86th Annual Purdue Pest Management Conference
The 86th Annual Purdue Pest Management Conference was held January 10 - 12, 2022. Total attendance ran just over 450. Despite the Omicron surge that kept organizers shifting plans all the way through the event, the conference ran smoothly and received great reviews from participants.
This was the first year the conference was offered as a hybrid with both in person and virtual attendance options. In total there were 26 presentations, 13 of which were available to the virtual audience. The virtual presentations were either recorded prior to the event or live streamed from onsite to the conference platform for live viewing. The live streams were converted to video and posted on the website; they remained available for participants to view and receive credit for through January 21st. The hybrid component was a life-saver for the conference as a large portion of the registrants, including several speakers, were not able to travel to campus due to Covid, quarantine, travel restrictions, and airline cancellations. These participants were able to attend the event virtually, and the speakers worked with Purdue Marketing and Media and the Hall of Music to Zoom into the theaters and present their talks to the audience via remote locations.
Purdue Pest Management Conference Website
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Attendees gather outside Stewart Center for the traditional conference group photo.
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Indiana Pest Management Association Hosts Business Roundtables
Carrie Campbell, Hatfield Pest Control
The Business Roundtables, sponsored by Indiana Pest Management Association, kicked off the week with around 25 in-person attendees ready to talk about the business of Pest Management. Attendees were able to participate in an intimate group discussion regarding various business topics such as hiring and training, money management, growth and retention, and more.
Each topic was allotted 20 minutes and flowed seamlessly into the next topic. Attendees shared their experiences describing what worked and did not work in their businesses. Money management was the topic that received the most attention as it relates to all other facets of business. The Business Roundtables lasted 2 hours and could have easily become an all-day session had time allowed. Indiana Pest Management Association looks forward to continuing to sponsor business-focused sessions in the future at the Purdue Pest Management Conference!
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Insect ID - An Interactive Activity
Lt. Adam Salyer (1), a Purdue Entomology alum, worked together with Mat Dittmann (2), an Entomology PhD student and the conference grad student assistant, to design an interactive activity for onsite attendees to participate in for continuing education credits. The Insect ID Gallery was open both Monday and Tuesday mornings and run by Lt. Adam Salyer and a small team of students. There were about 100 participants seeking credit from the Insect ID Gallery with additional participants doing walkthroughs.
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Purdue student workers Caydee Terrell, Mia May, Amelia Smith and Bryce Chupp assisted with the Insect ID Gallery.
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Purdue Entomology Welcomes New Faces in Opening Ceremonies
Carrie Campbell (1), the Industry Planning Committee Chair, opened the conference with thanks and introductions of both Dr. Catherine Hill (2), the interim Entomology Head, and Dr. Barry Pittendrigh (3), the Urban Center and Conference Director. Both Drs. Hill and Pittendrigh welcomed the audience and expressed gratitude for those in attendance in spite of the difficult circumstance arising from the continuing Covid situation. Dr. Pittendrigh stepped into the role of Director of the Center for Urban and Industrial Pest Managment in the Purdue Entomology Department in January of 2021. Dr. Hill took over as interim department head of the Purdue Entomology Department at the beginning of this year. Mark VanderWerp (4) of Rose Pest Solutions, prepared a short news update video that was featured during opening ceremonies.
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Keynote Address with Allison Allen
Allison Allen, NPMA
The Purdue University Pest Management Conference is committed each year to providing the information needed for our industry to move forward. This includes both new, innovative pest management strategies and networking opportunities to share best practices in all aspects of business. Keynote speaker Allie Allen, BCE from the National Pest Management Association, encouraged attendees to think broadly about the public health impacts of what our industry does.
We are on the front line of public health pest battles as proven by our essential services designation during the pandemic. Allen covered what public health pests are, how professionals must analyze risks associated with both pests and control strategies in every location where they service in order to minimize hazards, and she shared some best practices for rodent and mosquito services based on the QualityPro Public Health standards.
Allen extended the connection our industry has to public health, encouraging attendees to think of the mental health crisis as well. Our services bring comfort to customers and can eliminate or mitigate pests that cause anxiety and more. And by being great employers that support their employees through all of life’s challenges through benefits like healthcare, life skill training, and Employee Assistance Programs (EAP), pest control companies can increase their retention and attract employees in this tight labor market.
For more information on QualityPro and the Public Health service certifications, visit www.npmaqualitypro.org. Allie can be reached at aallen@pestworld.org. |
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Special Thanks to Volunteers
The PPMC owes a debt of gratitute to those who volunteered to step in when speakers and moderators were dropping out at the last minute. Some of these include David Resz (1) of Pest Control Supplies who worked with Jeff McGovern to present the Exhibitor Fly By; Doug Foster (2) of Burt's Termite and Pest stepped in to cover as moderator for the business session on Tuesday morning; Ed Hosoda (3) and Jeremy Jackson (4), speakers in the Fumigation session, moderated for one another when their moderator fell ill.
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Student Scholarships
Mardelle Lorton, Purdue University
In conjunction with the Annual Pest Management Conference, the Department of Entomology hosted an outstanding event to recognize our students and their scholarship sponsors on Tuesday, January 11th . Dr. Christine Wilson was the guest speaker and announced our awardees along with Dr. Cate Hill who congratulated them with certificates. The department hosted a small group of students with a dinner and awarded 45 scholarships totalling $83,000 for the 2021-2022 academic year. Madison Gits (MS student from La Porte, IN) received the Robert and Norma Williams Conference Award. Special thanks to Amanda Wilson, along with Mardelle Lorton and Molly Weber, for their help with organizing the event, and to John Obermeyer for capturing pictures from the night.
