<FONT color=blue>PCT On The Road</FONT>: 350+ Gather in Denver to Discuss ‘Going Green’

DENVER — More than 350 pest management professionals, suppliers and others affiliated with the professional pest management industry gathered in Denver on Thursday to hear from various speakers regarding “green” pest management.

“Going Green: Marketing to the 21st Century Customer,” a meeting hosted by the National Pest Management Association, began Wednesday night with a reception and continues through Friday afternoon. The event is sponsored by Nisus Corp., Rockford, Tenn.

NPMA Executive Vice President Rob Lederer kicked off the meeting Thursday, saying, “This meeting is providing the forum to debate and discuss what has worked for other companies who offer green services. We will talk about ‘greenwashing’ and why this approach will not work with the public at large. We’ll share with you the latest consumer research on attitudes towards ‘green’ overall, and yes, even specific to the pest management industry.”

(“Greenwashing,” as defined by Wikipedia, is a term that is used to describe the actions of a company, government or other organization which advertises positive environmental practices while acting in the opposite way.)

Lederer also announced that NPMA’s QualityPro program, the association’s mark of excellence in pest management, will soon add a green component called QualityPro Green.

Kevin Kirkland, president, Nisus Corp., also welcomed attendees by discussing some of the trends in the national green marketplace today. “We are the most qualified industry in the world to determine how great a risk a pest infestation presents,” he said. “The green movement represents a tremendous opportunity and with it comes a tremendous responsibility.”

Kirkland said Nisus has three goals for this week’s meeting: to help attendees understand the green marketplace and green trends; to present information about green pest management programs/green divisions and how to select green products; and to present marketing tools necessary to communicate green programs to consumers.

The crowd heard from various speakers on Thursday, including Kevin Smith, chief marketing officer, Orkin, Atlanta, who said he felt the pest management industry is already a fairly green industry. The challenge, he said, is to communicate just how green PCOs are to the consumer. “We need to make the ways we’re already green better known,” he said.

But, he said, in situations where there are public health concerns vs. green concerns, public health always wins out. And along those same lines, consumers who call pest management professionals, while they may want a green pest control service, generally have one thought on their mind: getting rid of the pests.

“Seventy-eight percent of consumers want effective pest control first and foremost,” Smith said about Orkin’s research.

Attendees also heard from Kathy Steinberg, a senior research associate at Harris Interactive, who performed market research on behalf of NPMA earlier this year. Following were some of the findings she reported:

• The vast majority of consumers are not opposed to the use of pesticides in their home.
• Three in four consumers value “green” attributes in a product or service.
• 72 percent think a pest service can be green.
•  According to survey respondents, “less toxic” is the most important characteristic that would make a pest service “green.”
• Pest service users who seek out green solutions are equally as likely to do so for their family as for the environment.

She said consumers are equally as likely to hire pest professionals as they are ones who practice green methods, meaning they want to get rid of the problem.

Other Thursday speakers included Chuck Bell, the GreenTeam; Dr. Jeff Lloyd, Nisus Corp.; Dr. Janet Kintz-Early, Nisus Corp.; and Dr. Roger Yeary, health, safety and environmental stewardship, ServiceMaster Consumer Services (retired).

Attendees also heard case studies from three pest management firms: The Steritech Group, HomeTeam Pest Defense and Massey Services. Case studies continue on Friday from Clark Pest Control, Eden Advanced Pest Technologies, Springer Pest Solutions and Terminix International.