Suzanne Graham: Rounding up regulations for the rest of us

Title: Director of Government Affairs

Company: Massey Services

Years in the industry: 27

Favorite part of the industry: “Government and regulatory issues. I have been doing this work for seven years with Massey Services, and I have had the opportunity to work with a variety of people with different backgrounds.”

At Massey Services’ headquarters in Orlando, Fla., Suzanne Graham works day in and day out with the various rules and regulations that help guide this industry. It’s a job she loves, even though it can be very stressful.

“One of our greatest challenges as a company is managing various state regulations,” Graham admits, noting that like many Florida pest management companies, Massey Services also offers lawn care services. “Every state’s Department of Agriculture defines the rules and each one is different from the next. For example, Florida has specific water quality and fertilization regulations that other states do not.”

Suzanne Graham and husband Jim, a U.S. Navy veteran, ran American Pest Control Management. PHOTO: SUZANNE GRAHAM

Massey Services also has offices in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana. Graham keeps a watchful eye on all of the rule-making, and regularly communicates to the Massey Services team what everyone needs to do to stay within compliance. She also ensures the company’s licenses are up-to-date in the various states.

Active in the industry

Graham currently serves on the National Pest Management Association’s (NPMA’s) Public Policy committee and is a member-at-large for its board of directors. She is also the Florida Pest Management Association’s Government Affairs co-chair.

Suzanne Graham

Graham and her husband, Jim, ran American Pest Control Management for 20 years in Port Charlotte, Fla. When they sold the company to Massey Services seven years ago, he retired and she took the role of Massey Services’ director of government affairs.

Since the start of her career with American, Graham has been actively involved in the Florida Home Builders Association (FHBA), which has provided her with further background on the many rules and regulations needed for the pest management industry. Not only is she a certified pest control operator, she is a state contractor. She has the distinction of being the first female president of the Charlotte-DeSoto Building Industry Association (2006) and the second female president of the FHBA (2013).

Graham also is no stranger to awards. She received the FHBA’s 2016 Woman of Distinction award and most recently the 2018 FHBA Eagle award for her work as its PAC committee chair. Also in 2016, Florida Governor Rick Scott appointed her to the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council, where she continues to pursue reducing the burden of unnecessary regulations for Florida homeowners.

Such tireless work on behalf of Massey Services and the many organizations to which she belongs could be why Graham’s Facebook page motto is “Doing something that seems impossible.”

from Pest Management Professional https://www.mypmp.net/2019/01/10/suzanne-graham-rounding-up-regulations-for-the-rest-of-us/
Sacramento CA