- gcpma.com

The Alliance Quarterly
Winter 2009
The official publication of GCPMA. Serving the needs of pest
management professionals in the Chicago metropolitan
area since December 2004.
Thanks for a Couple
of Great Years!
newsletter winter 2009
gcpma
www.gcpma.com
By Gary Pietrucha, GCPMA President
Where did the time go? It seems like only yesterday that
Jim Parker asked me to run for the open position of Vice
President of the Greater Chicago Pest Management Alliance. My initial knee jerk response was, “I don’t have the
time” followed by “I really don’t want to get involved”. But
then I thought if I didn’t get involved, who would? Since
my company is the prototypical example of what GCPMA
represents, why not get involved? So I threw my name in
the hat, and was voted into office in August of 2007 (while
I was in the bathroom).
derson called me and asked, “Hey, Mr. President! What
are we going to do about the Structural Pest Control Act
sun setting on December 31st of last year?” As I took a
deep breath, I was thinking this has got to be a mistake,
or maybe this is just a joke on the rookie president. Well,
it was certainly no joke. Interestingly enough, we were
not “officially notified” until four days later and that was via
a bunch of phone calls. We were “assured” that the bill
would be signed no later than the end of March. Wrong!
My first year was spent with road trips, phone calls and
That was just the beginning. After getting my feet sort of
wet with the dealings of this fine organization, I found out
that my name was being mentioned as the next president,
replacing the exiting Jim Parker. Four weeks later I was
confirmed as GCPMA President at the December meeting at Marcello’s Restaurant in Chicago. My staff was also
introduced: Bill Dyra, VP; David Harris-John, Treasurer;
Sheri Cunningham, Secretary; and Scott Kaufman,
Sergeant at Arms. I was also introduced to an excellent
group who would serve on the Board of Directors. Those
wonderful individuals are (alphabetically) Jim Anderson,
Jeff Beallis, Herman James, Neil Krummel, Charlie
O’Hara, Jane Peifer, Drake Schopen and Past President,
Jim Parker. Some of them were carryovers from the previous administration, and had already done some outstanding things. One example is the Meeting of the Minds,
which was by far the most outstanding program offered
anywhere, anytime, by anyone in this country – all put
together by Jim Anderson and his education committee.
(continued on page 2)
So with that group around me I’m thinking to myself, “this
ought to be a walk in the park”, taking over a smooth
running machine with all the cylinders firing. We all went
about our holiday stuff. Then, on January 5, 2009, Jim An-
Greater Chicago Pest
Management Alliance
PO Box 8022
Westchester, IL 60154
Email: [email protected]
Web site: www.gcpma.com
GCPMA Officers:
President: David Harris-John (847) 647-0010
Vice President: Kurt Spurgeon (847) 774-3813
Treasurer: Jeff Beallis (630) 627-3322
Secretary: Mary Lara (773) 512-9237
Sergeant-at-Arms: Tom Dobrinska (630) 607-7346
Board of Directors:
Kevin Connelly
Don Kaufman
Jane Peifer
Matt Siepka
Matt Urbanec
Dan Wilkinson
The Alliance Quarterly is produced by the Greater
Chicago Pest Management Alliance. Copyright 2009,
GCPMA. All rights reserved.
Production: The Wingra Group, Ltd.,
Madison, WI
Editor: Mark L Hendrickson
Graphic Design: Danielle E. Hendrickson
(continued from page 1)
keeping our fingers crossed. We never guessed then that
good old Governor Blogo was going to bite the political
dust a few months later. Finally, on August 15th, by virtue
of a newspaper article and a phone call to Chris Haggerty, we had a signed one-year bill. In the mean time,
I felt (along with Bill Dyra and several others) that it was
time to end the perceived rift between GCPMA and IPCA.
