“Regulation is essential to protect society and its members; but regulation need not be accomplished solely by federal, state and local governmental agencies.” This line from Jerald Jacobs’ Certification and Accreditation Law Handbook hints at the power and potential in our industry’s credentialing organization—QualityPro. QualityPro has led the industry for the last 13 years, proving that pest management professionals have the ability to put in place practices that help us drive our own destiny. The program has experienced tremendous growth and retention without a concrete business plan. The QualityPro Board of Directors realized that, like any company in our industry, in order to continue its success and remain relevant, QualityPro needed a strategic plan.
QualityPro strategic planning
Over the past year, the staff of the Foundation for Professional Pest Management (DBA QualityPro), along with a credentialing business consultant, have been surveying the industry landscape and identifying areas where QualityPro can have an even greater impact. In February, the QualityPro Board of Directors came together in Denver, CO to set a vision, a mission and goal areas that will ensure the growth and success of QualityPro.
In only eight hours, the 24 QualityPro Board members in attendance developed and agreed upon the following:
Vision
QualityPro is the only recognized and accepted credentialing authority of the professional pest management industry.
Mission
QualityPro sets the standards of excellence for professional pest management companies and their employees through education, training and certification; providing consumers protection and confidence when selecting a nationally accredited company.
Goal Areas: Standards of Excellence, Education & Training, QualityPro Branding
One board member, Scott Fortson of Terminix Service, said, “the strategic planning meeting was instrumental in taking the next steps to further strengthen our mission and goals to make the pest management industry stronger.”
QualityPro currently offers four credentials:
- QualityPro company accreditation recognizes companies that meet 16 standards that define a professional pest management business.
- QualityPro Food Safety, QualityPro Schools and GreenPro (formerly QualityPro Green) certify the services of QualityPro accredited companies.
One of the many success stories of QualityPro is how, through GreenPro, the pest management industry has been able to define what “green” is, enabling customers and companies to be on the same page in this often-confusing conversation. Through GreenPro, QualityPro accredited companies can now certify their service protocols against standards. The U.S. Green Building Council’s certification business, the Green Building Certification Institute, uses GreenPro in its standards to define how pest management should be done in the buildings they certify with their LEED credential.