09/02/2026

Save the Date: The Virginia Pest Management Summit Returns November 10–12

November 10–12, 2026 | Omni Richmond Hotel | Richmond, Virginia

The pest management industry is changing — from the way customers find and evaluate your company to the tools technicians use in the field, the workforce challenges businesses face, and the pests and regulatory issues professionals encounter every day.

This November, the Virginia Pest Management Summit brings together business leaders, technicians, industry experts, regulators, researchers, and some of the best-known speakers in pest management for two and a half days focused on helping you navigate what comes next.

And this year’s program is one you won’t want to miss.

Business Management Day: Leading Through Change

The Summit’s Business Management Day will open with Jeff Davis, CEO of Coalmarch, presenting:

Leading Through the Biggest Change in Customer Behavior Since the Internet: How Artificial Intelligence Is Changing the Way Customers Find, Choose, and Trust Your Business

For the first time since the rise of Google, businesses are facing a fundamental shift in how customers discover, evaluate, and choose service providers.

But Jeff’s message isn’t simply about adopting the newest AI tool. It’s about leadership and trust.

He’ll challenge attendees to think differently about how AI is changing customer expectations — and why the companies that succeed will be those whose leaders understand the shift, strengthen the customer experience, build trust, and intentionally guide their teams through change.

The conversation about AI continues with Ed Gandia, President of Cormorant Advisory Group, and a session focused squarely on one of the biggest challenges business owners face: making sense of the enormous amount of data they already have.

Your Numbers Are Trying to Tell You Something. AI Helps You Hear It.

Most pest management companies are already sitting on mountains of information in systems such as FieldRoutes, PestPac, QuickBooks, and countless spreadsheets. The challenge is turning all that data into answers you can actually use.

Which routes are losing money once windshield time and labor are factored in? If callbacks suddenly spike, is the problem a product issue — or is there a pattern tied to a particular technician, property type, or neighborhood?

In this practical session, Ed will demonstrate how AI can help owners and managers ask those kinds of questions in plain English and quickly uncover patterns, profit leaks, and opportunities that might otherwise remain buried in their data. Instead of relying solely on gut instinct, attendees will see how AI can help turn existing business information into clearer, faster decisions.

Business Management Day will also tackle several other issues facing pest management leaders, including:

• A behind-the-scenes look at mergers and acquisitions with a panel that pulls back the curtain on M&A
• The Decision Line: A Practical Guide to Coaching, Corrective Action, and Separation
• A workforce development panel exploring new ways the industry is building a more consistent pipeline of prospective employees
• Verbal Jiu-Jitsu: The Conversations That Decide Whether Customers Stay and Techs Don’t Quit

Whether you own a company, manage people, lead a department, or are preparing for your next leadership role, Business Management Day is designed to send you home with ideas you can actually use.

Technical Day Opens with AI From the Technician’s Perspective

On November 12, Brett Lieberman of My Pest Pros — and a member of the VPMA Board of Directors — will kick off Technical Day with:

From Truck to Report: How AI Can Help Techs Work Smarter, Not Harder & Deliver Better Results

Technicians already juggle identification, inspections, customer communication, documentation, treatment decisions, and packed daily routes. Brett will show how AI can help reduce some of that workload without replacing the expertise and judgment technicians bring to the job.

Using real examples from My Pest Pros, he’ll demonstrate practical applications such as voice-to-report documentation, customer explanations, pest identification assistance, label lookups, troubleshooting, and more. He’ll also share insights from an analysis of more than 28,000 customer calls to show what customers are really asking for — and how technicians can use that information to improve service.

From Flies to Termites, Mosquitoes, Bed Bugs and Beyond

Technical Day continues with education covering some of the industry’s biggest everyday challenges, including:

• Elevating barrier treatments in mosquito programs
• Staying ahead of resistance in German cockroaches
• What it takes to kill bed bug eggs
• Emerging pest threats in the Southeast
• Trends in termite control and research
• Whole-home exclusion basics for pest and wildlife operations
• Commensal rodent management

And VPMA is especially excited to welcome Harry Bryan, Nisus, to the Virginia Pest Management Summit for the first time.

A nationally known and well-loved industry speaker, Harry will present CSI: Fly Scene Investigation — a practical look at solving fruit fly, drain fly, phorid fly, and other small-fly infestations.

Every fly has a story, and every infestation has a source. Harry will show attendees how to investigate that story, locate breeding sites, and build an IPM program that delivers lasting results instead of temporary relief.

A New Look at the VDACS Regulatory Update

Even the traditional regulatory session is getting a fresh approach this year.

A VPMA Board member will moderate a panel focused on closing the compliance gap, bringing together perspectives from VDACS our regulatory partner, industry supplier, and technicians.

The discussion will zero in on a challenge every pest management company faces: the difference between what technicians learn in training and what actually happens in the field.

Even well-trained, licensed technicians can fall into habits that overlook basic but critical requirements — from proper PPE use and safe equipment handling to following standard operating procedures consistently. Those lapses may seem minor in the moment, but if observed by regulators, they can have serious consequences for both the technician and the company.

This panel will explore why those gaps persist, what regulators are seeing, and how owners, managers, field leaders, manufacturers, and regulators can work together to build a stronger culture of compliance. The goal is to move beyond thinking of compliance as something tied to certification or inspection day and make it part of everyday operations.

It’s a practical conversation about accountability, consistency, and protecting both your employees and your business.

Put November 10–12 on Your Calendar

This is only a preview of what VPMA has planned.

The 2026 Virginia Pest Management Summit is your opportunity to bring company leadership and field professionals together for education that addresses both sides of your business — the challenges you’re facing today and the changes already shaping tomorrow.

Save the dates: November 10–12, 2026, at the Omni Richmond Hotel in Richmond, Virginia. It's also never too early to make hotel reservations at the Omni. Click here for details and the VPMA Booking Link.

Watch for registration information and the complete program coming soon.

Bring your leadership team. Bring your technicians. Bring your admin team. Come ready for new ideas — and leave better prepared for what’s next.