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Congratulations to Madison Gits, an Urban Master's student, for receiving the Robert and Norma Williams Conference Scholarship. The Purdue Pest Management Conference In-House team selects the recipient for this scholarship based on exceptional conference support.
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PWIPM (Professional Women in Integrated Pest Management) Meet Again at Purdue
Patricia Hottel, McCloud Services
One of the many benefits of attending the Purdue conference is the networking opportunities. After several years of absence, the Professional Women in Pest Management (PWIPM) provided a special opportunity to meet and connect. The PWIPM is an affiliate group of the National Pest Management Association (NPMA). The group’s mission is to attract, develop, and support women in the pest management industry through educational programs, resources, and peer networking. Regional groups have been established and a midwestern group is the latest to re-establish and meet.
The group met at a Monday evening mixer sponsored by B&G Equipment, part of the Pelsis family of brands. Fifteen industry and regulatory representatives participated. The meeting was led by Allie Allen of NPMA and Robiar Smith of R.B. Pest Solutions, Chicago. Plans are to continue the tradition of meeting at the Purdue conference and eventually expand to other midwestern industry events. Social and community outreach events are being planned for the Illinois network.
For more information contact: pwipm@pestworld.org and visit www.pwipm.org |
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PWIPM raffle winner, Valery Federspiel of McCloud Services, with raffle sponsor, Anna Berry of B&G.
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Special Thanks to Our Sponsors
Thank you to our sponsors below for their generous contributions to the conference. Thanks also go out to PCT Magazine/GIE Media and PMP Magazine/North Coast Media for conference advertising, and to Veseris for sponsoring the onsite promo gift.
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Recognizing our 2022 Industry Planning Committee
Each May, our industry planning committee meets to lay out the program for the upcoming conference. Our committee members consist of the Committee Chair, the Urban Center Director, the Conference Coordinator, the Entomology Graduate Student Assistant, the Entomological Extension Specialist from Illinois University, the Director of USDA APHIS Wildlife Services, the Programs Specialist within Purdue Pesticides Programs, the Manager of Certification and Licensing with the Office of the Indiana State Chemist, and 5 - 6 select additional members from surrounding states, including representatives from PCT or PMP magazine, industry vendors, and small business owners. Members of Purdue's Urban Center, including graduate students, also take part in developing the program. It is our goal to capture the most current issues affecting the pest management industry and design a program that delivers cutting-edge information that is relevant and exciting to all industry members.
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Top Row: Carrie Campbell, Chair; Dr. Barry Pittendrigh, Center Director; Holly Fletcher-Timmons, Conference Coordinator; Mat Dittmann, Grad Student Assistant. Second Row: Dr. Sarah Hughson, Univ. of Illinois; Lee Humberg, USDA APHIS; Cherri Janssen, PU Pesticide Programs; Leo Reed, Office of the Indiana State Chemist. Third Row: Brandon Foster, Burt's Termite and Pest (Columbus, IN); Heather Gooch, PMP Magazine (Cleveland, OH); Pat Hottel, McCloud Services (S. Elgin, IL). Bottom Row: Tim Kaforke, Veseris (Indianapolis, IN) & Jeremy Word, Zycor Pest (Evansville, IN).
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Attendance Anniversaries
At the awards luncheon on Wednesday, attendees were recognized for their years of attendance.
Those who had anniversaries in 2021 at the virtual conference were also recognized:
2021 Anniversaries
25 Years
Susan Dolce
Tim Freels
10 Years
Dale Baker
Rudy Bhimani
Corey Fietzik
Holly Fletcher-Timmons
Roberta Kelley
Chris Loftis
William Ritenour
Mark VanderWerp
Dannis Warf
2022 Anniversaries
25 Years
Bill Blue
10 Years
Carrie Campbell
Joe Fields
David Karl Frist
Ameya Gondhalekar
David Long
Jason Meyers
Nick Poindexter
Ryan Yutzy
Congratulations and thank you for your loyalty!
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Congratulations to Tim Freels, the pest control ground chief for the Purdue University Grounds Department on 25 years of attendance in 2021.
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Dannis Warf and Mark VanderWerp were recognized for reaching 10 years of attendance at the 2021 virtual conference.
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David Long, Carrie Campbell and Ryan Yutzy were presented certificates for 10 years of attendance in 2022.
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A Nod to Our Industrial Affiliates
Grzesiek Buczkowski, Purdue University
The Industrial Affiliates Program serves the industry by being a catalyst and facilitator of collaborative efforts. The program promotes research interactions across industry-academic boundaries, and also acts as a communications bridge, providing information to Affiliate members on issues and problems of common interest.
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The Purdue Pest Management Conference Entomology Department Planning Team would like to recognize Riley Kruger, for her tireless efforts and assistance in coordinating the 2022 conference. This was our first year working with Riley, and she did a spectacular job for us.
Thanks Riley!
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Upcoming Conference Dates:
January 11 - 13, 2023
January 8 - 10, 2024
January 13 - 15, 2025
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