Pi Chi Omega Awards First Industry Grant to Latyn

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. –  The Pi Chi Omega Industry Grant Program (IGP), introduced to the industry at PestWorld 2022, has been fully funded and awarded to Sarah Latyn as the inaugural recipient of the Daniel A. Baldwin Industry Grant Program.

Latyn has a dual technical role in the pest control industry. She is the technical training manager of Rest Easy Pest Control and a technical consultant for White Mantis Consulting. In addition to her professional role in the pest management industry, she is pursuing a master's degree in entomology at the University of Kentucky.

“While I know much of the useful knowledge in pest control is learned in the field, when one is in a technical role, having these extra qualifications can gain credibility that can be hard to come by, especially when you are young and female," said Latyn.

Latyn received a grant of $2,441 to pay the full tuition for one class at the University of Kentucky. Her daily work in the industry, coupled with her formal studies at the University of Kentucky, is a great combination to create and support her professional excellence, the organization said.

After seed money contributed by Trécé in 2022, the grant has been fully funded of $50,000 of the Daniel A. Baldwin Industry Grant, by Hawx Pest Services.

“Rightly, a lot of emphasis is placed on college students studying entomology and related sciences, as they can have a significant impact on our industry," said Matt Mehr, President of Hawx Pest Control. "However, there are people in our industry today who have tremendous potential, but all too often, the educational and experiential opportunities that can help them reach their goals are just out of reach."

Pi Chi Omega recognizes the need for ongoing education in the field of urban and industrial pest management. Examples of activities that could be considered for the Pi Chi Omega Industry Grants include conference attendance, college or technical level courses, other advanced skill acquisition, seed money for a new project, costs of publishing or disseminating relevant information to the industry and more.

“Hawx stepped up with this generous contribution, enabling Pi Chi Omega to continue our mission of connecting and enriching the pest management industry in this new and important way," said Pi Chi Omega’s President Cassie Krejci.

Grant applications are accepted year-round and will be reviewed each Jan. 1 and June 1. For more information, please visit https://www.pichiomega.org/industry-grant-program/.