THE HEART OF PCOC

When I first took this position as the Director of Membership and Technical Services, my idea of the industry was very intellectual. I wanted to boost membership through increased benefits, thus creating a product that would sell itself. I also wanted to help the association flourish and help those businesses involved. As I have said these notions were purely intellectual and did not reach to the deeper level of the heart. I thought of it as a job that would be challenging and most likely rewarding as I succeeded in my endeavors.

Not until the PCOC Expo in San Diego in June did the fullness of this job and what the association means go beyond the mind. I have heard several people associate PCOC with family, but the really quantifiable presence of this idea had not taken root. I saw not just pest control business owners, but parents and children. I saw the scholarship committee give away money to help contribute to the education of the children of pest control parents. I saw people who should be business competitors having a wonderful time with one another, breaking bread and drinking, talking and laughing, smiling and dancing (well, the dancing was on the paddle boat after the reception dinner, not at the actual reception). I saw what you might see at a good family reunion.

When the new president, Scott Howell, was sworn into office, he gave a moving speech and within that speech he spoke of growing up in the industry and being the next generation of his family to be in the business. He spoke about how PCOC has worked to keep the industry honest because no one company stands alone. If one company uses harmful practices then all suffer. He emphasized that such practices don't just affect that company but the livelihoods of all the industry – owners and employees. I myself am the third generation to be in the industry, and my own family has earned its income from pest control. Even the money that paid for the food on our tables and my college education came from pest control.

PCOC is truly a family – many of whom volunteer their time because they see the necessity of helping pest control and in doing so help themselves and their families. They work hard to build their companies, to feed their families and hopefully create a legacy, and they willingly help one another for the betterment of the industry.

Now I truly see the importance of PCOC and my job in particular. Membership in the association has been dropping in recent years. Participation has dwindled, and now I commonly hear, "Why should I be a member of PCOC? Why should I stay a member of PCOC? What has PCOC done for me?" These are valid questions, and we may not do enough to disseminate the many legislative issues PCOC has averted that would be detrimental to our industry or some of the benefits like fleet pricing for vehicles through Enterprise or the Peacock Insurance created by PCOs, for PCOs.

One great example of averted legislation occurred not too long ago. A certain legislator who has no idea how pest companies work thought it might be a good idea that before a pest company treats a residential home, it must notify 24 hours in advance all properties adjacent to and across the street from that property. Imagine the logistical nightmare such a bill would impose on PCOs – not to mention the time and money wasted. Many companies would simply have to shut down their businesses because they could not deal with the loss in production. Because of the relationships PCOC has developed at the capitol through our annual Leg Day, where representatives of PCOC go to the capitol building and meet with various assemblymen and senators, we were able to speak to this legislator and explain why such a bill would harm all pest control businesses. The assemblyman agreed not to present the bill.

Now I'm sure many members do not have this sense of family when they think of PCOC – usually because they are too busy running their own businesses or because they are in a district that is not very active. They may even wonder, "What has PCOC done for me?" Next time think of the above example or the many like it that have been averted and ask, "How would my company have suffered if this or that regulation had been enacted?"

New Pyrethroid Regulations

The Department of Pesticide Regulation has adopted regulations that govern the non-agricultural outdoor use of all pyrethroid pesticides, which go into effect on July 19th. PCOC's Water Quality Taskforce has worked closely with DPR over the past year on this issue.

The regulations closely track the language that is contained on most new pyrethroid products and also contains language that reflects an exchange of letters between EPA and DPR late last year, regarding applications to eaves and vertical surfaces above grade, including pin stream applications.

The new pyrethroid labels and regulations are both intended to reduce the runoff into surface water of non-agricultural uses of pyrethroids. A detailed article written especially for the PCOC NewsBriefs will appear next month.

A copy of the regulations can be found by clicking here.