My journey began back in May 2010 when I rented my first apartment which was infested by rats and roaches. I found myself fighting rats with very little pest control experience, by placing traps in various locations and exclude them out by figuring out how they got in the house to begin with. It was a tough battle and it took me a few months to resolve the problem. A couple years later I got the opportunity to work for Orkin Pest Control, I took the opportunity and truly fall in love with the industry.

I loved the daily challenge of pest management, being able to solve complex pest issues, and bringing smiles to my customers face.  After a few years of working for Orkin, it was clear to me that I had to start my own business because I realized the love I had for this trade and I wanted to be in control of the service/experience I give to my clients. 

I started my business Universal Pest Control in March 2018.  Being a first generation entrepreneur comes with a lot of set back but my passion and drives for this industry and to succeed seems to always put me at the top of my game.  We are located in Roselle NJ with a team of 4 and continue to grow.  I’m currently engaged to be married in October of 2023.  In my free time I love Reading, Fishing, and  traveling with my fiancé.  Future goals include becoming an Associate Certified Entomologist by the end of 2024, continuing to grow Universal Pest Control and grow my presence within the industry as a leader.

Residing in Toronto, Ontario, Sara Cromwell is the Director of People Excellence with Abell Pest Control Inc overseeing the Human Resources and Health and Safety teams across North America. With 20+ years’ experience in Human Resources Management and 10+ years’ in the Pest Management Industry, Sara has established herself as an effective leader with a proven track record of linking business strategy with professional growth amongst team members. Utilizing her skills in people management, development and motivation, Sara has supported the large expansion of Abell Pest Control across North America. Sara is an active member of the National Pest Management Association, acting on the Recruitment and Retention Committee, Professional Women in Pest Management Council and Inclusion Diversity and Equity Task Force and is a volunteer with Bladder Cancer Canada. Sara holds her Certified Human Resources Leader designation and is a Certified Pest Control Operator.

Anthony Grullon was born to a Dominican and Puerto Rican family. Anthony was the firstborn in a family of five children. He was raised in the Bronx, NY, and attended Cardinal Hayes high school. Interestingly, Anthony started his career in the pest control industry at the age of 20 in Terminix while attending college at John Jay in New York City. After gaining experience working in the pest control industry for five years and being promoted to service manager, Anthony decided to open up his own pest control company with his business partner. Anthony and his partner opened NuBorn Pest control in September 2007. Anthony's never quit attitude ensured he made it beyond a life of struggle. You can presently find Anthony being a family man, flexing his entrepreneurial muscles through his business, NuBorn pest control, and regularly volunteering with the Red Cross. With the lessons he has learned and continues to learn through building his business, Anthony carried these experiences to the young adults he works with at his local church, inspiring the youth to develop their dreams.

Samantha was born into the pest management industry. After trying for many years to forge her own path in the music world, she discovered how difficult a music career could be. Assessing her options for the future, she looked at what her father had been doing her whole life and realized there was nothing better! She started by working as a customer service representative for a small family-owned pest management business, and challenged herself  to improve efficiency every day. After a few years, the opportunity arose for her and her husband to start their own business. Taking the risk of leaving steady jobs to become business owners has been the most incredible experience they could have imagined. Their business and family grew and along with that Samantha's desire to become more involved in the industry. She began to take a more active role within the Washington State Pest Management Association (WSPMA). Her role with the WSPMA began with the vision that she would help modernize the association and soon expanded to Samantha taking on the newsletter, membership renewals, and website management. She now has the honor of serving as the WSPMA Executive Director. While Samantha's plate seems full, she is always looking for ways to learn, grow and excel in the pest management industry.

Melanie Matthews is the Vice President of Modern Exterminating Company in Columbia, SC. 

