Fairfax, Va. — Despite a timeline established and published more than a year ago, the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) will not be naming CEO Bob Rosenberg’s replacement this month.
NPMA President Russ Ives, in an email to the NPMA board of directors on Sept. 14, wrote “…even a carefully planned timetable and precise execution do not always yield the desired outcome on schedule. The committee’s goal had been to have a new CEO in place by the end of the year, with the hope of being able to introduce that person in Nashville (in October)…that target date will not be met.”
The reason? The NPMA succession planning committee hasn’t found the right person for the job yet, committee chair Chuck Tindol told PCT. “I was disappointed because we wanted to have someone at this point,” he said. “But I’m happy because we didn’t settle. We’d rather stay where we’re at than make a mistake.”
Rosenberg’s replacement has been on the industry’s mind since October 2013, when the succession planning committee met for the first time. A year ago, PCT published the following timeline for the new hire:
• October 2013: Succession planning committee met; developed a two-year timeline to hire a new CEO.
• March 2014: Committee met to refine the job description, discuss the required skill set, etc.
• March 2015: The position will be advertised, candidates vetted and interview process to begin.
• October 2015: The new CEO will attend PestWorld in Nashville and meet members. He or she will work in tandem with Rosenberg and then take the reins Jan. 1, 2016.
But that didn’t happen. What did happen is that the CEO position was advertised this spring, candidates vetted and a half-dozen or so were brought into NPMA’s headquarters in Fairfax, Va., for in-person interviews late this summer. After those interviews, however, the committee declined to offer the job to anyone.
“The search committee members, to a person, were passionate to a fault,” Rosenberg told PCT. “That’s a cool thing. They really care about the industry and NPMA and it’s important to them to make a right decision.”
NOW WHAT? Rosenberg has agreed to stay on as long as needed until his replacement is found.
“I’ve always said Dec. 31 wasn’t a hard date,” Rosenberg told PCT. “I could be gone sooner, I could be around longer. I’m not going to leave NPMA high and dry.”
In September the succession planning committee hired an outside search firm to help identify additional candidates. Tindol said while the committee accepted and reviewed submitted resumes, a search firm will proactively look for those potential candidates who may not know of the position or who didn’t apply the first time around.
“…I want to strongly endorse this process. I will attest to something you already know, that we are fortunate to have a talented, dedicated and thoughtful committee working on our behalf in this important task,” Ives wrote to the board. “I am very grateful for the leadership that Chuck has given to this effort, and can’t think of anyone who would do it better. We are also fortunate to have Bob Rosenberg’s commitment to the future of this association, as exemplified by his willingness to stretch his retirement guideline to assist us in a successful transition.”
Stay tuned to PCT for continuing coverage.