[View Point] New PCT Offerings Usher in 2010

As 2009 draws to a close, it’s likely that most business people are anxious for the clock to strike 2010. That’s because 2009 has been — generally speaking — a tough year for businesses of all sizes. Fortunately, the pest management industry has fared better than most, but that doesn’t mean there’s not room for improvement. Here at PCT, we’re also looking forward to 2010, but for a different reason.

Next year, the PCT Media Group is excited to bring a number of new products to the pest management industry, as well as introduce enhancements to several of our current product offerings. As you’ll see detailed on pages 26-27 of this issue, in late October PCT unveiled our redesigned Web site, www.pctonline.com. In response to growing industry interest and supplier emphasis on multi-media, we’ve highlighted podcasts, videos and sponsored materials in the upper right-hand corner of the site. There you’ll find videos and podcasts prepared by the PCT staff, as well as training materials, trade show coverage, educational videos and other useful tools developed by the industry’s leading product suppliers. Just below the multi-media section of the site are the latest product promotions, which are sure to save our readers money and enhance their bottom line, an important consideration during these challenging economic times.

Additionally, the print edition of the magazine received some "pumping up" in our redesigned Web site. Towards the bottom of the page you’ll find four tabs highlighting the current issue of PCT, including "online extras." That’s where you’ll access additional sidebars, charts, links, and expanded editorial coverage that couldn’t fit in the print edition, thereby enhancing your online experience. Understanding that news and product information is the primary reason you visit the site, we’ve expanded the "Headline News" section of PCT Online to include even more daily updates from PCT Internet Editor Brad Harbison.

And although there’s lots of other new elements to the site, one of the most eagerly anticipated changes include enhancements to our message board functions featured in the "Forum" section of the site. The new board features a sleek, modern look, as well as several enhancements, including the ability for users to add graphics and create polls. Check it out and let us know what you think.

In an effort to enhance our educational offerings even further, the PCT Media Group will be publishing three "new" books in 2010. This winter, the 3rd Edition of the PCT Field Guide for the Management of Structure-Infesting Ants by Stoy Hedges will be available. Featuring descriptions of several new ant species, as well as the latest pest management techniques, the PCT Field Guide — sponsored by BASF Pest Control Solutions — is must reading for anyone involved in the ant control market.

In addition, the 3rd Edition of the PCT Technician’s Handbook will be published in 2010. This digest-size book is a handy field reference guide that should be in every PMP’s service vehicle. Written by PCT Contributing Technical Editor Dr. Richard Kramer, the book features pest profiles and treatement recommendations for virtually all of the most commonly encountered pests found in North America.

And finally (in your best Keith Jackson voice), the "grandaddy of them all," the Mallis Handook of Pest Control will be published in 2010. Now in its 10th Edition, the so-called "bible of the pest control industry" is the most comprehensive technical resource availalbe in the pest management industry, offering more than 1,200 pages of in-depth coverage of the biology, behavior and control of structural pests.

As you can see, 2010 promises to be a banner year for the PCT Media Group, as well as the pest management industry. None of these projects would be possible, however, without the support our readers, so thank you for your allegiance over the years, and best wishes for a successful 2010.

The author is editor of PCT magazine.