1. home and garden
2. pest control

Iowa Pest Management Association
Published for Members & Friends of the Iowa Pest Management Association • Spring, 2009
How to generate more referrals
A
In this
Issue
Letter from the President... 2
l
IPMA Scholarship.............. 3
l
Shifting Priorities at
the Wheel........................ 5
l
Industry News.................... 6
l
Handing Sales Objections 7
l
Bugs ‘r Us - Silverfish........ 9
l
There has to be a
Better Way..................... 10
l
Getting to Know Your
Board..............................11
l
Marketing w/o Marketing..11
l
School Pest Control......... 12
l
Golf Tournament.............. 13
l
Clip ‘n Mail - Moths.......... 15
sk any PCO where most of
the company’s clients come
from and they’ll answer without hesitation: referrals. Yet
when asked about structured
referral generation programs, most do not
have one in place.
Many companies who depend on referrals for their growth are fortunate to receive
referrals without doing anything except
providing good, effective service. But think
of how many referrals you might receive if
you put a referral generation plan in place!
There are four components to a referral generation program, regardless of the
details of the program.
1. Trusted relationships
2. An incentive for referrals
3. Immediate follow-up and care.
4. Remarkable service
Trusted relationships
Referrals come from people who know and
trust you. So the key is to develop relationships through networking, leads groups like
BNI, friends, relatives and current customers.
Though it’s not always comfortable to
ask for referrals, the truth is, most of your
friends and associates do not know all the
services you provide. This leaves you with
the challenge of educating them about
1) the benefits of your service; 2) exactly
what they should say when developing referrals for you and 3) the description of your
ideal customer. Be as specific as you can to
make it easy for your friends and association.
Referral Incentives
The most common incentive and most
economical for you is a discount on your
service. Print referral blanks on the back of
by June Van Klaveren
your business cards and hand them out.
The incentive itself should be accompanied
by a personal thank you note signed by the
owner or manager.
Some incentive ideas include:
• Tickets (movie, theatre, sports)
• Dinner
• Gift cards
• Subscriptions
• Valuable promotional item
• Books
• Gas cards
• Cash
• Grocery store cards
• Cards to shopping malLs
• American Express gift card
• Pet products
Immediate Follow-up
Once you’ve received a referral, respond
immediately and let the referrer know you’ve
contacted them.
Remarkable Service
It goes without saying that if your service
is not remarkable, you won’t get referrals.
So including something special (sweep
spider webs, pick up newspapers, etc.) will
keep you in your customer’s mind. But, of
course, courteous technicians and effective
pest control are most important in creating
remarkable service.
Letter from the President
H
ave you ever wondered what your
company would
be like if there
were no IPMA?
I thought about this the
other day with a bedbug account
that we have been struggling to
get under control. My customer
loved the time and effort that
our technician put in during
the service, but since there were
continuing issues with bedbugs,
she asked me about getting a
second opinion from one of my
competitors. It’s not the type
of situation that I wanted to be
in, but I told her that it couldn’t
hurt. She called a fellow IPMA
member who subsequently did a
very thorough inspection. She
called me later and complimented
this company because he took the
opportunity to support the efforts
we were doing and validate that
we were on the right track.
Many companies would see
this as an opportunity to trash
another company.
I think that as IPMA
members, we are
building relationships
with one another
that breaks down
the barriers that
competition can
build between us.
We know that there is no
benefit in tearing down another
by Brad Smith, IPMA President
company just to make ourselves
look better. What a great organization we have in that we can support
and build up each other so that our
profession is viewed as a positive,
professional workforce.
With no IPMA, our businesses
would suffer from isolation, price
wars, selfishness, and a lack of unity.
The IPMA is forging ahead with:
• State-wide radio commercials to
direct customers to call members,
• Top of the line training at our
Fall meeting
• A golf outing and BBQ this
summer
• Scholarship awards for college
students.
I am proud to be a member of
the IPMA and I would like to thank
all of you for your dedication to our
industry and to each other by being a
member.
Brad Smith
IPMA Board President
2009 Board of Directors
The Connection is published
four times a year as a service to
members of the IPMA. It contains
organization information, articles
and advertisements designed
especially to make the job of the Pest
Management Professional easier and
more profitable.
