PestWorld Keynote Dorsey Brings New Wisdom to Generational Management

With a comical and lively opening by “Minnie Pearl” and the Rocky Top Review, and the passing of the NPMA Presidency gavel from Bill Tesh to Russ Ives, PestWorld’s Opening General Session on Wednesday featured Keynote Speaker Jason Dorsey — a.k.a. the “Gen Y Guy” — and one of the foremost experts on solving tough generational challenges.

Introduced by Paul Simons, global business director for Dow AgroSciences, which sponsored the session, Dorsey expose new generational truths that directly impact today’s leaders. Dorsey opened his presentation by asking attendees to remember their first job, the age at which they started, and the hourly amount they were paid. Now, he said, “imagine someone my age coming to work for you. It’s our first real job ... so we’re probably age 27.” Additionally, although many in the audience noted they had earned $1.00 per hour or less in their first job, Dorsey said, “they saved money.” Contrast that with today’s Millennials who “make $30,000 a year and spend “$50,000,” he said.

While the comments elicited a great deal of laughter, Dorsey’s point came through, as he continued to speak about surprising data, first-hand stories, and step-by-step actions that industry managers can use to drive communication, engagement, recruiting and more.