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President's Letter
Our 2015 KPMA Summer Meeting was a huge success and I would like to thank the 300+ attendees who joined us for the golf outing, dinner, trade show, and training meeting. At the dinner, we had our Annual General Membership Meeting. Donnie Blake, our Pest Control Advisory Board Chairman with the KDA, reviewed the proposed Pesticide Regulation Revisions. (Once these revisions are passed we will be sending these changes out to all of our members.) Also John Glascock, with Sigma 6 HR Benefits, talked about our newest KPMA membership benefits through Anthem BCBS which include health, dental, life, and disability plans. If you are interested in any of these benefits for your company, you can contact him at 844-744-6260 or jglascock@sigma6hr.com.
After the Annual General Membership Meeting, we had our First Annual KPMA Lifetime Achievement Awards. Dr. Chris Christensen presented the awards and had many kind words and stories about each inductee. The inductees were Murrell Blankenship, Millard & Ada Oldham, Roy Rich, Ron Nickelson, Jack & Mary Elliott, Jerry Bright, Ocie McGee, Verlon Gosser, Bobby Pass, Harvey Sturgeon, Roy Jones, Lester Levin, Susie Dietz & Arnold Litteral, and Chris Christensen. (At the end of Dr. Chris Christensen's presentation, I surprised him with his Lifetime Achievement Award.)
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Back row, from left are Scott Underwood, Oldham Chemical (accepting for Millard Oldham); KPMA President Shawn Rich, E- Town Exterminating, Elizabethtown; Rick McGee, McGee Pest Control, Murray (accepting for his late father, Ocie McGee); Gary Blankenship, Guarantee Pest Control, Lexington (accepting for his father, Murrell Blankenship); Louis Bright (accepting for Jerry Bright, Bright Pest Control, Louisville); Lester Levin, Gold Seal Pest Control, Louisville; Roy Rich, E-Town Exterminating (accepting for himself, for the late Arnold Litteral and Suzie Dietz, Litteral Quality Pest Control, and for the late Roy Jones, Apolla Pest Control, Ekron); and Kevin Pass, Action Pest Control, Evansville, Ind. (accepting for his late father, Dr Bobby Clifton Pass, former head of the University of Kentucky Entomology Department).
Front row, from left, are Dr. Chris Christensen, Christensen Urban Insect Solutions, Lexington; Judy Marks and Glenda Jackson (accepting for their late father, Verlon Gosser, All Pest Chemical Co., Louisville); Mary Ann Elliott Scary, Dial One Real Estate Pest Control, Louisville (accepting for her late husband, Jack Elliot); and Tamra Bright Wasylina, Bright Pest Control, Louisville (accepting for her late father, Jerry Bright).
 Jeff Nickelson, Shawn Rich, Ron Nickelson, and Scott Nickelson
KPMA President Shawn Rich presenting Ray Hardebeck a plaque for his dedicated work to the KPMA.
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The next day we had our educational classes and trade show and I would like to thank all of the speakers who participated. As always, they provided great quality presentations which elevates our skills as pest management professionals. Also, I would like to give a special thanks to our sponsors and vendors. Without them, we would not be able to have quality meetings like our summer meeting. Lastly, I would like to give a sincere thanks to Ray Hardebeck, Chris Christensen, and Scott Underwood who put countless hours into preparation for this meeting.
In November, mark your calendars for the 45th University of Kentucky Annual Pest Control Short Course. It will be on November 3 - 5 at the Lexington Convention Center. Register at www.kyshortcourse.org or call 859-257-5955. And if you have any interesting news regarding your company for submission in the KPMA newsletter, please send the information to me at shawn.rich@muggabug.com. I will forward it to NPMA for inclusion in the next newsletter.
Sincerely,
Shawn Rich
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Changing Seasons, Changing Pests
NPMA
Now that Labor Day has come and gone, summer will soon give way to fall. The bee, wasp, and hornet calls are starting to fade...but that doesn't mean there isn't work to be done. This is a critical time of year for preparing your customers' homes against overwintering pests like brown marmorated stink bugs, box elder bugs, multicolored Asian lady beetles, and cluster flies. Timing is everything and you need to be in tune with the biology, behavior, and proper control strategies for these pests. If you wait until masses of insects have accumulated on exterior walls to take action, you may very well be too late for this year.
