Schedule of Events

Cash is king in a pest control company. You do not want to run out of money when you need it most. In this presentation, Dan Gordon, managing member of PCO Bookkeepers & M&A Specialists, will cover actions you can take to improve cash flow at your pest control company.

Topics to be covered include:
• Installment billing
• Accounts payable management
• Maintaining an adequate credit line
• Managing vehicle debt

An important tool PCOs can use to say financially health is Divvy, a bill spend and expense management solution. Divvy gives small and midsize businesses the credit they need and helps them save time and money by automating expense reports, budgets, and reimbursement processing — all in one place. As part of this webinar, attendees will get a first-hand look at how Divvy's free software and card combination provides real-time insight into employee spending, paired with strong budgets to help your expenses stay on track.

In today’s competitive job market, pest control owners need every edge they can get when it comes to recruitment and retainment. One thing PCOs can do to stand out from the crowded canvas of employers is offer a 401(k) plan, which can help with employee retention, company growth, tax deductions and more. Valerie DiGennaro, who heads the 401(k) division for SWM Pensionmark, will share considerations for setting up 401(k) plans and why this offering might make sense for you and your business.

Companies that have successfully created a sales culture set clear expectations and track performance. In this webinar, presented by Sheri Spencer Bachman, president and CEO of the Pest Control Business Coach, will share tips to help you ensure your residential sales team is maximizing its potential. Spencer Bachman, a former PCO, has tailored tried-and-true training sales training programs to residential pest control sales. Webinar attendees will leave with actionable strategies and formulas to help them hit their business growth goals by converting more leads into sales, including: how to calculate the cost of a lead; how to calculate the cost of a sale; how to track sales metrics that are important to measure success; what a proven phone sales process looks like; what inside salespeople should be doing when the phone isn’t ringing; how salespeople should plan their day for success; and how to hold your sales team accountable without micromanaging.

Progressive pest control companies have devoted significant time and resources developing company leaders. Kevin Lemasters, president of Action Leadership, has spent the better part of his 30-year career leading others and developing next-generation industry professionals. Join Lemasters for an interactive webinar in which he will share lessons in leadership, including: a review of different leadership styles; leadership dos and don’ts; leading others; transitioning team members into leadership roles; and provide suggested resources/training approaches.

It is easy to get bogged down with daily tasks both in the office and in the field. In this presentation, Sarah will discuss the importance of managing your routes, scheduling efficiencies, generating reviews and automating tasks. In this webinar, Sarah Miller, president of Armed Force Pest Control, Middletown, Calif., will share steps she’s taken to make her company more efficient. Miller will discuss the importance of managing routes, scheduling for efficiency, generating reviews and automating tasks.

Rodents pose a significant threat to commercial and residential customers. Infestations can create risks for public health, affect audit success, and impact a client’s bottom line. This presentation will help attendees recognize vulnerable areas that provide rodent access, discuss the impacts of rodent infestations, and the critical role of exclusion to prevent pest problems.

Risk management practices, procedures and awareness can reveal potential sources of fraud in our personal and professional lives. On the Risk Management: Fraud-avoiding catching and preventing segment, we will discuss easily applicable training and procedures to prevent falling victim to nefarious approaches and the insurance "safety nets" that can make us whole if the bad guys are successful.

One of the greatest challenges for any business is reinventing company culture and practices for future growth. Go-Forth Pest Control, Greensboro, N.C., in business since 1959, has done just that. Under the leadership of Chase Hazelwood, Go-Forth has grown in revenue, territory and number of employees. From 2021 to 2022, Go-Forth’s revenues increased by 59 percent, and the company moved from #61 to #45 on the most recent PCT Top 100 list. Join Hazelwood on August 15 for Successful Strategic Growth Decisions. Hazelwood will provide an overview of the company’s history and review some strategic decisions the company made that paid off.

There is no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to bed bug management. Strategies and approaches must be adjusted according to the situation and conditions. Recent improvements in products and techniques for control of bed bugs have enabled many PMPs to implement less labor-intensive protocols, which benefit both them and their clients. However, in many low-income and social housing situations, a total lack of client cooperation can make bed bug remediation challenging.

Dr. Dini Miller and Morgan Wilson work almost exclusively in low-income housing and will share their knowledge and recommendations for bed bug management techniques and strategies in some of the most challenging situations.

Dr. Nina Jenkins will follow with some specifics on the implementation of Aprehend in range of different situations, including low-income housing and single-family residences, and proactive quarterly protocols for a public and service sectors including public transport, dialysis centers, general medical facilities, hotels, motels, and shelters.

Attendees will learn how to ensure that their bed bug services are profitable and efficient and gain valuable insight into how offering quarterly, proactive bed bug services can lead to expanded business opportunities.

As businesses grow, so do the challenges of generating enough free cash flow to pay for that organic growth. How much money is going out the door versus how much is coming in can be a particular challenge for those operating on a lean budget. Knowing how to orchestrate all the variables and impacts on your cash is key. Industry consultant Greg Clendenin built the 14 largest company in the industry before selling it in 2005. Join Clendenin on Sept. 20 as he shares advice and insights into cash flow considerations.

Topics that will be discussed include:
• Smart steps for getting your financial house in order
• Ensuring enough net working capital to pay for organic growth
• Producing free Cash Flow
• Managing cash after it is produced
• Knowing where the cash is going
• How to operate more efficiently to produce more cash
• Other advice and takeaways for increasing cash from operations

Although numerous beetles play an important role in nature through forest sustainability, wood-boring beetles present PCOs and homeowners with several challenges. These beetles are occasionally encountered when they unexpectedly emerge from lumber in new buildings or are carried indoors inside firewood. The damage caused by adults and larvae of these insects ranges from unsightly holes in the wood’s surface to a reduction in the structural integrity of a piece of lumber. Join industry veteran Daniel Dye as he reviews commonly encountered wood-boring beetles and strategies for both preventing and remediating infestations.

Rodent and wildlife control are two of the pest control industry’s most important and profitable segments. Many pest management professionals have created and are successfully executing rodent and wildlife management programs heavily focused on inspection and exclusion. One of the pillars of such a program is active monitoring, which helps PMPs determine when and where rodent and wildlife pests are active, the size of the population and whether they’re visiting traps. Since rodents and wildlife pests are most active at night, when people usually are not working or awake, there is a real need for monitoring technology such as game cameras. Join Texas A&M’s Janet Hurley on Dec. 4 for a webinar in which she takes a deep dive into rodent and wildlife monitoring and how it fits into IPM programs. Hurley will also share her experiences working with monitoring technology and how PMPs can best integrate it into their operation.