Heck, Chris Haggerty was doing an outstanding job as
IPCA President, so we took a road trip to Bloomington and
explained the reason for our existence to Chris and subsequently a new and beneficial relationship was formed
between our organizations.
newsletter winter 2009
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gcpma
page 2
It became obvious during my tenure that we needed an
identity. Sheri Cunningham’s son produced an attractive
and professional logo. Our web site search was taking us
all over the place on price, looks, and content. Then we
turned to a Chicago guy who has been around forever
– Bill Dyra and he introduced us to the creator of the
Wisconsin Pest Control Association site. We met, ironed
out pricing and content, and low and behold, our web site
appeared for the first time in June of 2008. It even came
in about $7,000.00 under our estimated cost. The next
project was our newsletter. The first issues were labor
intensive and often times went unnoticed. After a simple
meeting The Alliance Quarterly was born. It has grown
from a folded piece of paper into a 12-page, informative
piece of literature supported by ads from our valued suppliers and manufacturers.
GCPMA kept growing and growing and growing. We now
represent 200 members and a bunch of allied members!
We are close to having our very own Certification Course
and Test, which should be completed and implemented
in 2010. We have recertified close to 1,400 PMP’s and
have been instrumental in passage of the new, 10-year
Structural Pest Control Act. The Meeting of the Minds has
become an annual event attracting the best speakers in
our industry, by virtue of reasonable prices, intense preparation, magnificent presentation and venue, and the hard
work of Sheri Cunningham, Jim Anderson, and everyone
on the Executive Board and Board of Directors.
Quality speakers recognize our organization as a legitimate platform that attracts an average of 250 participants
and 20-30 manufacturers and distributors every year.
Let’s review our Meeting of the Minds speakers: Dr.
Bobby Corrigan, Dr. Austin Frishman, Dr. Laurel Hansen,
Dr. Phil Nixon, Dr. Michael Potter, Dr. Jerome Goddard,
Dr. Michael Rust, Rick Vetter, Dr. Rick Cooper, Dr. Gary
Bennett, and Jeffery Tucker. All of these speakers are
recognized not only nationally, but also internationally as
the finest entomological experts in their respective fields.
It is impossible to put into perspective what we have been
able to offer at such a reasonable price! But during our
last Meeting of the Minds, Dr. Bobby Corrigan, a legend in
his own right, emphasized the high quality of our program
when he took time from his presentation to describe Dr.
Michael Rust as the “Michael Jordan of Urban Entomology”. I thought that was awesome!
Now a new administration takes over in 2010, with new
ideas, new goals, and new energy. I can only hope that
they experience the same cooperation and help that I
got during my run, and I’m sure they will. It was a pretty
tough 2009 when I found out I needed back surgery in the
summer, which removed the lower 1/3 of my spine. As
many of you well know, running your own business makes
taking any kind of time off very difficult. But I cannot tell you
the offers of help that I received not as competing companies, but as my friends and colleagues from GCPMA. It
was amazing and humbling.
Now it’s time to assume my position on the Board of Directors as Past President. As I pass the gavel to our next
GCPMA President, I would like to thank Bill, Sheri, David,
Jim Parker, Jim Anderson, Drake, Kevin, Jane, Neil, Jeff,
Sara, Matt Urbanic, Kurt Spurgeon, Charlie O’Hara, Matt
O’Hara, the IPCA executive board members Larry Hanks,
Chris Haggerty, Tim Biatto, Dale Kessler. I also want to
thank all of the manufacturer and distribution reps and our
former past Presidents Mark O’Hara and Bob Dold, Jr.
Thanks also to anyone I may have regrettably forgotten to
mention that in any way made this a wonderful experience. I would like to take a moment to thank my fellow
Envirosafe employees who picked up the slack when I
was involved with GCPMA business. I guess the lesson
learned here is if you don’t get involved, you can’t make
a difference. I know we have done some really good
things, and I know that my 35 years in the industry now will
have an asterisk behind it because of my involvement in
GCPMA. Our careers are an event and we should make
the most of our talents to complete that event well. I wish
everyone a wonderful holiday season and a successful
and healthy 2010. Entomologist’s Corner
Kurt Spurgeon, B.S. Entomology, Pest Enders, Inc.
