Dave Mueller, Dr. Dini Miller, Judy Black and Lonnie Alonso received plaques at the PMP Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Oct. 14, 2019. (PHOTO: DANIELLE PESTA)
Beautiful San Diego, Calif., was the location of Pest Management Professional‘s (PMP‘s) 23rd Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
Pest management professionals, marketing partners and guests gathered at the Omni Hotel on Oct. 14, the day before the National Pest Management Association‘s (NPMA’s) PestWorld 2019 officially welcomed attendees, to honor five legends and innovators who have worked tirelessly for the betterment of the pest control industry.
Lonnie Alonso, Columbus Pest Control, Columbus, Ohio, and his father, Orlando, who passed away in 2002, were the first attendees honored. Both have been well known and respected throughout the pest management industry, especially in keeping up with state and national regulatory affairs. Lonnie currently is the Ohio state policy affairs representative (SPAR) for the NPMA. A native of Cuba, Orlando built a successful pest control company, National Fumigating Co., there but left it behind to emigrate to the United States in 1961, to flee Fidel Castro’s rule.
Judy Black, BCE, vice president of quality assurance and technical service, Rollins Inc., Atlanta, Ga., previously served as vice president of North American technical services for Rentokil-Steritech. She also was chair of the NPMA’s technical committee; director of the certification board for the Entomological Society of America (ESA); and immediate past president of industry fraternity Pi Chi Omega. In 2012, she received the NPMA’s Women of Excellence Award. Black is known for her training and industry stewardship throughout the pest management industry.
Dr. Dini Miller, urban pest management specialist for the Commonwealth of Virginia at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in Blacksburg, Va. She has received many formal and informal accolades — including the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development’s inaugural “Healthy Homes Hero” award — for her work on optimizing cockroach baiting in urban housing. Dr. Miller also is working on assessment-based pest management (APM) for bed bugs.
David Mueller, BCE, founder, Insects Limited, Westfield, Ind. The 1975 Purdue University entomology graduate founded Insects Limited in 1982 with a focus on researching, testing, developing, manufacturing and distributing pheromones and trapping systems for insects in a global marketplace. Before the U.S. methyl bromide phaseout began in 2005, Mueller and his team worked tirelessly to find alternatives, so that food commodities could be protected for public health. Now retired, Mueller spent his career seeking successful pest management and prevention with fewer chemicals.
Each inductee received a plaque commemorating the honor. An identical plaque will be displayed on the walls of Purdue University’s Smith Hall. PMP Hall of Famer Dr. Gary Bennett (Class of 2006) — who retired in June as executive director of Purdue’s Center for Urban and Industrial Pest Management — has overseen their installation, made possible by PMP Hall of Fame Platinum sponsor Bug Off Pest Control Center, for decades.
Also honored this evening was Dr. John Osmun, a member of PMP‘s inaugural Hall of Fame in 1997. He played an unparalleled role in almost every facet of the pest control industry including researcher, educator and regulator. Born in 1918, Dr. Osmun received a master’s degree in biology from Amherst College in 1942, and then joined the Army. He spent a lot of time collecting and identifying mosquitoes and fleas to develop a preventive control program against malaria. He became chief entomologist for the First Army, which included New York, New Jersey, Delaware and the New England states. He started working side-by-side with pest management professionals, testing Geserol — DDT — on the rampant bed bug populations in the barracks. In 1948, Dr. Osmun was hired by Purdue University as an assistant professor of entomology. He was tasked with developing a new curriculum in structural pest control, and by fall of that year, created six new courses specifically for pest control professionals. Under his direction in 1950, several of his students formed the pest control industry fraternity of Pi Chi Omega. In 1956, Dr. Osmun was named head of entomology at Purdue, a title he held until 1972. In 1971, he founded the American Registry of Professional Entomologists, which has since evolved into today’s Board Certified Entomologists program. In 1972, Dr. Osmun reviewed university entomology programs under the auspices of the United States Department of Agriculture’s Cooperative States Research Service. Later, he served as director of pesticide operations for the fledgling United States Environmental Protection Agency. He added on the role of Purdue professor again in 1975, and retired in 1987. Dr. Osmun passed away in 2012 at age 94.
To learn more about the PMP Hall of Fame and past inductees, visit PMPHallOfFame.net.
The PMP Hall of Fame induction ceremony is an annual event. To nominate someone in the pest management industry, submit a nomination form.
PMP thanks this year’s sponsors for making the Hall of Fame induction awards ceremony and dinner possible: Platinum sponsor Bug Off Pest Control Center; Cocktail Hour sponsor J.T. Eaton; and Gold sponsors BASF, Control Solutions Inc., Kness, MGK, Neogen, Oldham Chemicals, PCO Bookkeepers, Pelgar International, Purdue University, Rockwell Labs Ltd, ServicePro and The Aust Group.
See more coverage from PestWorld 2019.
The post <em>PMP</em> inducts class of 2019 Hall of Famers appeared first on Pest Management Professional.
from Pest Management Professional https://www.mypmp.net/2019/10/15/pmp-inducts-class-of-2019-hall-of-famers/
Sacramento CA
I recently googled pest control software and found many interesting sites with cool applications. It is difficult to single out any one, especially without using the services of each company. But due to the fact that this is a competitive niche, the first places in the search always change, which is good for ordinary users.
ReplyDelete