My Name is Jean-loui Navarro and I am a second-generation owner of Mega Bee Pest Control. I am registered beekeeper and pest control operator in the state of Florida. Over the years I have grown a strong passion for the industry, and as a beekeeper in the pest control industry, I am driven to make a difference in the pest control field. I currently rescue beehives throughout all South Florida and relocate them to one of our bee yards. I have rescued over 300 beehives throughout my time working with bees. Prior to becoming a full-time pest control operator, I was in the hospitality industry for eight years. In 2017, I decided to join the pest control industry part-time and ever since, I have grown a passion for the industry. In 2020, I became full time and became the Vice President of Mega Bee Pest Control. Two years later, I’m currently president of Mega Bee and have rebranded Mega Bee Pest Control to Mega Bee Rescues & Pest Control. I am on a mission to continue making an impact as a beekeeper in the pest control industry while growing Mega Bee's operation. On my time off, I enjoy giving educational presentations to the community on the importance of Bees, and Bee Rescues, along with spending time with my family.

Breanna Neerland is the Operations Manager of Kwik Kill Pest Control, a family-owned company established in 1979. Since switching career paths from microbiology to pest control in 2015, Breanna has worked her way from service technician to her current role. She not only oversees all day-to-day processes but is also constantly striving for the highest possible efficiency both in the office and on the road. Breanna encourages continual education and learning not only within Kwik Kill but also within the pest management industry. She holds four state certifications, is a state of Wisconsin Master Tech, and gained her ACE in April 2021. Breanna has also been highlighted in both Pest Management Professional and Pest Control Technologies magazine as well as spoken at virtual conferences and in person at NPMA’s BIZTECH conference in 2021. Breanna currently sits on the Wisconsin Pest Control Association board and chairs Wisconsin’s chapter of Professional Women In Pest Management. In spring of 2022, Breanna received a NPMA Impact Award for Women in Pest Management. Most recently, Breanna received the Professional Empowerment Grant at PestWorld 2022.

I was born and raised in Richmond Va. I am the oldest brother of four siblings. As a kid I grew up playing competition sports during my pre teen and teen years in High School. Playing football I learned the values of Hard Work, Teamwork and Execution. I graduated from Deep Run High School in Glen Allen Va in 2012. Post graduation, I moved on to attend a local community college majoring in Business Administration. It was never one of my lifetime goals to be in the Pest Control industry, but it sort of fell into my lap at the perfect time in my life. I was working regular 9-5 jobs such as my first job, Carpool where I started as a general technician moving up to a supervisor role. Working this role I learned the aspects of managing a team and inspecting each vehicle with efficiency.  My second job I worked at Sams Club as a Grocery Stocker where I maintained an organized area and interacted with shoppers.

My Grandparents owned and operated US Pest Control for thirty years prior to me starting with the company. Due to internal company shortages, I decided to learn the business in the summer of 2018. I ran routes, scheduled services and maintained inventory. In 2019 I became the service manager mainly focused on customer relations and quality control. The year 2020 I took over US Pest Control as Owner and began getting heavily involved with Networking and a more strategic way of thinking to grow the company. We currently service all surrounding counties in the Richmond Virginia area and service residential and commercial properties throughout the city. Our team consists of 4 employees and we specialize in recurring services for General pests, Termites and Rodents. We take pride in problem solving and being personable with our clients which all starts with the first call into the office.

I am currently married to my high school sweetheart Demitriyah. We've been together for a total of ten years and married for three years. We have two boys Landon age three and Levi and ten months old. Family is my daily motivation to be the best version of myself.

I am flattered to have the opportunity to join this year's group for the ELP Program and I look forward to putting all of the knowledge acquired to use in my daily operations.

Suzy is the founder of Valkyrie Pest Solutions, a small town business with big city aspirations. Suzy began her career in 2014 working for a large pest management company in Winnipeg. She initially took the job as a stop gap until she could continue her post secondary education to become a school teacher. Suzy ended up falling in love with the pest management industry and has never looked back. Suzy lives for the jobs that would make anyone else's skin crawl and takes great pride in solving those issues for her customers. She has found the intersection of teaching and pest management to have been instrumental to her successes in customer cooperation and retention. In May of 2022 Suzy decided that it was time to take a chance on investing in herself and she opened Valkyrie Pest Solutions. Her main goal being to deliver quality residential customer service; something that is severely lacking in rural areas. She specializes in carpenter ants and rodent control. She tailors her treatments to be consistent with what her customers are comfortable with. Suzy focuses on customer satisfaction by limiting the number of jobs she'll schedule in a day so that she is never watching the time more than the issue at hand.