Over the millions of years that insects have been
on the soil, in the air and in the waters of the earth,
insects have adapted and changed. They have
adapted in several ways and for several reasons.
But they have kept ahead of PCOs and continued
to survive. As pest professionals we must also
adapt and change our procedures and approaches
to these pests just to keep up.
In recent memory, we have been forced to adapt to
many changes in pests, sometimes rapidly and at
risk of control issues. There have been genetic and
behavior changes, chemical resistance and repellency. We must remember that insects were here
millions of years before humans and will probably
exist well after man’s extinction. Sometimes we
recognize these changes and respond with different products or procedures. Sometimes we are
slow to note these changes or slow to respond and
our control programs suffer.
For many years, PCOs would treat baseboards
with liquid residual insecticides as a regular
service. This led to pests, especially cockroaches
to move upward to avoid the product and defeat
the program. One way this was overcome was
inspecting more thoroughly and of course higher.
Then treatment could be done where the pests
were harboring.
The approach to termite control has similarly
evolved. Cyclodienes, then organophosphates
were used and then removed from the market.
Pyrethroids then flooded the market. This rapid
change provided opportunities for slower acting
liquids and baits and the real possibility of colony
elimination.
In rodents, bait shyness, trap shyness, and flavor
preferences have led to new products and approaches. We have seen soft baits, meal, then
pellets, then blocks. New toxicants as well as bait
formulations are now used. Different traps also
provide relief from rodent adaptations.
It has been said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. If a product, procedure or approach
is not getting excellent results, then change is in
order. It is important to get out of the rut of doing
the same treatment in varying conditions and expecting good results. Performing the same service
month after month for years will result in eventual
failure. Also a generic cockroach program, mouse
program, or ant program for every job will not be
successful. Every situation is different and requires
a different program.
www.gcpma.com
gcpma
newsletter winter 2009
page 3
To overcome pest adaptation, we must adapt with
variable, innovative control programs. This may
Foggers, either aerosol or mechanical were heavily include different products, formulations, as well as
used in cockroach elimination. This approach,
different uses and procedures It may not include
instead of forcing them out, often repelled them
pesticides, but instead use only sanitation, excludeeper into cracks and voids. This made complete sion and harborage elimination. It may involve
control more difficult rather than more effective. But more and better inspection, or different locations of
with the advent of attractive cockroach baits, our
treatment to eliminate the source.
approach to control has radically changed. Where
it was once spray, dust and fog trying to get into
Every service, whether weekly, monthly or annuharborages, now it is inspect and bait near harbor- ally, should be different. We should inspect new
ages.
areas, look for new pests and new sources and
new harborages. We should look to the source
Repellants, and fast killing insecticides gave us
and not just seek population reduction. IPM or
immediate results in ant treatments. But often after green programs require us to seek out food, water,
the initial knockdown, the population rebounded.
harborage, exclusion, etc. and other non-pesticide
This led to call backs and dissatisfied customers.
approaches to achieve pest elimination.
The ants in the home were killed, but the nest
persisted. Again, newer and more attractive baits, We have many times been caught behind the
as well as slower acting transfer insecticides,
adaptations of pests and had to play catch up.
changed the thrust of ant control. The slower acting Our researchers and manufacturers have also
baits and insecticides allowed workers to carry
helped us immensely in providing new options. We
the toxicant back to the nest before dying. Now
need to be ever vigilant and flexible so we may
colony elimination and long term control became
be able to change and adapt as fast as the pests.
the norm.
Good Luck!
A Meeting
III
Of The
MINDS
Sponsored by the Greater Chicago
Pest Management Alliance
newsletter winter 2009
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page 4
After their presentation, each speaker received a special GCPMA plaque as a measure of thanks. Here, GCPMA officers Gary Pietrucha and Sheri Cunningham make
the plaque presentations to Rick Vetter and Richard Cooper.
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More than 270 pest management professionals attended GCPMA’s recent conference
A Meeting of the Minds III in late October. Speakers included Richard Cooper, Bobby Corrigan, Rick
Vetter, and Michael Rust. Topics included bed bugs, updates in rodent biology and control, spider
misconceptions, and re-thinking IPM for ant control.