Direct inquiries and correspondence
to any of the Board of Directors or to
June Van Klaveren by phone: 636394-4148; by fax: 636-438-1357; by
e-mail: [email protected] or
mail to Compelling Communications,
Inc., 512 Marie Lane, Manchester,
MO 63011.
Page President
Board Member
Vice President
Board Member
Secretary/Treasurer
Board Member
Brad Smith
Preferred Pest Control
5415 NW 88th St Suite 200
Johnston, IA 50131
Phone: 515-276-7277
Email:
[email protected]
Keith Gordon
Diam Pest Control
P.O. Box 4891
Des Moines, IA 50305
Phone: 515-244-3533
Email:
[email protected]
Jeromy Baumbach
ABC Pest Control, Inc.
2024 NW 92nd Ct., Ste #5
Des Moines, IA 50325
Phone: 515-267-9442
Email:
[email protected]
James L. Gilmore
Premier Pest Services Inc.
3707 6th Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50313
Phone: 515-288-2850
Email:
[email protected]
Joe Martin
Martin Pest Control
1408 Carter Ave
Clare, IA 50524
Phone: 515-546-6301
Email:
[email protected]
William Martin
Terminix International
328 E 59th St
Davenport, IA 52807
Phone: 563-386-5105
Email:
[email protected]
Board Member
Raul Segura
Presto-X
1221 S. Saddle Creek Road
Omaha, NE 68106
Phone: 800-759-0524
Email:
[email protected]
Vendor Representative
Mark Bramhall
Univar
3002 F Street
Omaha, NE 68107
Phone: 402-681-2107
Email:
[email protected]
Iowa State University Liaisson
Donald Lewis
Iowa State University
Department of Entomology
Ames, IA 50011
Phone: 515-294-1101
Email:
[email protected]
Executive Secretary
Dorothy Ohl Lewis
PO Box 1202
Ames, IA 50014
Phone: 515-232-5801
Email:
[email protected]
IPMA Connection • Spring, 2009
Shifting Priorities at the Wheel
A
special corner of hell is reserved for drivers who weave from one lane to another
at a crawl while blithely chatting on
their cell phones. Even a simple form of
multitasking—driving while listening to
someone talk—disrupts ability to navigate a car safely, a
new study finds.
An intriguing neural response underlies vehicular
mishaps associated with such distractions, say neuroscientist Marcel Just of Carnegie Mellon University in
Pittsburgh. Attending to what someone says galvanizes
language-related brain areas while concurrently reducing activity in spatial regions that coordinate driving
behavior. This suggests that people who combine
relatively automatic tasks, such as speech comprehension and car driving, exceed a biological limit on the
amount of systematic brain activity they can hold at
one time, Just proposes. As a result, the less-ingrained
skill—in this case, driving—takes a neural hit. “Now we
have a biological account of how multi-tasking affects
driving behavior,” Just says.
Cell phones stand out as problematic for drivers.
Cell phone conversations require a driver’s constant
attention in order not to appear rude to an unseen
IPMA Connection • Spring, 2009
partner.
Just
implies
that other
activities
may dent
the ability
to drive a
car: listening to a
radio, eating, monitoring children, talking with a passenger. Psychologist David Strayer of the University of
Utah in Salt Lake City adds that the new results offer
a conservative estimate of the neural impact of multitasking on driving. Strayer documented steep declines
in simulated driving skill, and marked drop in driving
speed, among volunteers using handheld or hands-free
cell phones.
“Listening to talk radio or spoken directions from
a navigation system while driving probably will have
similar effects to what we found,” Just says. “Multitasking puts high demands on the brain.”
Bruce Bower, Science News, Vol. 173, No. 16, p. 7
Page Scholarship Applications Being
Accepted
T
he Iowa Pest Management Association announces the first annual scholarship. The
purpose of the scholarship is to encourage
the continuing education of member company owners, employees or their dependents
in their enrollment in post secondary school education.
Through this scholarship program the Association will
recognize the importance additional education and
Investing in your
Business Growth
training has in helping individuals meet their career and
life goals.
