PMPs Search for the Perfect Fit for Women’s Uniforms

In 1989, Marillian Missiti was helping answer the phones at her family’s pest control company, Buono Pest Control, Belmont, Mass., as a college student.

Her father, Ben Buono, a Vietnam veteran, founded Buono Pest Control in 1978 as a one-man operation. He brought on his three brothers (Michael, Jim and Steve Buono), and the company began to gain a reputation as a dependable family-owned and -operated service provider.

Missiti started working alongside her uncle, Steve, who at the time recommended she receive her license so she would be more knowledge when accounts called. At 21 years old, Missiti started going out in the field and secured a full-time route after she graduated.

When Missiti received her first technician uniform, she described the pants as “gas station, dark brown chinos.”

“It did not fit. … I’m 5’2”, and I had to cuff them up,” Missiti said. “The shirts had patches on the arm. I’m like, ‘Am I going into the military?’ They were these starchy, tight, stiff, solid button-down shirts that were totally oversized for me.”

Missiti’s uniform eventually became unbearable to wear. She couldn’t function well enough on the job and said she didn’t look like a professional pest control technician.

Missiti changed her uniform to be khaki pants, work boots and a polo shirt (which she said was much more comfortable than the button-down shirt). The new uniform allowed Missiti to feel feminine and like herself, she said.

“I think the uniform was extremely important at that time in my life in helping me build confidence and not worrying about what I was wearing, but more about how am I going to solve the problem?” said Missiti.

Women’s Growth in the Industry. While women aren’t new to the pest control industry, there has been a larger effort to attract women to the field in recent decades. The National Pest Management Association (NPMA) has held its Women’s Forum for the last five years, recently in Austin, Texas, where PCT attended and covered the event. These events are held for women and men in pest control to connect and develop career progression skills for continued leadership in the industry. NPMA also honors women at this annual event with its Impact Awards to reflect on the influence of women in the pest management field.

Professional Women in Pest Management (PWIPM), established in 1988 by NPMA, and Women in Pest Control (WIPC), founded in 2017 by Bobbie Terry, also are dedicated to empowering women in the industry.

Women leaders in the industry such as Missiti, who served as the 2023-2024 NPMA president, have been role models for other women to look up to. However, to become the role models they are today, women had to lead the way in making changes, and technician uniforms were a crucial aspect that needed to better accommodate women.

More Than a Uniform. Abell Pest Control, based in Ontario, Canada, celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2024, marking itself as a business that has witnessed a century of pest control history.

Liz Abell, fourth-generation leader of the family company, said during the company’s anniversary year, Abell sought feedback from women employees about their uniforms. Many shared that they were not feeling their best in the uniforms, which led to a six-month exploration project “to gather [more] feedback and test alternatives,” Abell said.

“From my own experience and what I hear from other women in the field, the biggest challenge is fit, specifically with work pants,” Abell said. “The ones from our supplier are made as unisex, which means many of us size up for comfort but end up with a loose waist that needs a belt. That creates extra bulk and isn’t comfortable for long days in the field.”

In order to help Abell find the best fitting pants for employees, the company explored options with Mark’s, a Canadian retail company, allowing route managers to try on different types of pants that worked and felt best for them.

A more breathable, quarter-zip shirt also came out of the project, Abell said. Although testing clothing samples and finding the best solutions for Abell’s employees in different regions was a challenge, it was worth it for the company to give women technicians peace of mind when working in the field.

“It might seem like a lot of work for something as basic as clothing, but when you wear a uniform every day, comfort and pride matter,” said Abell. “The right fit isn’t just about appearance — it’s about supporting performance and making all members of our team feel valued.”

Tailored to Support. As branch manager of New Jersey-based Viking Pest Control, David Brown has worked with both men and women in the pest control industry and has been on the forefront of helping find the best-fitted uniforms for employees.

Viking uses a uniform company that has women’s cuts and sizing for shirts, pants and shoes. Brown said when a woman joins the company, she can pick what fits of shirts and pants work best for her.

Having the right uniforms, Brown said, is a small element in supporting and employing women in the industry. And while the right uniforms are a fraction of the whole, they’re a vital element to the pest control industry’s field jobs, he said.

“I think this industry has definitely been a male-dominant industry, and uniforms [are] just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to having women in this industry,” Brown said. “It’s about making [women] feel comfortable and feel empowered to want to be in this industry.”

Michael Keith, owner of Cal Coast Pest Management in National City, Calif., said he went the extra mile to help his female technician find the right uniform her first day on the job.

“The [pant] material was kind of like those old school b-boy sweats,” said Keith. “It was kind of like those really thin materials, but it’s water resistant.”

Sometimes, finding the right uniform requires a little bit of innovation. Noelle Goins, owner, Get Goins Pest Control in Los Angeles, Calif., said it’s critical for uniforms to be compliant with California’s pest control regulations.

Goins knew she needed to have pants long enough to go over part of her boots, chemical resistant shoes and long sleeve shirts. While there were strict requirements for her to follow, it was important for Goins to feel both protected and feminine. She found that high-waisted pants and body suits worked best for her. This allowed Goins to avoid wearing an uncomfortable belt and prevent her shirts from becoming untucked — still, of course, with the company brand labeled.

“[Finding the right uniform] was definitely a process,” Goins said. “It wasn’t overnight. For the most part, I feel like most women that are in this business, we’re detail-oriented, and we do not mind taking the time to research something until we find what we’re looking for.”

The Future is Female. In 2004, Courtney Carace started working at Pest-End as an office administrator. Today, Carace is the chief operating officer and a second-generation owner, alongside her husband, Adam Carace, and sister-in-law, Amanda Forrestall.

As more female technicians joined Pest-End, Carace said she knew the company needed uniforms specifically suited for them. This year, Carace said Pest-End was able to hire several women technicians and have them try a few different pant styles.

“Pants have always been kind of the Achilles heel in the challenge there,” Carace said. “We’ve been able to narrow that down, so now we’ll have more uniformity, but they still have a couple of different options, because some people prefer a little bit of a tighter fit, some people prefer a looser fit, and you want to make sure people are comfortable.”

While the right uniforms are a small element of a pest control technician’s job, they signal to customers that they’re prepared to provide the highest quality service, Carace noted.

“It was really important to offer uniforms that were tailored for women,” she said. “It really extends that message, especially being a woman-owned company, that women do belong in this industry, and there is a way that representation matters. Uniforms that fit properly are normalizing their presence in these types of roles.”