If you missed this outstanding educational event, read a complete article by going to the following link: http://www.pctonline.com/GCPA.aspx?list_id=31&email=mmhendri%40facstaff.wisc.
edu&key=1078436469
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page 5
Be sure to mark your calendar for A Meeting of the Minds IV, Tuesday, November 9, 2010.
gcpma
newsletter winter 2009
GCPMA would like to recognize and thank this year’s corporate sponsors:
Platinum Sponsor: Bell Laboratories
Gold Sponsors: Bayer Environmental Sciences, Stewart Keator Kessberger and Lederer
Silver Sponsors: Atlantic Paste & Glue, DuPont Professional Products, MGK, Syngenta
Speaker Sponsors:
Univar USA sponsoring Rick Vetter
Southern Mill Creek Products, speaker plaque sponsor
GCPMA, sponsoring Richard Cooper, Bobby Corrigan, Michael Rust
Happy Holidays to You and Yours from GCPMA
At times like this, we like to think of those who are important in our lives and in our careers. Those of us at
GCPMA wish you the best during the holiday season and throughout the coming New Year.
Gary Pietrucha, Bill Dyra, David Harris-John, Sheri Cunningham, Kevin Connelly, Neil Krummel, Jane Peifer,
Drake Schopen, Kurt Spurgeon, Matt Urbanec, James Parker
The Life and Times of – Us
Jim Anderson, Smithereen Pest Management and GCPMA Education Committee Member
newsletter winter 2009 www.gcpma.com
gcpma
page 6
Once again we find ourselves in the “slow season”
when the cold weather in and around Chicago
reduces some of the pest activity and gives us a
chance to get to those things we have been putting
off. It is also a great time to take stock of what we
have accomplished and what business and personal
goals we want to attain in 2010.
There are many experts on time management promoting their books, tapes, CDs and seminars. They
each have their own perspective about the effective
use of time, but two common threads appear in nearly
all of them – priorities and organization.
We have a limited amount of time available so it
makes perfect sense to spend most of it on the
things that are most important to us. To do this we
There is a cute story about a little boy who loved to
visit his grandmother. The thing he liked most about need to look within ourselves. If we turn to the world
her home was the old grandfather clock in the living around us for values and priorities we may find it
is like looking in a store window at items with price
room. He would sit on the floor in front of the clock
tags that have been rearranged. The things society
as the hands got closer to noon and he never got
tired of counting the chimes as the clock announced places high value on may be expensive but they usuit was twelve o’clock. One day when he was visiting ally give us only temporary satisfaction, while those
something went wrong with the clock’s mechanisms things that produce deep and lasting satisfaction are
often greatly undervalued by society. The process of
and it continued to chime a thirteenth, a fourteenth
and a fifteenth time. The boy excitedly ran to find his identifying those relationships and accomplishments
that are most valuable to us and putting them in order
grandmother and when he found her he exclaimed,
of priority is personal. It requires us to do some soul
“Grandma! Grandma! It’s later than it’s ever been
searching and then be honest with ourselves about
before!”
what really matters to us. The result will be our own
There is a profound truth in those words. As you read unique list of goals and priorities.
this it really is later than it has ever been before and I
can confidently guarantee that it will continue to grow Once we know our goals and priorities, we can
even later than it is now. Time is a precious commod- determine what steps we need to take to attain them
ity. Are we making the best use of it? As we approach and then organize our schedule to set aside specific
another year we should ask ourselves two important amounts of time each day, week, or month to take
those positive steps. Getting rid of time wasting habits
questions. The first is what have we accomplished
and replacing them with positive worthwhile activities
with the time we have already spent? Our answers
to that question might fill us with regret or with pride isn’t easy, but once we do it for just 21 days it will
– probably an ample amount of both. We don’t need become a new productive habit. It is amazing what
to dwell too long on our failures or accomplishments, can be accomplished when we are focused on things
but the reflections from them may light our way to the that are truly important to the happiness and wellbeanswers to the second question – how are we going ing of ourselves and those closest to us.
to use the time that lies ahead? Will we manage our
time in a way that promotes growth, accomplishment I wish each of you a very pleasant, enjoyable holiday
and lasting satisfaction or will we let time manage us? season and a successful and rewarding 2010.
