Pest Management Professional, January 2014

news views Andy Linares of Bug Off Pest Control Center welcomes New York Pest Expo attendees New York Pest Expo A full day of education and technology NEW YORK Hundreds of pest management business owners technicians managers and suppliers convened Nov 14 at the historical Armory in New York to participate in the 2013 New York Pest Expo an annual event held by Bug Off Pest Control Center The Expo offered attendees the opportunity to earn continuing education credits via presentations by featured industry speakers as well as browse the products of this years exhibitors PMP columnist Norm Cooper kicked off the daylong event sharing tips for promoting a business uniqueness through better marketing The industry Hall of Famer Class of 99 offered strategies for setting your company apart from the pack and keeping up with the big names Tips included how to change the vocabulary you use to sell for example instead of using kill use eliminate or control He also recommended selling services on value rather than price Dr Bill Robinson technical director of B G Equipment Co presented a tutorial on fly identification and behavior which included tips identifying sources of infestations in commercial accounts Robinson covered red and dark eyed fruit flies drain flies phorid flies and the common house fly Usually when you have a house fly problem you have a garbage problem Robinson said So the first question you should ask is Wheres the Dumpster Technology front and center Technology new and old was the focus of PMP columnist Jeff McGoverns educational session which extoled the benefits of a layered approach to pest management techno tactics McGovern suggested the five primary processes for effective control heat cold fumigation chemical and mechanical Of some of the technology discussed McGovern says hes a big advocate of high efficiency particulate air HEPA vacuums describing them as one of the most effective tools for managing pests For an informed look into business social media PMP columnist Dean Stanbridge vice president and technical director for Direct Line Sales took attendees on a tour of the pitfalls associated with protecting personal and professional data online If you think it wont happen to you youre wrong Stanbridge says adding that one of the most important ways to protect yourself from a breach in data and privacy is to conduct training programs for employees Make them aware of their parameters what to do and not do Stanbridge switched gears after a brief break to stored product pests and the importance of properly identifying them Lou Sorkin BCE Entsult Associates shared his special brand of entomological expertise when he discussed emerging insects and how to differentiate between pest and nonpest species He also identified benefits of non pest species Cockroach conversations Joe Barile BCE Bayer Environmental Sciences professional products division technical service lead took to the floor for an in depth and notably interactive presentation about cockroach management In addition to reviewing the benefits of time tested old school methods as well as helpful hints for aggressive monitoring programs Barile examined sanitation issues and how best to advise clients about what they can do to reduce harborage areas However he was clear about the buck stopping with the professional Change your outlook about how you deliver cockroach control Barile said If youre not delivering the value they expect theyre going to drop you immediately PMP 16 January 2014 Pest Management Professional www mypmp net