Pest Management Professional, October 2013

PMP Knowledge sharing 1997 Since G Rollins vice president propels the industrys professionalism John Walsh Contributor reg Baumanns career can be summed up in three activities sharing technical expertise food protection and leadership Its his work at Rollins with the National Pest Management Association NPMA and in the food industry that have earned him a nod into the Pest Management Professional PMP Hall of Fame Vice president of training and technical services for Rollins Baumann is responsible for managing training and technical aspects of the company including state and company educational strategies and technical and research efforts globally He leads a staff of more than 20 professionals in training development and science based at the Rollins Learning Center in Atlanta Prior to his current role he served as a Rollins technical services director focused on marketing initiatives Baumann is a recipient of the Rollins Presidents Award for his work on bed bug programs companies need to make sure their service models are consistent with the younger generation to having some of the best trained PMPs in the field and at the same time being respectful of technicians time because time out of the field is at a premium biology are over says the degreed chemist We need to focus on whats important to our customers and deliver training efficiently and effectively Our job is to solve customers problems says PMP Hall of Fame inductee Greg Baumann Induction into the PMP Hall of Fame is quite an honor he says I never try to do things for self recognition but rather for the success of our company and whenever possible the industry My first reaction was There are many other deserving recipients but Im very honored Baumann reflects on how industry training throughout the years has evolved and become more professional We as an industry used to focus only on what we had to do for state requirements he says Now we have to be forward thinking and try to predict where well be five years and beyond Weve shifted from getting a ticket punched for completing training to learning about new technology PMPs have many more tools nowadays Web based training for example is the wave of the future It isnt a gimmick or a passing fad Its a need based on employees who use webenabled devices for almost everything they do The industry is hiring talented people who are connected by smartphones regardless of their education so At Rollins for example management is committed The days of repetitive technical talks about Relationships with customers also have evolved Were business people not exterminators Baumann says Years ago it was possible to get into the business with 25 and a sprayer Now the industry is much more sophisticated and professional Customers have become more savvy They research pests and products before technicians arrive Customers are involved and commonly partner to prevent pests As a result were offering our expertise and knowledge not just applying products A challenge for the industry is to make sure it disseminates information about new technology to the market quickly Bed bug information is an example The industry has communicated best management practices immediately to get word out in the field The information also must stay current based on the latest research Baumann who was vice president and senior scientist technical director and manager of government affairs for the NPMA for 16 years views the industry in broad terms Our job is to solve customers problems he says Thats what I love most about the industry We keep homes and businesses pest free and thus were preventing disease Baumann would like to see the industry tap into the about 75 percent of the American population that doesnt use professional pest management services 74 October 2013 Pest Management Professional www mypmp net