GCPMA Recognizes these Member Businesses
for their Dedication and Professionalism
Rose Pest Solutions - Lombard
Rose Pest Solutions - Northfield
Rotramel Technical Services
Roy’s Pest Control
Sarac Pest Control, Inc.
Schopen Pest Solutions
Sentinel Insect Control Laboratories
Sentry Pest Control, Inc.
Shepp Pest Control
Simmons Pest Control
Skokie Valley Pest Control
Smithereen Pest Management - Chicago
Smithereen Pest Management - Midlothian
Smithereen Pest Management - Niles
Smithereen Pest Management - Northlake
Sosnoski Exterminating, Inc.
South Shore Pest Control
Southwest Pest Control - Channahon
Southwest Pest Control - Chicago
Suburban Exterminators, Inc.
Superior Lawns/Spring Green
Sutherland Pest Control
Synergy Pest Control
Terminix - Aurora
The Bug Man, Inc.
The First Resort I.P.M., Inc.
The Steritech Group
TZR, Inc.
U.S. Pest Control
Unisource Group
Village of Forest Park
White Castle Systems
Wild Goose Chase
Zap Pest Control
page7
If we somehow missed your company, let us know so may include you in the next issue. If you’re
not a member, sign up today using the application form in this newsletter, or visit our web site:
www.gcpma.com. Membership in GCPMA is just $35 annually for PMPs and $100 for
associate/vendor members. Join us today, add your voice to the chorus of PMPs who have chosen
GCPMA to represent our interests in this urban market and in Springfield along with IPCA. Plus,
you’ll save money every time you attend a GCPMA education recertification seminar.
gcpma
Associate Members
1st Source Bank
Anstar Products, Inc.
Atlantic Paste & Glue
BASF Pest Control Solutions
Bayer Environmental Science
Bell Laboratories
Bird-X, Inc.
Central Life Sciences/Zoecon
Control Solutions
CSL Background Investigations
Dalsh Consulting, Inc.
Detective Bed Bug
DuPont Professional Products
Ensystex, Inc.
FMC Corporation
LiphaTech, Inc.
MGK
Nisus Corp.
Pest Management Supply Co.
PestWest
Prentiss, Inc.
Purdum Gray Ingledue Insurance
Rhodes Chemical
Southern Mill Creek Products
Stewart-Keator Kessberger
Univar USA
www.gcpma.com
Enviro Pest Control
Enviro-Pro Pest Control
Envirosafe, Inc.
Ehrlich/Rentokil
First Illinois Systems, Inc.
Food Safety Academy
Fox Valley Exterminating
Franklin Pest Control, Inc.
Fumimex, Inc.
General Pest Elimination
Gerhardt Schultz
Goldstar Pest Control
Guardian Pest Control
Hansen Services
House Specialty Pest Control
Integrity First Pest Control
International Exterminators
Intersect Pest Control
James G. Parker
James Pest Control
Jetter Services, LLC
K.C. Pest Control
Ken’s Pest Control
KNK American Pest Control
Koesler’s Exterminating
Lake Pest Control
Land America Property Inspections
M.E.P. Exterminating
Magee Exterminating
Maintenance Management
Mash Services of Illinois, Inc.
McCloud Services
Mid Central Pest Control
Midwest Sanitation Co., Inc.
N&L Pest Control
Nation Pizza Products
Nemesis Enterprises
Nevernest Pest Control
Nix Pest Control
Norman’s Pest Control
Norris Pest Control
North Shore Pest Control
Omega Development
Orkin Pest Control - Wisconsin Region
Orkin Commerical-Naperville
Orkin Commercial - Des Plaines
Orkin-North Chicago Commercial
Orkin Northeast Chicago
Personalized Pest Control
Pest Control Consultants
Pest Control Services, Inc.
