of Varty’s Investor Day presentation, he noted that Terminix’s profile was very strong in suburban and rural markets, but that “one of the areas that was a huge untapped opportunity for us was the urban market space. It just makes the perfect right sense to bring in the leading provider [Assured Environments] in a tough, challenging market.”
Founded in 1934, Assured Environments has built a culture of excellent customer service and employee satisfaction. The acquisition brings more than 200 full-time employees and marquee clients into the Terminix portfolio. Assured Environments will continue to operate as a separate company and as a Copesan partner, servicing national accounts in the New York area.
Klein also spoke as part of ServiceMaster’s Investor Day meeting. He reflected on his lifelong involvement in the pest control industry as a third-generation PCO, noting that he began to view the pest control industry differently after Assured Environments became a Copesan Partner in 2004. “I realized that there was an entire universe of other opportunities out there in the country that we were missing,” he said. Klein said that as part of his “Copesan transformative journey” he met with Terminix and was impressed with the potential growth opportunities for he and his team. “I realized that Terminix wanted us not because of our revenue and customer base — although that was attractive. They wanted [Assured] for me and my team — and for what we could do for their team nationally and perhaps internationally.” – Brad Harbison
ORLANDO, Fla. — The National Pest Management Association (NPMA) said more than 4,000 pest management professionals traveled to Orlando in October to attend the organization’s annual trade show and convention. NPMA says it was the association’s most well-attended annual conference since its inception in 1933.
“It’s no secret that PestWorld has proven itself once again as the premier pest management event in our industry,” said NPMA CEO Dominique Stumpf. “With packed educational sessions and a sold-out exhibit hall, this year’s event demonstrated the industry’s desire for an event with emphasis on learning and networking.”
PestWorld featured general session speakers Yossi Ghinsberg and Dennis Snow. During the Opening General Session, Ghinsberg delivered his message that nobody can be courageous unless fear comes first; fear is the guide that shows you the way. Snow shared stories of his time working at Walt Disney World and offered attendees advice on how little moments of ‘wow’ add up when it comes to customer service.
Next year’s PestWorld will be held in San Diego, Oct. 15-18.
Harvey Massey Recognized With Pinnacle Award at NPMA PestWorld 2018
NPMA President Dennis Jenkins (left) presents the Pinnacle Award to Harvey Massey.
ORLANDO, Fla. — The National Pest Management Association (NPMA) presented the Pinnacle Award to Harvey Massey, founder and CEO of Massey Services, at PestWorld in Orlando in October. NPMA’s Pinnacle Award is the association’s highest honor, and it is presented annually in recognition of an individual for his or her outstanding contributions to both NPMA and the industry.
A former executive at Orkin and Terminix, Harvey Massey purchased Walker Chemical and Exterminating Company in 1985, and two years later he renamed it Massey Services. He took a modest $3.9 million operation and turned it into a $230 million business with 142 service centers throughout Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina, North Carolina and Texas.
Harvey Massey has been a leader at NPMA and was instrumental in the founding of the Professional Pest Management Alliance, the public outreach arm of NPMA that has made significant strides in raising public awareness about the value of professional pest management services.
Massey also is well known for his philanthropic endeavors. In 2014, the Harvey and Carol Massey Foundation was formed to further solidify the company’s personal and professional commitment and mission of being contributing members to their community.
In accepting the award Massey thanked Carol and the couple’s family for their support, and he shared the spotlight with the entire Massey team. “This type of recognition is not something I accept personally and privately. You don’t do these things alone. We have 2,100 team members in our organization and this award is theirs.”
Other industry awards that were presented included:
Women of Excellence Award: Amy Chapman, Corteva Agriscience
Young Entrepreneur Award: Kevin Thorn, Thorn Pest Solutions
NPMA Gives Award: EnviroPest of Loveland, Colorado
Global Ambassador Award: Xiaoyun Huang, Chinese Pest Control Association
2017/2018 Committee of the Year: The Public Policy Committee
2017/2018 Committee Chair of the Year: Bobby Jenkins, chair of the Blue-Ribbon Membership Task Force.