Take these next few days to devise or revisit your overwintering pest protocols and don't hesitate to put them in action. Stay one step ahead of the invaders (and your customers' concerns) by getting out in front of the problem before it materializes. |
NPMA Submits Comments to the Department of Labor In Opposition to Proposed Overtime Changes
On Thursday September 3rd NPMA submitted comments to the Department of Labor in opposition of the Department's flawed proposed overtime rule. NPMA along with 250 individual NPMA members submitted an extension request for the rule in early August. Unfortunately, the Department announced on Monday August 31st that they would not extend the comment period despite hundreds of thousands of requests to extend the comment period. The comments submitted by NPMA respectfully requests the Department to withdraw the proposed rule, explaining:
As proposed, the Department's proposed rule does not achieve the intended objective of protecting the American workforce through overtime protection mechanisms. Instead the Department's unprecedented 113% raise of the minimum salary threshold for overtime pay is ill advised and does not take into account the effects this abrupt threshold increase would have on the economy and employee flexibility. The proposed rule inadequately addresses important factors such as regional cost-of-living differences and the need to account for non-discretionary bonuses. The pest management industry is additionally concerned by the Department's attempt to subvert federal authority and legislative intent by annually indexing the minimum salary threshold and potentially altering the long used duties test for white collar exemptions from overtime pay.
In addition to submitting comments directly from the pest management industry, NPMA signed onto comments submitted by the Partnership to Protect Workforce Opportunity (PPWO). The PPWO is comprised of a wide range of associations and companies that represent a diverse group of industries and interests. The comments submitted by the PPWO are inclusive of a broad set of industry goals and objectives in opposition to the proposed rule. NPMA in conjunction with the PPWO will continue to raise this issue on Capitol Hill as Congress returns from August recess.
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Pest Control Short Course
Tailored to industry professionals, the University of Kentucky Pest Control Short Course from November 3-5 is packed with useful information for owners, managers and technicians alike.
This year's topics include an equipment 'house of learning', how pests enter and travel through buildings, effects of weather and climate on insects, pesticides versus pollinators, a half-day business roundtable, the latest bed bug research, battling brown recluse spiders, advances in technician training, and useful sessions on managing rodents, roaches, termites, wood boring beetles, snakes, vultures, and other pests. Dozens of useful subjects are included, as well as a terrific trade show and the best speakers in the business.
Click here for details and registration information.
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QualityPro Video Available
Retailers who provide online video report that products with video sell more than products with no video. If your company is QualityPro certified, this means that embedding the QualityPro video on your site will make it easier for buyers to choose you and for clients to understand why certification makes your company one of the best in the pest management industry. For any business, big or small, there is no question that videos add a lot of bang for your buck. If you haven't already, begin marketing smarter today by visiting www.QualityProTools.org/marketing.
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We are always looking for fun and interesting articles to include and would love to hear your suggestions for articles for this newsletter. If you've seen an article you would like for us to include, please submit it via email to Jessica Dominguez at
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Member Benefit Highlight: National Fit Testing Services
NPMA
National Fit Testing Service offers you an easy economical way to achieve OSHA compliance. At your convenience, National Fit Testing Service's technicians come to your site and perform Qualitative or Quantitative fit testing of your employees in accordance with OSHA Respiratory Protection Standard 29 CFR 1910.134.
Help protect your valued employees health and well-being as well as comply with OSHA regulations, by scheduling your respirator fit testing and training session. Contact Linda Lane for special NPMA member pricing today!
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 PestWorld 2015: Overflow Hotel Now Available
Overflow rooms are now available at the Sheraton Music City Hotel. The Sheraton is located five miles from the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center. Rooms are available Monday through Thursday nights. The hotel is sold out on Friday night. To make reservations, please call 888-627-7060 or click here.
Attend the Post-Convention Trip to Costa Rica
Extend your PestWorld experience and join us for our post-convention trip to Costa Rica! Click here for more details on the post convention trip.
Still need to register for PestWorld? Visit conference.npmapestworld.org for more details and registration.
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KPMA
10460 North Street
Fairfax, VA 22030
www.kpmaonline.org
kpma@pestworld.org
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