Comments for Hearts Pest Management Blog http://heartspm.wordpress.com Hearts Pest Management - People and Pest Control Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:26:09 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 Comment on Seeing The Green Light by David http://heartspm.wordpress.com/2009/11/23/seeing-the-green-light/#comment-89 David Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:26:09 +0000 http://heartspm.wordpress.com/?p=202#comment-89 It is really interesting to read articles such as this. Pest Control companies always get the bad wrap. Where do we draw the line? Do we learn to accept bugs so we save the planet? I'm not fully convinced GREEN works, well unless the service is completed daily. Help convince me of GREEN value. It is really interesting to read articles such as this. Pest Control companies always get the bad wrap. Where do we draw the line? Do we learn to accept bugs so we save the planet? I’m not fully convinced GREEN works, well unless the service is completed daily. Help convince me of GREEN value.

]]> Comment on Seeing The Green Light by Brad Bartlett http://heartspm.wordpress.com/2009/11/23/seeing-the-green-light/#comment-87 Brad Bartlett Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:51:02 +0000 http://heartspm.wordpress.com/?p=202#comment-87 Is there any endeavor, decision, or opinion that can remain materially unaffected by one's strongly held political beliefs? Is there any endeavor, decision, or opinion that can remain materially unaffected by one’s strongly held political beliefs?

]]> Comment on NPMA and NRDC – Marriage of Pest Control and Environmental Groups – Reviewed by Phoenix Pest Controller http://heartspm.wordpress.com/2009/10/01/npma-and-nrdc-marriage-of-pest-control-and-environmental-groups-reviewed/#comment-85 Phoenix Pest Controller Thu, 22 Oct 2009 05:11:09 +0000 http://heartspm.wordpress.com/?p=188#comment-85 Great comment Tanya. Couldn't of said better myself. To sum up my thoughts... What's being preached from the pulpit doesn't always get practiced by the peeps in the pews. -Thos003 Great comment Tanya. Couldn’t of said better myself. To sum up my thoughts…

What’s being preached from the pulpit doesn’t always get practiced by the peeps in the pews.

-Thos003

]]> Comment on NPMA and NRDC – Marriage of Pest Control and Environmental Groups – Reviewed by Phoenix Pest Controller http://heartspm.wordpress.com/2009/10/01/npma-and-nrdc-marriage-of-pest-control-and-environmental-groups-reviewed/#comment-83 Phoenix Pest Controller Thu, 22 Oct 2009 05:02:46 +0000 http://heartspm.wordpress.com/?p=188#comment-83 Great post Gerry. I am not sure if you have read any of my posts on the Green Pest Control conference I went to this year... but to say the least I was a bit concerned about a green certificate that required little to enter and then a monthly fee to keep. I think that it is a smart move on Quality Pro's part to get a third party endorsement and make them members of the board. Hopefully this move will put some meat behind their certification. -Thos003 Great post Gerry. I am not sure if you have read any of my posts on the Green Pest Control conference I went to this year… but to say the least I was a bit concerned about a green certificate that required little to enter and then a monthly fee to keep.

I think that it is a smart move on Quality Pro’s part to get a third party endorsement and make them members of the board. Hopefully this move will put some meat behind their certification.

-Thos003

]]> Comment on Mites, Now You See Them by Maureen,Putnam, NY http://heartspm.wordpress.com/2009/08/14/mites-now-you-see-them/#comment-82 Maureen,Putnam, NY Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:37:39 +0000 http://heartspm.wordpress.com/?p=171#comment-82 Having been bitten by a yellow jacket this past spring, triggered a whole string of allergies that had never surfaced as a child. Allergy tests reveal that my now life long allergist, discovered I am highly allergic to DUST MITES. This little (and I mean, very little) insect leaves red welts that are very similar to flea bites.( I thought we had a mouse flea problem, as we live in the woods) These little dust mite creates like warm damp dark areas. They come to where your daily skin is sluffed off (which is anywhere you walk in your house), your changing area, towels and especially, Under your bed covers they start with your feet... females beware...powder is a deterant and clean sheets a must and try to keep that dust out of the corners (these make great nesting areas)! Having been bitten by a yellow jacket this past spring, triggered a whole string of allergies that had never surfaced as a child. Allergy tests reveal that my now life long allergist, discovered I am highly allergic to DUST MITES. This little (and I mean, very little) insect leaves red welts that are very similar to flea bites.( I thought we had a mouse flea problem, as we live in the woods) These little dust mite creates like warm damp dark areas. They come to where your daily skin is sluffed off (which is anywhere you walk in your house), your changing area, towels and especially,
Under your bed covers they start with your feet…
females beware…powder is a deterant and clean sheets a must and try to keep that dust out of the corners (these make great nesting areas)!

