Burnett Scholarship
Northwest Exterminating
830 Kennesaw Ave
Marietta, GA 30060Garry Adams is the Director of Real Estate and Market Development for Northwest Exterminating. He is responsible for overseeing the Northwest real estate schools in Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee. In addition, he oversees the team of Instructors that are responsible for teaching Continuing Education to Northwest real estate partners in those markets. He is also part of the Northwest Acquisition Team to generate further growth in strategic markets. His team assists the Northwest sales force in developing new relationships throughout the Southeast. Away from work, Garry’s passions are his wife, Nancy; daughter, Suzanne and husband, Adam; daughter, Katie and husband, Travis and their children, Ryder and Finley; and daughter, Erin, a Freshman in college. He enjoys driving and restoring antique and muscle cars in his spare time. Garry and Nancy reside in East Cobb.
By-Laws
Cliff Baird is the Assistant Branch Manager at Compass Pest Management at the Cornelia, Ga. branch. Cliff has been with Compass since August 1st of 2006 and has been in the pest control industry for 20 years. Cliff has served as the Region 2 Director for GPCA as well as co-chair of the North West Georgia Conference, a leadership graduate in 2017, and served on various committees.
Cliff has been married to his wonderful wife Misty for 27 years, and they have 3 children and 1 son-in-law Shelby (Brandon) Lynch, Faith, and Joshua Baird. Cliff serves as a deacon at Level Grove Baptist Church in Cornelia, Ga, where he volunteers with different activities.
During his spare time, Cliff enjoys spending time with his family doing various activities. Cliff is passionate about volunteering to help the youth in his community. He volunteers for his local high school The Habersham Central Raiders by fundraising for the athletic department to help student/athletes, he also works in the press box for the baseball and football program for home games and drives the teams to away games.
Shay serves as Chief HR Officer and Senior Vice President of Professional Development for Arrow Exterminators. She is a strategic business partner as a member of the Executive and Strategic Planning Teams at the company. Her duties include the management of the organization’s Human Resource strategic initiatives, objectives and functions, which include HR, benefits, payroll, recruiting and the company’s intern program. She is also the executive representative for Professional Development which encompasses Arrow University and Technical Services. Arrow University is the company’s professional development team that uses advanced learning concepts and techniques to facilitate all training for the company, including manager, new employee and technical training. Shay has been named “Impact Player of the Year” for 2012-2013, 2013-2014 and 2015-2016 along with her team members. In addition, she also was named the recipient of the “Jeff Singley Leadership Award” in 2014. Runion was named NPMA’s (National Pest Management Association’s) Women of Excellence Award winner in 2016 for her impact on our industry in Georgia and the national front. The Arrow University Team under Shay’s leadership won the Joe Thomas Pioneer Award for the company in 2018. This award is given to the individual or team in the company who is recognized for using creativity and innovation for the advancement of Arrow. Factors for consideration include the impact on the company, a "Beyond the Call" attitude, pushing the edge of the envelope, overall contribution, leadership skills, and respectfully challenging the paradigm. Most recently, Shay was honored by the Atlanta Business Chronicle as a recipient of a HR Hero Award for her outstanding accomplishments in the HR field.
Shay graduated from Auburn University in Agricultural Sciences and has a Master of Sciences degree in Human Resources Development from Villanova University. Shay previously served on the Georgia Pest Control Association Executive Board for over four years. Runion is the 2nd female in the 66-year history of the Association to serve on the Executive Board and as President. Shay is still very involved with the state association serving as a Region Director and on several committees. She also spearheads the Professional Women of GPCA group. She serves as Co-Chair for the National Pest Management Association’s Professional Women group and Chair of the newest committee, the Recruitment and Retention Committee in which she will use her HR expertise. Shay is a GA department of Agriculture approved speaker, helps facilitate train-the-trainer, and has served as the GPCA Leadership Chairman and the Education committee co-chair for several years in the past.
She is also a member of the Board of Visitors for Truett McConnell College. Her contributions extend to her community in which she works with several local schools as a senior project professional mentor and booster club supporter. She resides in Canton, GA with her husband Jeff and two boys, Zeb and Eason. Their family is involved in their Church where she enjoys singing. They spend family time playing sports and watching sporting events. You can find the four of them either at their Church, at the ballfield or riding four-wheelers and dirt bikes. Shay enjoys her work but also loves being a boy mom!
At Northwest, Jeff Dunn is approaching his twentieth year, and currently serves as Chief Progression Officer.
Jeff is a GPCA Past President and a GPCA Pioneer Award Recipient. He has served as an Instructor for the UGA Pest Management Certificate Program since its inception in April 2006.
He currently serves as Chairman of NPMA's ByLaws Committee and as NPMA's State Policy Affairs Representaive for the State of Georgia.
Jeff resides in the Atlanta area with his wife and children.
Conference, Athens
Mission: To provide our membership and fellow pest control operators the very best educational training conference by presenting important topics, utilizing professional speakers, and promoting fellowship. Goal: To choose the most important topics for training and to select some of the best available speakers so that the 2005 Athens Conference will insure the concept of continuing education in our industry.