Pest Enders, Inc.
Petty’s Exterminating Co.
Presto-X, LLC
Professional Pest Control
Pursuit Pest Control
Quick Clean Pest Control
Quick Kill Exterminating
Quik Kill Pest Eliminators, Inc.
Ray L. Gaddy
Richmond & Sons, Inc.
River Valley Pest Management
newsletter winter 2009
AAA Plus Pest Control
A.N.D. Exterminators
A-1 Garfield Exterminators
A-1 Pest Control
A-Affordable Pest Control
A-Rid-A-Pest Exterminating
Aaren Pest Control
ABC Humane Wildlife
Accurate Pest & Animal Control
Adam’s Pest Control
Advanced Exterminator
Advanced Maintenance Solutions
Advantage Pest Control
Aerex Pest Control
AGAD Pest Control
Albert’s Argon Termite & Pest Control
Alex Environmental Control
All Around Exterminating
Allpest Exterminating Co.
All Pests Controlled, Inc.
All Suburban Pest Control
Alpha Pest Control
Alpha West Pest Control
Alpha’s Dependable Exterminators
Al’s Pest Control
American Pride Pest Control
Ampest
Ampest Exterminating
An Ounce of Prevention Pest Control
Anderson Pest Control
Andrew Gemski
A-Plus Pest Control
Arrow Pest Control, Inc.
Assured Pest Control, Inc.
Aumiller’s, Inc.
B&I Pest Control
Barrington Exterminating Co.
Bed Bug Solutions, Inc.
Bollinger Pest Control
Bradley Pest Control
Brennan Pest Control
Bug Doctor Pest Services
Bugs Anonymous
Bull’s-Eye, Inc.
Burgo Pest Control, Inc.
Burr Pest Control
C&C Pest Control
C&M Pest Management
Canine Detection & Inspection Services
Central Pest Exterminators
Certified Property Inspections
Chapulin Services
Chem-Wise Pest Management
Critter Control
Critter Ridder, Inc.
Eagle Pest Control
EcoLab
Elco Pest Control
Electric Bug Pest Control
Elmo’s Pest Control
Ento Pest Control, Inc.
Entomological Technologies
Fine Tune Your Promotional Message for
Stronger Sales
Mark L. Hendrickson, Wingra Group
The words you use in your promotional messages can have a direct impact on how much
money you make. This applies whether we’re
talking about a yellow pages ad, a display ad
in a newspaper, or how you communicate in a
company brochure or flyer.
Much too often, I see a typical mistake being
made and that is placing the name of your business and maybe your logo at the top of your ad
or brochure, as in a headline. Sure, the name
of your firm is important to you, but what does
it mean to your potential customer? Always
keep in mind that your customer has the built-in
question of “what’s in it for me?” when reading
your materials.
newsletter winter 2009
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page 8
The headline should grab the attention of your
target customer, and include a benefit. Let’s say
you just invested thousands of dollars in a thermal
remediation system for bed bug removal and now
you want to promote this new service to hotels
and motels in your area. How foolish it would be
to begin your promotional announcement with the
name and logo of your company. What benefit
does that carry for your customer? Perhaps they
want bed bugs gone, right away with a chemical-
free treatment. So, you need to craft a headline
that carries such a benefit, as in this example: We
Can Eradicate Bed Bugs Safely, Without Chemicals – Guaranteed.
You get the idea: focus on benefits of your service rather than the features. One other factor
to keep in mind is the basic marketing concept
of AIDA which stands for the following:
• Attention: attract the attention of the customer.
• Interest: raise customer interest by focusing
on and demonstrating advantages and
benefits instead of focusing on features.
• Desire: convince customers that they want
and desire the service and that it will satisfy
their needs.
• Action: lead customers towards action or
making a purchase.
You might also add an “S” to the above list,
that being for Satisfaction. Be sure to satisfy
the customer so they become a repeat customer and provide referrals to your company.