EPA, Department of the Army Propose New ‘Waters of the United States’ Definition
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In December, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of the Army (Army) proposed a clear, understandable and implementable definition of “waters of the United States” that clarifies federal authority under the Clean Water Act.
“Our proposal would replace the Obama EPA’s 2015 definition with one that respects the limits of the Clean Water Act and provides states and landowners the certainty they need to manage their natural resources and grow local economies,” said EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “For the first time, we are clearly defining the difference between federally protected waterways and state protected waterways. Our simpler and clearer definition would help landowners understand whether a project on their property will require a federal permit or not, without spending thousands of dollars on engineering and legal professionals.”
A press release from EPA says the agencies’ proposed rule would provide clarity, predictability and consistency so that the regulated community can easily understand where the Clean Water Act applies — and where it does not. Under the agencies’ proposal, traditional navigable waters, tributaries to those waters, certain ditches, certain lakes and ponds, impoundments of jurisdictional waters and wetlands adjacent to jurisdictional waters would be federally regulated. It also details what are not “waters of the United States,” such as features that only contain water during or in response to rainfall (e.g., ephemeral features); groundwater; many ditches, including most roadside or farm ditches; prior converted cropland; stormwater control features; and waste treatment systems.
As reported previously in PCT, despite the fact that pesticides applied in accordance with FIFRA have already undergone a thorough review during the EPA registration and reregistration processes, National Pollutant Discharge and Elimination System (NPDES) permits are required under the Clean Water Act any time chemical pesticides are used in, over or near Waters of the United States (WOTUS). The pest control industry has long been of the belief that these permits place an unnecessary and costly burden on them.
More information, including a pre-publication version of the Federal Register notice, the supporting analyses and fact sheets are available at: https://www.epa.gov/wotus-rule. Source: EPA
The Aust Group Announces Launch of New Website
Upper Saddle River, N.J. — The Aust Group, a mergers and acquisitions and consulting firm, announced the launch of its newly developed website at http://theaustgroup.com.
The site features easy access to services offered on mergers and acquisitions (for buyers or sellers); customizable consulting services for individuals or entire staffs; and mentorship programs with specialized one-on-one coaching for small to large companies. “We are very excited about the unveiling of our new website for our customers and partners,” said Stuart Aust, CEO/president.
CPCO of Georgia Celebrates 20th Anniversary
Executive Director of CPCO of GA Glenda Lehmberg, Dr. Austin Frishman and Maria A. Collins, assistant to the director of CPCO of GA.
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — The Certified Pest Control Operators of Georgia held its annual Fall Conference Oct. 3-5, at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga., with BASF as the presenting sponsor.
A gala was held in the Club One luxury suite at the Speedway as part of the festivities. CPCO of Georgia President Marty Jones presented Bob Shelnutt with the 2018 Award of Excellence and welcomed attendees to participate in the P.E.S.T. Relief Silent Auction, which raised $3,700.
Glenda Lehmberg, executive director, shared the association’s vision for the future and Syngenta sponsored Dr. Austin Frishman as the keynote speaker with a talk titled, “Ladies and Gentlemen Start Your Innovative Engines: A 21st Century Approach to IPM.” The conference also featured a Truck Parade sponsored by Real Fleet Solutions where participants drove their vehicles around the Atlanta Motor Speedway track.
More than 400 people attended the conference, as well as 40+ vendors who showcased their products and services. Sponsors included Airofog USA, AMVAC, BASF, Bayer, Bell Laboratories, Briostack, Ensystex, Fallaize Insurance, Forshaw, ML Web Design, Matttress Safe, McGriff Insurance Services, Oldham Chemicals Co., Real Fleet Solutions, Rid-A-Critter, Rockwell Labs Ltd, Syngenta, Target Specialty Products, Univar and VM Products.