The scholarship is awarded annually and ranges
from $250 to $500. Applications are accepted from
owners, employees, or their dependents. It can be used
for fees associated with accredited secondary education
including traditional colleges and universities as well as
trade schools, community colleges, or other educational
institutions. To be eligible, the company must have been
a member of IPMA for a minimum of
two years by the date of the application and the employee must have been
with the member company for two
years at the time of application.
The application and recommendation forms are included on page 5-8 of
this newsletter.
If you or your company is interested in contributing to the IPMA
scholarship fund, please contact any of
our board members.
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Helping attract and retain employees
Supplying the best products
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Page Contact
June Van Klaveren
[email protected]
800-779-0067
Call Today!
800-255-0051
www.Rhodeschem.com
IPMA Connection • Spring, 2009
IOWA PEST
MANAGEMENT
ASSOCIATION
Iowa Pest Management Association
Scholarship Application
Section 1: Applicant Information
Name: _ ___________________________________________________________________________________ Address: ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________
Telephone: ________________________ Email: __________________________________________________
Section 2: IPMA Member Company Certification of Eligibility
(to be completed by owner or manager of supporting IPMA Company)___________________________________
I certify that the following company. ______________________________________________________________,
in ______________________________(city) has been a member in good standing of the Iowa Pest Management
Association and that the applicant named above is an owner, manager, employee or a dependent of an owner, manager, or employee who has worked for the company a minimum of two years.
Signature of owner/manager: _ _________________________________________________________________
Date:___________________
Section 3: Education Plans
School, College, or Training Program _____________________________________________________________
Have you been accepted into the program: _ _______________________________________________________
(Attach a copy of the letter or acknowledgement of acceptance)
When will you start the program: _ ______________________________________________________________
What degree, certificate, or certification will result from successfully completing this program?
_ ______________________________________________________________________________________
What is the tuition or cost of this program per year? ________________________________________________
(Attach a copy of published (web or print) showing annual costs.)
(Continued on page 6)
IPMA Connection • Spring, 2009
Page Iowa Pest Management Association Scholarship Application – Page 2
Section 3: Education Plans (continued from page 7)
What sources of financial assistance have you confirmed as of the date of this application. Include grants, scholarships, and loans.
_ ______________________________________________________________________________________
_ ______________________________________________________________________________________
Section 4: Essay (no more than 350 words submitted on separate page)
1) What will this educational program contribute to your long-term goals?
2) Why should you receive this scholarship?
3) Describe any other circumstances that would have a bearing on your application.
Section 5: Agreement to terms of IPMA Scholarship
I, __________________________, agree to use any scholarship awarded to me by the Iowa Pest Management Association for the purposes described in this application. If my circumstances change and I am
unable to participate in the educational program described herein, I will return the scholarship to the Iowa
Pest Management Association within 30 days of that change.
Signature: __________________________________ Date: _ ________________________________________
Section 7:
Please arrange to have the following documents forwarded to:
IPMA – Scholarship Committee
PO Box 1201
Ames, IA 50014.
These documents must be received no later than May 15 for your application to be considered.
1) Two letters of recommendation from non-family members (teachers, employers, counselors, or others who
can speak to your work ethic, character, or ability to succeed in the course of study you have chosen). Use reference forms provided.
2) A copy of your high school transcript(s) and/or GED certificate.
Page IPMA Connection • Spring, 2009
Iowa Pest Management Association
Scholarship Recommendation Form
APPLICANT NAME:________________________________________________________________________
Academic Program for which scholarship is being sought:
_ _____________________________________________________________________________________
Applicant:
Fill in your name and ask an instructor, counselor, employer, clergy, or other reference to complete this form. Your
scholarship application will not be considered unless two recommendation forms are received to support your application. Please allow your references adequate time to complete the forms. It is your responsibility to make sure your
references send the forms to the IPMA Scholarship Review Committee by the May 15th deadline. You may want to
provide a pre-addressed stamped envelope to each of your references for their convenience.
Reference:
Please complete this form and mail it to:
IPMA Scholarship Committee
PO Box 1201
Ames, IA 50014-1201
Scholarship applicants are required to submit all application materials by May 15th for their application to be considered.
