Pest Management Professional, April 2014

difference makers Jerry Mix t Editor at Large Joe Wilson Permatreat Pest Termite Control Were you fearful of pests as a child No My father raised bees and I had squirrels as pets When and why did you first fall for the business In 1965 I was working as a junior cost accountant for Reynolds Metals in Richmond Va I had a pregnant wife and a car that was old and dying I was 20 years old and making 300 a month Buying a car was out of the question I decided the answer was to get a job with a company that furnished a car A friend of mine worked at an employment agency so I went to him with my plan He went through his files and said I have an opening for a manager trainee with Orkin A termite company I said I dont think so He told me to not be so quick to dismiss it Its a good opportunity Just make the interview So I went to the interview and at the end I asked what kind of car they furnish The answer was a 1963 Chevy Nova station wagon With a baby on the way this was the job for me How did you acquire your company In 1982 I was Orkins Midwest regional vice president in Waukegan Ill and loving my job I was returning from Atlanta after attending a meeting and detoured through Reagan National Airport known as Washington National then so I could rent a car and see my mother who was living in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia I came through Fredericksburg on my way so I decided to stop and visit Alfred Hall an old friend who started PermaTreat Pest Control in 1967 Alfred had built a nice little business with six employees When I complimented him on his achievement he thanked me and said Let me sell it to you I laughed and told him I probably couldnt afford it He said You dont know that I will sell it for x dollars with 10 percent down and finance the balance over 15 years at 4 percent interest When I told Mr Hall I didnt have enough to come up with the down payment he said Dont worry Its in the checkbook and that goes with the company We shook hands on the deal before I left town Talk about being in the right place at the right time Define integrated pest management IPM Its as simple as not relying on pesticides alone to handle pests Include mechanical and other techniques available to control pests If you asked 10 pest management professionals to define IPM though youd probably get 10 different answers Continued on page 90 Joe Wilson and his daughter Amanda at last years MS Walk AT A GLANCE Joe Wilson Title Owner Organization PermaTreat Pest Termite Control Years in pest management 49 years in June Industry mentors Jim Cotton Earl Geiger and PMP Hall of Famer Bob Russell Three biggest industry achievements to date 1 Being selected as the Small Businessperson of the Year for the Commonwealth of Virginia by the U S Small Business Administration I was among the top five considered for the Small Businessperson of the Year for the United States and our Territories Harvey Gold executive director of the then National Pest Control Association NPCA nominated me 2 Doing all I can to elevate pest controls legitimacy as a bona fide business in the eyes of the public One hundred years ago veterinarians were called horse doctors Earlier in my career in pest control we called ourselves exterminators and much of the public referred to us as bug killers Many companies didnt have their employees in uniforms and some arrived in unmarked vehicles for those customers who didnt want the stigma attached to having the exterminator parked in front of their houses Through training standardization community involvement and hard work the industry has gained a tremendous amount of respect for our profession Our trade magazines distributors suppliers and trade associations also have played a huge part in this transition to professionalism 3 Professional Pest Management Alliance PPMA has had a huge impact on our industry Under the umbrella of the National Pest Management Association NPMA the Alliance was formed in 1997 PPMA has done a tremendous job of increasing awareness among customers about the value and importance of professional pest management Our industry owes a great deal to NPMA and the professionals who had the vision to form the PPMA 88 April 2014 Pest Management Professional www mypmp net