John Rosario's career started in the great state of Connecticut as a Technician with Terminix over 2 decades ago. The urge to work for a local company pushed John to join Envirocare Pest Control after 3 years of experience. Over the next 9 years Rosario developed into a more confident individual; through positive client interactions, self reflection and honed in on his awareness towards diversity.

"Being an athlete growing up in Connecticut, I developed a competitive spirit. This trait allowed me  to be the best version of myself off of the playing field as well." Said Rosario. John had aspirations of developing technicians and to becoming a Branch Manager, which turned into a career with Orkin. While John was bursting with ambition, the opportunity to run a branch did not present itself at Orkin.

After 15 Years on the front line of the pest control industry, while working for three reputable companies that helped sculpt and manifest his career; John Rosario started ProSource with his vision on what the professional standard should be. ProSource Pest Solutions is Connecticut’s most prominent pest control company with a vision of Professionalism, Integrity and a Commitment to 100% Satisfaction. The continued training and development with larger companies combined with the ambition of the local family owned business were the driving forces behind Rosario dreams becoming a reality.

John enjoys spending quality time with his wife Jacqueline and 3 kids, John Jr, Vivienne and David. Socializing with Family and Friends, watching sports and did we mention that John is an avid golfer? “My purpose in life is to inspire my children and anyone that will listen” said Rosario.

Kendra Snyder started Quest Termite & Pest, along with her husband, in 2002.  At that time, she worked part-time managing the office and finances.  She worked full-time in human resources for a big pharma company.

In 2017, Kendra decided to leave Corporate America to grow the family business.  She manages the day-to-day operations working side-by-side with her husband, Chris. Together they have grown and developed a respectable company highly regarded in Eastern Pennsylvania and Western New Jersey.

Since joining Quest full-time, Kendra has come to appreciate the industry and the value it brings to the communities they service.  With a focus on customer centricity, Kendra enjoys the daily interactions with residents and businesses. She enjoys time in the field gaining a broader understanding of why we do what we do.

In addition to managing the business, Kendra is currently the Vice Chair of the local Chamber of Commerce and chairs multiple events to support local emergency responders, scholarship opportunities, and community engagement. 

When she’s not working, you will find Kendra volunteering, attending a fitness convention, reading, and enjoying the outdoors.

My name is Will Weaver and I’m the Operations Manager for MD Weaver The Pest Reliever. Our family company operates throughout five New England states with a focus in Greater Boston. We are an IPM-oriented company devoted to sustainable pest management practices. My role within our company is to manage operations in a way that ensures all staff have the support and tools they need to succeed. When I’m not assisting staff across our region, I’m chasing rats or enjoying nature in Portland, Maine where I reside. I feel that pest management is one of the most unique, fascinating, and essential industries there is. I am grateful to be a part of this community, and look forward to working with the NPMA to benefit the industry as a whole.

My name is Kacey Lane Wyman, I am the current Vice President of Epcon Lane Pest Control. Epcon Lane is an environmentally friendly pest control company, family owned and operated for over 75 years. As the future owner of the company, I have an immense pride in it being a current and future female owned company, especially in the field we are in. Growing up in the industry and watching my parents grow and build the company, I have a passion for it that is unmatched. I have an outstanding marketing and social media background, as well as a diverse range of jobs and experiences throughout the business world and in the field of education. Throughout these careers, I have been able to obtain a variety of skills, sharpen my abilities in creating content, and learn how to perform exceptionally well with whatever task I am given. I am extremely organized, driven, resourceful, and innovative.