Recommendations are extremely important when rewarding scholarships. The absence of this form will constitute
an incomplete application and disqualify the candidate. Feel free to add any additional comments under each category.
In what capacity and for how long have you known the applicant?
_ _____________________________________________________________________________________
_ _____________________________________________________________________________________
_ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _ _____________________________________________________________________________________
_ _____________________________________________________________________________________
_ _____________________________________________________________________________________
_ _____________________________________________________________________________________
_ _____________________________________________________________________________________
_ _____________________________________________________________________________________
(Please attach separate sheet if needed.) (Complete this form on page 8)
IPMA Connection • Spring, 2009
Page Above
Average
Average
Below
Average
Poor
Unknown
Reference Name: __________________________________
Outstanding
Applicant Name: __________________________________
Academic Progress or Personal Achievement (grades
and/or quality of work)
Attendance/Reliability (attendance and/or dependability)
Attitude/Cooperation (relationships with others)
Communication Skills (ability to express ideas)
Leadership and/or Critical Thinking Skills (ability to lead
and influence and/or judgment/evaluation)
Motivation (initiative, resourcefulness, self-starter)
Work Habits/Organizational Skills (ability to plan,
manage and execute)
Potential for Success (ability to set and achieve goals)
Teamwork (respects diversity, opinions of others)
Other comments regarding this applicants likelihood of success in his or her chose program of study:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
IPMA Connection • Spring, 2009
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IPMA Connection • Spring, 2009
Page Page 10
IPMA Connection • Spring, 2009
Bugs ‘r Us
By Laura Jesse
Plant and Insect Diagnostic Clinic
Iowa State University Extension
Silverfish: They are Silver, But They’re
Not Fish
S
ilverfish are one of the insects that really
made an impression on me as a kid. I think
maybe it is because they didn’t even seem
like insects, but rather some alien creature
with incredible powers of speed. Silverfish
always seemed to appear as if from nowhere right in
the middle of the wall as if taunting us to see if we
could catch them. We always practiced catch and release and I can attest that trying to get a glass clamped
over a silverfish on the run is not an easy task.
Silverfish and firebrats are about a half-inch long,
wingless, flat insects with two long, slender antennae
on the front and three long, slender “bristles” at the
rear of a tapered, carrot-shaped body. As a kid those
three bristles held at right angles always seemed to add
to my presumption that there were perhaps an alien
listening device and not insects at all.
Silverfish may be found almost anywhere in the
house, but are most commonly found in moist, warm
locations (such as around sinks and other plumbing
fixtures). They are covered with shiny silver scales that
give the body a metallic sheen. They are frequently
found in sinks or bathtubs because they fall in seeking moisture and then cannot climb out. Silverfish are
most active at night and run very swiftly with a wiggling motion that resembles the swimming action of a
fish.
they are a nuisance and an annoyance. They may eat
or stain foods, fabric, paper, books, or wallpaper. Damage to these items is significant, however, only in cases
of very large infestations present over long periods of
time.
Control of silverfish and firebrats may not be
necessary if only a few are present and no damage is
noticed. For silverfish, eliminating moisture problems
where the pests can develop may be of some benefit.
Residual insecticides can be used if conditions warrant. Treat cracks, crevices, wall voids and other likely
hiding spots in the areas where the pests are noticed.
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Silverfish may be found almost anywhere
in the house, but are most commonly
found in moist, warm locations (such as
around sinks and other plumbing fixtures).
Firebrats are similar to silverfish in overall appearance but lack the silvery sheen. The body color is gray
or brown, usually with numerous dark markings that
give a mottled appearance. Unlike the silverfish that
may be found in any part of a house, firebrats prefer
areas of high temperature (90° F and above) and high
humidity. Therefore, firebrats are more common in
attics and around furnaces, ovens, and water heaters.
Silverfish and firebrats are pests primarily because
IPMA Connection • Spring, 2009
•
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Ants
Bed Bug
Box Elder Bug
Brown Recluse Spider
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House Mouse
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Rat
Silverfish
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House Spider
Wasps/Bees
Information on 16 most common insects.
Web-ready files.
Information page linked to each photo.
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Regular updates.
