Tar Heel Pest Management News

December 2023

**Regular Registration Price Deadline Dec. 16**

Registration is now open for the 2024 PCT School at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel and Conference Center in Durham Jan. 22-25! Don't miss this amazing week of networking, education and fun.

We have some amazing sessions planned for the event including nationally recognized speakers.

Date:

Jan. 22-25, 2024

Location:

Sheraton Imperial Hotel and Conference Center

4700 Emperor Blvd.

Durham, NC 27703

**LAST DAY FOR REGULAR REGISTRATION RATE IS DEC. 16**

REGISTRATION

Letter from Endowment Committee: Help NCPMA Reach Its Goal to Help Our Industry

Dear Friends of the Pest Control Industry,

Our industry needs your help!

We urgently seek your support for the NCPMA Extension Program Endowment in Honor of Mike Waldvogel. NCPMA has committed to fund the endowment to a level of $400,000 by 2024. This vital cause will further education, research, and support of the Pest Control Industry in North Carolina - OUR industry.

The structural pest control industry across the United States is facing a significant challenge with the retirement of high-profile figures in the field of urban entomology. This mass exodus of industry experts, who have provided valuable pest identification services, groundbreaking research, and continuing education opportunities, poses a threat to the professionalism and knowledge base of the industry.

The NCPMA Extension Program Endowment in Honor of Mike Waldvogel is a critical element in addressing these challenges and ensuring the ongoing success and longevity of our industry.

BUT we need your help and financial support to make this happen.

Your support is crucial to our efforts to ensure the sustainability of Structural Pest Control research and continued funding for programming in our state. Please consider making a donation of $1,000 or more to help NCPMA fulfill the $400,000 commitment that has been made to the Endowment.

There are two easy ways to contribute to the endowment.

Follow this link: NCSU Endowment Page

Send a check payable to the NC Agricultural Foundation, Inc. to:

NCPMA Extension Program Endowment in Honor of Mike Waldvogel

c/o NC Agricultural Foundation, Inc.

Campus Box 7645 NC State

Raleigh, NC 27695-7645

All funds raised for the NCPMA Extension Program Endowment in Honor of Mike Waldvogel are collected and managed by The North Carolina Agricultural Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)3 organization. Tax id 56-6049307. You will receive an official receipt for your donation.

Yours in Pest Control,

Dylan Morrison Kyle Franklin

NCPMA President NCPMA Endowment Committee Chair

Congratulations Leadership Development Academy Graduates

Congratulations to the 16 individuals who completed the association’s first class of the Leadership Development Academy. The graduation was held during the 2023 United We Stand Conference in Greensboro on Nov. 17.

“We are so proud of these graduates for being our first class of the Leadership Development Academy. They have embraced this program and are an impressive group of pest management professionals who will make a great impact on this industry,” said Ashley Morrison, Chair of the Leadership Development Program.

The graduates are:

Margie Alsbury (Manning’s Pest Control)
Jason Choate (Pest Management Systems, Inc.)
Chad Cordell (Go-Forth Pest Control)
Chris Cozart (Rid-A-Pest)
Raylene Galloway (Pisgah Pest Control)
Chris Hunnicutt (City Wide Exterminating)
Will Miller (Clint Miller Exterminating)
Jeff Rigsby (Four Seasons Pest Control)
Melissa Smith (City Wide Exterminating)
Adam Spillman (Go-Forth Services)
Andrew Taylor (Economy Exterminators)
Zack Taylor (Capital Pest Services)
Joel Trakimowicz (Economy Exterminators)
Erin Vanderfleet (Pest Management Systems, Inc.)
William Walker (Rid A Bug Exterminating)
Lora Webster (Rid-A-Pest)

“We want to say a special thank you to Ashley Morrison for creating and launching this program for NCPMA. Education is one of our pillars, and we are thrilled to be able to offer this opportunity for the next generation of industry leaders,” said Dylan Morrison, NCPMA president.

The NCPMA Leadership Development Academy is an innovative three-part development program which provides participants with a fresh take on leadership skills and strategies that can be immediately put to practical use in any size company or department. The program is customized to the Pest Management Industry.

The graduates kicked off their training in Nov. 2022. As part of the program, each participant created a group project designed to benefit the pest management industry using the skills acquired in the program.

Premier Technician Holds December Courses and Welcomes 5 New Graduates

Congratulations to our 5 new Premier Technician Graduates! They completed the program during the courses held Dec. 13-14, 2023.

Eli Brown (Wheeler Exterminating)
Tony Godfrey (Peeler Environmental)
Brandon Gregory (Peeler Environmental)
Robert Lee (Reece Pest Services)
Kellan McDiarmid (Triangle Pest Control)

Premier Technician is a course designed to elevate a pest management professional’s knowledge of the industry through the in-depth study of at least eight key areas including ants, bed bugs, cockroaches, flying insects, occasional invaders/stored product pests, rodents, wood-boring inspection or WDIR Accreditation, and wood-destroying organisms.

The Premier Technician program offers a continuous series of courses to help professionals develop a deeper and clear understanding of pest infestations from discovery to treatment. Individuals who complete the program must have worked in the industry for at least one year and must complete the Wood-boring beetle/Inspection course or have WDIR Accreditation through NCPMA.

In order to maintain the Premier Technician designation, professionals must continue to take at least one, 8-hour course every two (2) years.

The Premier Technician Program is made possible through the contributions of its Strategic Founding Partners: BASF, Bell Laboratories, Inc., Corteva Agriscience, ENVU, FMC and Syngenta.

Follow NCPWIPM Today!

The NC Professional Women in Pest Management chapter has a lot of great events and plans for the coming months, and you don’t want to miss any of it.

The mission of NC PWIPM is to empower women in the pest management industry through recruitment, education, mentoring and professional development, and we are excited to serve the women in North Carolina’s pest management industry!

And don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and our website for all of the latest info.