NPMA reveals its strategic plan at PestWorld - international activities feature

As part of Wednesdays opening ceremony, NPMA President Laura Simpson provided an update on the new NPMA strategic plan.

Over the last year NPMA has sought the views from industry members via online surveys and focus groups to determine if the association is meeting members’ needs and what NPMA’s focus should be moving forward. Also, at last year’s PestWorld, focus groups were held with international delegates. Some of the findings from this survey and from these focus groups are detailed below. In many ways there are few surprises, as very similar results have been recorded from the European associations – in particular the British Pest Control Association (BPCA).

The NPMA survey results showed:

The majority of respondents (50%) indicated that their primary reason for being a NPMA member was to access association benefits. Other popular answers from respondents included: to support the industry and its stewardship; to gain credibility with current and existing customers; and to participate in state activities;
Government relations was seen as the most the most valuable service provided by NPMA;
Other interesting findings included:
* 90% believe NPMA membership enhances credibility;
* 60% believe NPMA affiliation is important to their customers;
* 77% believe NPMA provides them an opportunity to influence industry policies through NPMA; * 80% believe NPMA supports their business growth;
* 94% believe they are exposed to new ideas and expertise by involvement with the association.

As for the future, the NPMA Board of Directors has reviewed the results as set three strategic goals:

Goal one
To be the definitive source for education information and resources for the pest management professional;

Goal two
To proactively and positively affect regulatory and legislative outcomes for the pest management professional;

Goal three
To promote the importance of professional pest management and strengthen the public’s perception of the industry.

One further objective highlighted by Laura concerned NPMA’s role on the global stage. “NPMA wishes to foster growth on the international horizon. We aim to seek the right role for NPMA within the global pest control world,” she explained.

With this in mind, NPMA is setting up a global task force and has already started on a consultation process with other associations. This included meetings held during PestWorld with CEPA and the Chinese association.

NPMA president Laura Simpson provided an update
on the association”s strategic plan

Red Sox mascot

Red Sox cheerleaders
No PestWorld opening session is complete without some razzamatazz. In Boston it was the cheerleaders and mascots
from the famous local baseball team – the Boston Red Sox

During the international reception – a great gathering point for overseas visitors – Bob Rosenberg, whose appointment as Acting Executive Vice President of the NPMA was announced on the eve of the conference, (more here), explained how significant international members were to the association, as some 21% of members now come from overseas.