Call 800-779-0067 or visit www.compelcom.com/pestlibrary
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Page 11
Get to
Know
Your Board
Raul Segura
A
fter starting as a
technician in central
Nebraska, Raul Segura has been with
Presto-X for 14 years,
currently serving as Service Center
Manager of the Western Iowa Service Center. Raul has held several
positions with Presto-X including
Service Technician, Sales Representative and National Accounts
Manager.
Raul and
wife, Amy,
have a total of
seven children.
Robyn, Ashley,
Keaton, Kiana,
Karmie, Cassie
and Rachel who range in age from
16 thru 25. Raul and Amy have
two grand children Jaden and
Jordan (twins) age 3.
Raul believes that good effective communication is the key
to anything successful especially
with customer service. “More
than pests themselves, we are in
the people business providing safe
effective pest services that not only
affect quality of life but the health
and safety of our customers”.
Raul was elected to Iowa Pest
Management Board in November
of 2008 and is looking forward to
contributing his experience and
knowledge to the Iowa Pest Management Association.
Page 12
Marketing without
Marketing
E
ver wish you could sell
your services without
marketing? There
actually IS a way to
sell without marketing
and it’s called Marketing through
Education.
Education-based marketing
works because people are bombarded with sales pitches, advertising and arm-twisting every day.
We come in contact with over
3000 ad messages a day and most
of these messages are not educational in nature.
Educational information enables customers and prospects to
make a wise buying decision.
Take a shoe sales person. Usually, they go get your size 9s and
hand them to you to try on. What
if the sales person came out carrying your size 9s
and tells you that
there are 214,000
nerve endings
in your foot that
connect to every
organ of your
body? Wouldn’t
you be interested
to know more
-- or at least remember the sales
person?
A member of
my BNI chapter,
an estate planning attorney,
sets himself apart
by providing seminars about estate
planning. The
goal is to provide
information so
people can make
a wise decision
by June Van Klaveren
about their own estate plans.
Another person, a professional organizer, presents educational
seminars to help her customers
and prospects organize their personal and professional space.
When you engage in education based marketing, the sale is
not at the top of your mind, but
rather you’re focused on how can
you help this person. To do this
means you must really know the
value of what you do as well as
your customers’ needs.
Marketing through education
doesn’t have to involve seminars.
It can, like in our shoe sales person example, provide information
in small bites to customers and
prospects. This builds credibility,
memorability AND ultimately,
sales.
IPMA Connection • Spring, 2009
THE IOWA PEST
MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION
PRESENTS
THE 2009 SUMMER GOLF &
BBQ EVENT
Friday July 17, 2009
Beaver Creek Golf Course
11200 NW Towner Dr.
Grimes, IA 50111
NEW N
ATIO
C
O
L
8:00 to 8:30 Registration / 9:00 am Shotgun Start
BBQ Noon (Lunch location will be announced.)
Join IPMA friends and colleagues for a morning of golf and barbeque lunch. If you don’t golf,
come for lunch! Golf fees are $50 per person. There is no charge for lunch.
Contact: _____________________________
Phone: ________________ Email: _______________________________
Name:
Company:
Player #1
Golf &
Lunch $50
Lunch only
no charge
Player #2:
Player #3
Player #4
If you have any questions, please contact Jeromy Baumbach at [email protected]
or 515-267-9442 or Dorothy Lewis at [email protected] or 515-232-5801.
Make checks payable to:
Iowa Pest Management Association
PO Box 1201
Ames, Iowa 50014-1201
For credit card payment call 515-232-5801.
IPMA Connection • Spring, 2009
Registrations due: July 1, 2009
Page 13
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IPMA Connection • Spring, 2009
• Clip & Mail • Clip & Mail • Clip & Mail • Clip & Mail • Clip & Mail •
This article is formatted for you to stamp your company’s name on it, copy and hand or mail it out to your customers.
Small Holes in Clothing
C o u l d b e C a u s e d b y M o t hs
C
lothes moth larvae
feed on wool, feathers, fur, hair, leather,
lint, dust, paper, and
occasionally cotton,
linen, silk, and synthetic fibers. They
are especially damaging to fabric
stained with beverages, urine, oil
from hair, and sweat. Most damage
is done to articles left undisturbed
for a long time, such as old military
uniforms and blankets and clothing
in storage. Serious infestations of
clothes moths can develop undetected in a home, causing significant
damage to clothing, bedding, floor
coverings and other articles.
