Ron Belknap Presented With GCPCA’s Tom Evans Award

Greater Cleveland Pest Control Association Outgoing Presdient Rich Kozlovich (right) presented the Tom Evans Award to Ron Belknap (left), owner and president, Capital City Exterminating, Worthington, Ohio.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Greater Cleveland Pest Control Association (GCPCA) presented the Tom Evans Award to Ron Belknap, owner and president, Capital City Exterminating, Worthington, Ohio, at last night’s annual GCPCA Spring Banquet, held at John Q’s Steakhouse in Cleveland. The award is given annually to an individual who has made significant contributions to GCPCA and the pest management industry.

Belknap’s association involvement includes having spent eight years each as co-chair of the Ohio Pest Control Association’s education and legislative committees. In those positions, he helped create the first statewide training program for termite technicians. He also worked to develop rules that required all termite inspectors to be licensed, and his technician training program is still in use today. He spent two years as an NPMA board member.

Belknap was presented the award by outgoing GCPCA President Rick Kozlovich, who commented that Belknap has been “a quiet, solid influence for the Ohio pest control industry on the national level throughout his career.”

In addition to his involvement in the pest control industry, Belknap is a military veteran who spent 24 years with the National Guard, and remains very patriotic to this day. In accepting the Tom Evans Award, Belknap thanked his colleagues, and also took a moment to reflect on our country’s current state of affairs. “I’m scared for this nation. It’s the best country to live in, in the world, but I’m scared. Hopefully things will get better,” he said.

Evans, recently retired from Southern Mill Creek Products of Ohio, told PCT Belknap is a true professional. “Ron’s a man who loves his country, his family and this industry,” Evans said. “He’s been a solid, solid performer in helping OPCA and the Columbus Pest Control Association and he’s also run a very professional business. He’s a gentleman through and through.”

In addition to the Tom Evans Award, GPCA used the occasion to induct its new board, including Tom Kmetz, who took over the presidency from Kozlovich. “I want to thank Rich, who really has been a watchdog for our industry,” Kmetz said.

The guest speaker for the evening was David Hansen, president of The Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions, which is “a nonpartisan research and educational institute devoted to individual liberty, economic freedom, personal responsibility and limited government in Ohio.”