Follow the AIDAS formula and you have a good
chance of earning more from your marketing
activities, at no extra cost.
Keep Your Company
Handbook Current
Bill Dyra, Southern Mill Creek Products
Our company just put together a new Employee Handbook and it got me thinking
about how important it is to re-evaluate
your company policies for the upcoming
year. Your company may need to look
at a variety of issues and decide what
changes should be made.
The beginning of 2010 is a fine time to
get a fresh start. Do an overall check on
your company policies, procedures, and
guidelines. It is also a good time to hold a
staff meeting and think about a schedule
of meetings you plan on having throughout the year. Setting these meeting dates
ensures that all people involved will be in
attendance.
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page 9
Setting up a plan now will make things
easier for everyone in your company. The
sooner your re-evaluate or create a plan
the sooner everyone, including you, can
save many hours of frustration.
newsletter winter 2009
Conversations with supervisors and employees can also be critical. Have a twoway conversation with your employees to
hear what they think, good or bad. Your
policies need to be written down in your
handbook, including policies on vacation
time, sick time, jury duty, the dress code,
part-time employees, pay increases,
benefits, and other important employee
matters. Create an employee calendar
of events and dates to remember. A
vacation policy may need to be looked at
in our business. If everyone wanted the
same week or month off for vacation it is
time to create a policy that spells out how
many people can be off at the same time
and how this “conflict” will be resolved.
If you are not sure what should go into
your handbook, search online for suggestions or pick up a book at the library on
employee issues.
Winter Is Ready For You, Are You And Your Vehicles
Ready For Winter?
Kevin J. Connelly, MASH Services of Illinois, Inc.
Unfortunately we do not do business in Florida or
Arizona. We all live in Chicago and we are aware
that in December, it gets cold and snowy here, and
it lasts until April (I dare you to find an April without
a snowfall and have you ever gone to a Cubs or Sox
game in April?).
Not only does winter negatively impact our local pest
control industry because the weather stops the influx
of insects into homes until spring, but it causes pest
control companies to become less time efficient, our
automotive expenses increase, and we can have
increased equipment and chemical costs. If we are
attentive to these issues, especially in the area of
fleet management, we can anticipate some of the
problems and enact preventive measures to save
some money. This is extremely important at this time
of year because of lowered cash flow.
newsletter winter 2009
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page 10
The automotive costs associated with a pest control
business can be the second largest area of expenditures after personnel. Vehicle costs such as gasoline,
maintenance, tires, insurance, licensing, and the
taxes associated with this part of our businesses can
be staggering. We have not even discussed accidents, which needless to say, are more likely during
the winter than the summer.
It has been said that winter is hard on cars. More
demands are placed on the electrical system, fuel
efficiency is lowered, corrosion is more likely, and accidents are more frequent because of the weather. In
addition, winter is hard on our roads and more auto
issues are caused by the worsening roads. The bottom line is this: a down vehicle does not produce dollars for your company and it usually cost us money to
bring it on line again. Here are a few of the issues for
you to keep in mind regarding vehicle use in Chicago
during the winter.
Batteries — This is an area that causes constant
aggravation during the winter. Is it time for a new battery? If so get it before you have a car at the furthest
distance in your territory with no other company
vehicles near the vehicle to give it a jump when the
vehicle will not start. While you can have a service
deliver a battery to the location, you will pay more for
that battery and there still is the time the technician is
not working, but getting paid, that affects your bottom
line. In addition, how do you meet the commitments
you have made to your customers when the technician is sitting and waiting for the battery delivery?
Vision — Glare is more of an issue during the winter
than the summer because the sun is lower in the
sky and we are usually in our vehicles near sunrise
and sunset. Furthermore, there is moisture is often
thrown up on our windshields impeding vision. This
issue is worsened by chemicals on the road that create the moisture. All these issues lessen the driver’s
vision and increase accident risks. Is it mandatory
that the technician cleans the windshield when they
get gas, every time? How about the headlights? Or
are they sitting in the vehicle while getting gas because it is cold out there? Do you go out and check
when they come back from the gas station or is it too
cold? What is the condition of the wiper blades? Do
they need replacement? Do the technicians regularly
replenish the windshield wiper fluid on a schedule or
do they wait until it goes dry and forget for a couple
of days? Do your technicians have sunglasses with
them each day?