Damaged fabrics have holes
eaten through them by small, white
larvae and often have silken cases,
lines of silken threads, and fecal pellets over the surface of the materials.
Moths are destructive during the larvae stage. Adult “millers” or moths
are entirely harmless.
Identification
Don’t confuse the clothes moth
with the common food- and graininfesting moths that are frequently
seen flying around the house. At
rest, clothes moths are only about
1/4 inch in length, whereas most
food-infesting moths are about 1/2
inch in length.
Clothes moths are relatively
easy to catch when they land. When
examined with a hand lens, little
tufts of hair are evident on their
heads—food and grain moths do
not have these tufts. Clothes moths
usually only fly around the immediate area of the house where the
infestation is found, and their flight
pattern is distinctive: they tend to
flutter about rather than fly in a
direct, steady manner.
Adult webbing clothes moths
have a wingspread of about 1/2inch. The body is about 1/4-inch
long with wings folded and goldenyellow with a satiny sheen. A tuft of
hairs on the head is upright and reddish-gold. Eggs are oval, ivory, and
about 1/24-inch long. Larvae are a
shiny, creamy white with a brown
head, up to 1/2-inch long. The larvae spin long threads and construct
tunnels of silk.
Adult casemaking clothes
moths have a 1/2-inch wingspread.
Forewings are yellowish-brown,
and there are usually three distinct,
dark dots on the outer third of
each wing. Hind wings are smaller,
lighter, and fringed with hair and
scales. Eggs are whitish, and larvae
are opaque-white with brown heads.
The larva spins a small silken case
around itself and carries it while
feeding.
Life Cycle and Habits
Clothes moths rarely fly to
lights at night and instead prefer
darkness, such as a closet or storage chest. Female webbing clothes
moths lay 40 to 50 eggs that hatch
in 4 to 21 days. Larvae will wander
some distance away from their
food source to pupate in crevices.
The pupa case is silken with bits of
fiber and excrement attached to the
outside. The life cycle is about 65 to
90 days.
Clothes moth development
is greatly influenced by humidity.
About 75-percent relative humidity
in a heated, dark room is ideal.
Prevention
Good housekeeping is critical
for preventing or controlling clothes
moth damage. Never allow clothing, rugs, etc. to lie in a neglected
pile. Regular use of a strong suction
vacuum cleaner with a crevice tool
to remove lint, hair, and dust from
floor cracks, baseboards, air ducts,
carpets, and upholstered furniture is
necessary. Keep closets and dresser
drawers clean. Regularly clean rugs
where they fit close to the baseboards and under the quarter round.
Launder and dry clean or steam
clean clothes and other items before
storage. Cleaning kills any eggs or
larvae that may be present and also
removes perspiration odors that are
attractive to the pests. Egg-laying
clothes moths are attracted to soiled
articles. Ironing will also destroy all
stages of clothes moths. Outdoors,
bright, hot sunlight, and wind will
reduce larvae and damage.
Freezing has been successfully
used to control clothes moths. Place
fabric in polyethylene bags, squeeze
all air out to minimize condensation, and deep freeze the materials
for three days.
Your company
name goes here.
IOWA PEST
MANAGEMENT
ASSOCIATION
PO Box 1201
Ames, IA 50014-1201
515-232-5801
For Insurance,
Experience Matters.
At Brownyard Group, we don’t play dress up.
For over 50 years, the BROWNYARD GROUP has been a recognized leader in
specialized liability insurance. We work with your insurance agent or broker to provide a
custom Pest Control insurance solution – through our PCOproSM program.
PCOpro provides your business with all lines coverage. And our specialty claims unit
minimizes the potential for fraudulent or unwarranted claims against you – saving
you even more money.
You understand that in some professions, experience matters, and so do we.
Ask your agent about BROWNYARD’S 50-year track record, PCOpro’s high value
solution, and the proper coverage for your business. BROWNYARD, experience
you can trust.
800-645-5820
[email protected]
www.BROWNYARD.com