]]> Comment on NPMA and NRDC – Marriage of Pest Control and Environmental Groups – Reviewed by Gerry http://heartspm.wordpress.com/2009/10/01/npma-and-nrdc-marriage-of-pest-control-and-environmental-groups-reviewed/#comment-79 Gerry Sat, 03 Oct 2009 06:29:18 +0000 http://heartspm.wordpress.com/?p=188#comment-79 Thank you for sharing your thoughts and concerns. I can only begin to imagine how hard the EcoWise team worked to establish standards, procedures and a compliance process. I do not understand how NRDC failed to assert the primacy of verifiable compliance in a timely manner. By back-ending it, they are inviting companies to move into the green-scape without the mentality or skills to succeed. They have invited failure. But will NRDC ever know of the failures? Will they be detected? How long will it be before compliants start coming saying that GreenPro has not kept to its own standard? What exactly is the standard when any product can be justified? There are lots of open questions. Perhaps the old truism applies that "the world is not always fair." It is what it is and we will see where the chips fall. I do sincerely wish NRDC/NPMA the best luck moving forward. I would be very happy if it achieves the mutual concerns of both organizations. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and concerns. I can only begin to imagine how hard the EcoWise team worked to establish standards, procedures and a compliance process. I do not understand how NRDC failed to assert the primacy of verifiable compliance in a timely manner. By back-ending it, they are inviting companies to move into the green-scape without the mentality or skills to succeed. They have invited failure. But will NRDC ever know of the failures? Will they be detected? How long will it be before compliants start coming saying that GreenPro has not kept to its own standard? What exactly is the standard when any product can be justified? There are lots of open questions.

Perhaps the old truism applies that “the world is not always fair.” It is what it is and we will see where the chips fall.

I do sincerely wish NRDC/NPMA the best luck moving forward. I would be very happy if it achieves the mutual concerns of both organizations.

]]> Comment on NPMA and NRDC – Marriage of Pest Control and Environmental Groups – Reviewed by Tanya Drlik http://heartspm.wordpress.com/2009/10/01/npma-and-nrdc-marriage-of-pest-control-and-environmental-groups-reviewed/#comment-78 Tanya Drlik Fri, 02 Oct 2009 21:12:03 +0000 http://heartspm.wordpress.com/?p=188#comment-78 Having been intimately involved in writing the EcoWise Certified IPM Standards, developing the EcoWise Certification Program, and certifying the first PCOs in the US, I was dismayed when NRDC endorsed GreenPro, an industry certification program (as opposed to an independent, third-party certification). As you mention in your blog, companies can become GreenPro certified without any kind of up-front audit of their records. Field audits are random and companies could claim IPM certification for 5 years without anyone ever scrutinizing their actual IPM practices. I find it particulary troubling that large companies with hundreds of branch offices would only have to submit to a maximum of 30 branch office field audits. In my 10 years of working closely with PCOs, I have found that branch offices of large companies differ remarkably in their acceptance and practice of IPM. Branch managers set the tone of the branch office, quite aside from the overall policies of the parent company. If the branch manager is well informed and dedicated to the principles of IPM,there is a much better chance that technicians will deliver IPM service. However, I have seen many companies (large and small) whose policies look good on paper and whose managers are well informed about IPM and talk a great talk, but whose technicians don't deliver IPM services in their day to day work. I fear that the current lax oversight on the part of NPMA will not provide the kind of confidence and credibility that I am looking for as a customer. In my current position as IPM Coordinator for the California County of Contra Costa, I am requiring companies that bid on our structural IPM contract to be IPM certified by EcoWise, Green Shield, or GreenPro, with the provision that GreenPro companies must have gone through a field audit or be preparing to do so. Tanya Drlik IPM Coordinator Contra Costa County Having been intimately involved in writing the EcoWise Certified IPM Standards, developing the EcoWise Certification Program, and certifying the first PCOs in the US, I was dismayed when NRDC endorsed GreenPro, an industry certification program (as opposed to an independent, third-party certification).

As you mention in your blog, companies can become GreenPro certified without any kind of up-front audit of their records. Field audits are random and companies could claim IPM certification for 5 years without anyone ever scrutinizing their actual IPM practices.

I find it particulary troubling that large companies with hundreds of branch offices would only have to submit to a maximum of 30 branch office field audits.

In my 10 years of working closely with PCOs, I have found that branch offices of large companies differ remarkably in their acceptance and practice of IPM. Branch managers set the tone of the branch office, quite aside from the overall policies of the parent company. If the branch manager is well informed and dedicated to the principles of IPM,there is a much better chance that technicians will deliver IPM service. However, I have seen many companies (large and small) whose policies look good on paper and whose managers are well informed about IPM and talk a great talk, but whose technicians don’t deliver IPM services in their day to day work.

I fear that the current lax oversight on the part of NPMA will not provide the kind of confidence and credibility that I am looking for as a customer.

In my current position as IPM Coordinator for the California County of Contra Costa, I am requiring companies that bid on our structural IPM contract to be IPM certified by EcoWise, Green Shield, or GreenPro, with the provision that GreenPro companies must have gone through a field audit or be preparing to do so.

