TWINSBURG, Ohio — Pi Chi Omega, the international pest control fraternity, is a 67-year-old organization familiar with most people in the pest control industry. Most people know that Pi Chi Omega was founded by entomologist at Purdue University who wanted to further the science of entomology within the pest control industry. What is less known is among pest management professionals is Pi Chi Omega’s mission and purpose.
This desire to give people a clearer idea of why Pi Chi Omega is still relevant today is what spurred current Pi Chi Omega President Judy Black to gather members for a strategic planning meeting last month at the J.T. Eaton headquarters in Twinsburg, Ohio.
"An analysis of our purpose and the wishes of our membership is overdue, and these discussions will provide the foundation for the future of Pi Chi Omega," said Black.
The hope for the strategic planning session was to hash out an updated mission and vision statement, and to define strategic activities that will ensure that Pi Chi Omega is a meaningful organization today and for the years to come.
Rich Ennis, former CEO of The Steritech Group, volunteered his time to assist a group of 16 Pi Chi Omega members and board members through a strategic planning exercise. Pi Chi Omega also surveyed its membership to gain some level of understanding of our current members' satisfaction with our organization. The survey results were shared with the strategic planning participants during a pre-Strategic Planning Session webinar the week prior to the actual event. The groundwork for how the meeting would flow, a consensus on how decisions would be made and expectations for what would be accomplished were also outlined ahead of time. Ennis kept the group on task and focused on the big picture objectives — taking a view of the organization from a remote view of "30,000 feet", rather than delving into a detailed analysis of the organization.
JT Eaton arranged for accommodations and also coordinated moving people between airports, the hotel and the meeting site. Their offices perfectly suited the large group and even allowed for small group breakouts in separate spaces. In just a short day and a half, the group was able to draft a Mission Statement, Vision Statement and define some key Strategic Activities (these elements are still under final review).