Tires — Bald tires do not do well on snow and ice.
Do your technicians regularly inspect their vehicles,
including tires? Does management do periodic
checks of the vehicles? Replacing tires can avoid
accidents. It sounds so simple, and it is, replace tires
before they become an issue. While tires are not
cheap they are probably less than the deductible on
your insurance policy.
Maintenance — Have you properly prepared the
vehicle for the additional strain that cold, slippery
weather places on the vehicles? These are usually
inexpensive items such as changing to a more appropriate engine oil or making sure that the fluids are at
proper levels for winter temperatures. Have you had
the brakes inspected? I have found it amazing how
unaware of brake condition technicians often are.
Have you ever heard, “I meant to tell you a couple of
weeks ago that the brakes are making some noise.”
When the brakes are inspected it was discovered
that the brakes needed complete overhaul. Bad
brakes, and ice and snow do not mix. Take the initiative and have the brakes inspected.
Driver Techniques —
Safe driving is no accident. While there is no way
to guarantee that one of your vehicles will not be
involved in an accident during adverse winter condi-
tions, proper driving techniques can reduce the
risks. Do you have safety meetings covering
these techniques and recognition of unsafe situations? Do you actually drive with your technicians
in adverse weather? It may seem a little out of
the realm of management responsibility to teach
proper driving techniques, but think of the investment you have in the technician and the vehicle.
The adverse effects of an injured technician and
a damaged vehicle are considerable. What does
that cost you and your business? Is a little extra
effort worth protecting this investment?
President: David Harris-John (847) 647-0010
Vice President: Kurt Spurgeon (847) 774-3813
Treasurer: Jeff Beallis (630) 627-3322
Secretary: Mary Lara (773) 512-9237
Sergeant-at-Arms: Tom Dobrinska (630) 607-7346
Board of Directors: Kevin Connelly
Don Kaufman
Jane Peifer
Matt Siepka
Matt Urbanec
Dan Wilkinson
gcpma
www.gcpma.com
page 11
In closing, in most cases in this industry, few if
any of our employees own the vehicles the use
in serving customers. As managers of people,
we must acknowledge that most people do not
properly maintain the vehicles they own. Do you
think they are going to take better care of a vehicle
owned by someone else? Of course not. If we as
managers do not put into place the small steps
needed to make sure that our vehicles are properly
taken care of and possibly save large expenses
such as accidents, down time, and major vehicle
expenses, then we are allowing the fleet to manage
us instead of us managing the fleet.
Elections were held at the recent GCPMA Annual
Board Meeting and Dinner. The following people
were elected to represent GCPMA for 2010:
newsletter winter 2009
Management Strategies — Does your company
have a policy regarding weather and working?
While an accident driving to and from work
would not affect your workman’s compensation
insurance, does it matter why the employee is
not working his route? Who will service the route
while he is recovering? How will the technician
get to work if his personal vehicle is incapacitated in an accident? Do you have a program
of safety meetings to discuss how to handle
winter-related vehicle operation issues? Are
technicians instructed in the proper techniques
in operating a vehicle under winter conditions?
While colder weather lessens fuel efficiency, are
technicians spending time in running vehicles
with the heat on, while performing their duties or
avoiding them, thus adversely affecting the gas
mileage of the vehicle and lessening technician
efficiency or production? Are the vehicles equipped
with the needed car related winter equipment such
as jumper cables and a snow shovel? Do you have
scheduled inspections of the vehicle to make sure
that a small matter such as low brake fluid does
not become a large issue like a major accident? Do
you have a policy that lists the standards that your
technicians have to meet with independently owned
vehicles?
Announcing your
GCPMA Board of
Directors for 2010
Greater Chicago Pest
Management Alliance
Post Office Box 8022,
Westchester, IL 60154