Tanya Drlik
IPM Coordinator
Contra Costa County

]]> Comment on Bad Economy Doesn’t Stop HeartsPM by Ana http://heartspm.wordpress.com/2009/09/22/bad-economy-doesnt-stop-heartspm/#comment-77 Ana Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:59:14 +0000 http://heartspm.wordpress.com/?p=186#comment-77 Congratulations! The bugs in LA & San Francisco better watch out! Congratulations!

The bugs in LA & San Francisco better watch out!

]]> Comment on Go to Jail, Do Not Collect $200 by Thos003 http://heartspm.wordpress.com/2009/06/28/go-to-jail-do-not-collect-200/#comment-68 Thos003 Fri, 07 Aug 2009 22:38:41 +0000 http://heartspm.wordpress.com/?p=138#comment-68 Great analogy. Forming partners and making alliances isn't just a good strategy in monopoly but in almost any complex board game, i.e. Risk, Hearts, Settlers of Catan and Acquire... okay, so I like board games and you have probably never heard of the last two. Great games. Great post Gerry! Glad to see another like minded PCO out there that is making a difference. Great analogy. Forming partners and making alliances isn’t just a good strategy in monopoly but in almost any complex board game, i.e. Risk, Hearts, Settlers of Catan and Acquire… okay, so I like board games and you have probably never heard of the last two. Great games.

Great post Gerry! Glad to see another like minded PCO out there that is making a difference.

]]> Comment on Leave Something On The Bone – Sick Pay, Benefits, Medical Coverage in the Pest Control Industry by Gerry http://heartspm.wordpress.com/2009/06/30/leave-something-on-the-bone-sick-pay-benefits-medical-coverage-in-the-pest-control-industry/#comment-55 Gerry Fri, 03 Jul 2009 21:32:47 +0000 http://heartspm.wordpress.com/?p=141#comment-55 As a business owner, I agree with you totally. I certainly have gained substantial loyalty from my team by offering better benefits in contrast to what I see out there. No matter how much a worker likes the boss, a worker's bottom line is based on compensation, in all its' forms. Providing better benefits is the self-enlightened thing to do, as it leads to worker longevity, better morale, safety and productivity, even less considered points such as reduced insider theft. So you might wonder why I would want to force my type of pay structure on the industry. I really don't. But we need the industry to start thinking along these lines so that the industry is seen as having a positive influence, unlike the cigarette industry. I don't just wear one hat. When I am at a PCOC (Pest Control Operator of California) or NPMA meeting, I get into the spirit of considering the common good of the industry. When I write for PMP (Pest Management Professional Magazine), I write without a hidden agenda. I also believe there are a lot of good guys in our industry (in non-competiting geographic areas) that I would enjoy helping in my consulting work, people who want to do the right thing by their workers, but who in general do not have the management expertise. Back to minimum standards... We live in a society far from pure capitalism. Regulation and legislation has provided a foundation for fair play in life, including the work world. It is part of what makes our country great. In a fair world, yes, the cream will rise to the top... but it takes a lot longer when the playing field is far from even, or when access to basic services is denied to those without the means. We are so fortunate that we live in 21st century America. We just don't have the 1st hand experience like those who came before us here and especially in other countries and other times as to how unfair life can be. I want to thank you again for contributing to this blog and I definitely will recommend your blog to others. Happy 4th. God bless America! Gerry As a business owner, I agree with you totally. I certainly have gained substantial loyalty from my team by offering better benefits in contrast to what I see out there. No matter how much a worker likes the boss, a worker’s bottom line is based on compensation, in all its’ forms. Providing better benefits is the self-enlightened thing to do, as it leads to worker longevity, better morale, safety and productivity, even less considered points such as reduced insider theft.

So you might wonder why I would want to force my type of pay structure on the industry. I really don’t. But we need the industry to start thinking along these lines so that the industry is seen as having a positive influence, unlike the cigarette industry.

I don’t just wear one hat. When I am at a PCOC (Pest Control Operator of California) or NPMA meeting, I get into the spirit of considering the common good of the industry. When I write for PMP (Pest Management Professional Magazine), I write without a hidden agenda. I also believe there are a lot of good guys in our industry (in non-competiting geographic areas) that I would enjoy helping in my consulting work, people who want to do the right thing by their workers, but who in general do not have the management expertise.

Back to minimum standards… We live in a society far from pure capitalism. Regulation and legislation has provided a foundation for fair play in life, including the work world. It is part of what makes our country great. In a fair world, yes, the cream will rise to the top… but it takes a lot longer when the playing field is far from even, or when access to basic services is denied to those without the means.

We are so fortunate that we live in 21st century America. We just don’t have the 1st hand experience like those who came before us here and especially in other countries and other times as to how unfair life can be.

I want to thank you again for contributing to this blog and I definitely will recommend your blog to others.

Happy 4th. God bless America!

Gerry

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