Brandon Sartain is the Southeastern Technical Sales Representative for Bell Laboratories covering
GA, AL, SC and NC. In these states Brandon is responsible for teaching and furthering pest management
professionals rodent control skills and product knowledge centered around Bell Labs products.Brandon has been with Bell and in the industry for two years now and this is his first time serving on
a committee with GPCA. He is very excited to be of help and is looking forward to a great winter
conference!- Education - Attended School at Southern Tech for 2 years before pursuing a career in the Pest Control Industry.
- Present Employer and number of years Arrow Exterminators Inc. 33 years
- Senior VP of Operational Risk Management
- Industry Experience– Years in the Industry 42 years
- GPCA affiliation past and present-example-GPCA Leadership graduate, GPCA Committee Member, etc. Past President , currently serving on NPMA Fumigation committee, Quality Pro Certification, Certified in HPC-WDO and Fumigation in Georgia. PPMA Guardian and GPCA Guardian
Adam Vannest is a leading team member at Northwest Exterminating, a growing lawn care, pest and termite control business headquartered in Marietta, GA.
Vannest began his career with Northwest Exterminating as a sales inspector. He was rapidly promoted to a Service Center Manager, where he quickly gained recognition as a top performer. In 2012 he was promoted to the Director of Pest Services where he worked to expand service offerings. Today, Vannest is the Director of Training and Technical Services for Northwest Exterminating, a company with over 500 team members and services Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina and Alabama.
Vannest is a proud father of two Leo & Lyla, and married to his best friend Elica. He’s passioante about lifelong learning, helping others grow, and Notre Dame football.
Conference, Dalton
- Larry Stretz, MBA BCEPPM Territory Manager in Southeast (AL/GA/MS/SC/TN)
Larry has worked in the chemical industry for 41+ years with Dow and Syngenta serving many capacities
in Sales, Technical Service and Key Account & Personnel Management. The last 28 years has been in the
structural pest control industry of the Southwest, Midwest and Mid-South / Southeast US. He has
provided numerous training workshops/courses for distributors, PMPs, and the State PMP Associations
in pest control, wood destroying organism control, sales and general pesticide usage and safety.Larry holds a BS in Ag, IPM Entomology from the University of Missouri, an MBA in Management from
Butler University and completing an MS in Entomology/Nematology from the University of Florida. He is
both an ACE and BCE and licensed/certified pesticide applicator by the TN Dept of Ag.Publications include:
- Down To Earth; Controlling the Black Cutworm, spring 1979 issue
- Down To Earth: Controlling the European Corn Borer, fall 1979 issue senior et al
Larry is a member of numerous state associations, including the Georgia Pest Control Association and
the NPMA, RISE, and PI Chi Omega.Larry and is wife Holly have been married for 37 years with two children, Stephen and Michelle and two
grand dogs, Harley and Bailey. They live in Cookeville, TN where during his spare time, Larry enjoys
playing the guitar, hiking and traveling in their Airstream Lee Tubbs is President of Enviroguard Pest Solutions where he works closely with his leadership team to deliver a full range of pest control services in Georgia and Tennessee. Lee served as President of the Georgia Pest Control Association from 2010-2011.
Lee has been involved in the community serving as Chair of the Catoosa County Chamber of Commerce for two years, past Chair of the City of Ringgold Planning and Zoning Commission, past President of Rotary Club of Ringgold, Chattanooga Pest Control Association and the Greater Memphis (TN) Area Pest Control Association. He currently serves on the Board for Georgia Northwestern Technical Colleges’ Business Advisory Council, as a board member of the Strategic Visioning Committee for the City of Ringgold and a board member for the Georgia Northwestern Workforce Development Board.
He is a second generation pest management professional, starting his career in 1979 as a technician in the family business Atomic Pest Control in Memphis, TN. Lee is a graduate of the University of Memphis with a degree in Pest Control Management. His prior industry experience includes working as a pest control inspector for the Tennessee Department of Agriculture and as a sales representative for Oldham Chemicals Company. His wife Marilyn is the Dean of the Wright School of Business at Dalton(GA) State College. They reside in Ringgold.
Pasha Simpson, Director of Inside at Arrow Exterminators, in Atlanta GA. In her leadership role she is responsibilities of managing and developing the Regional Inside Sales Managers and the Inside Sales Team. She ensures company goals and standards are exceeded by coaching and guiding the inside sales team to perform at a higher level. She has 13 years of Pest Control Industry experience. Pasha is Certified Operator for the State of Georgia. She is recent graduate of the GPCA Leadership program and a recipient of James Allgood Jr. Leadership Award.
Conference, S. GA
Mission: To fulfill a commitment of service to all members of the Georgia Pest Control Association by providing exhibits, nationally recognized speakers, and current information in a convenient South Georgia location. The added bonus of a local conference offers the opportunity to develop friendships with fellow industry members.
Mark is the owner of LandMark Pest and Wildlife Solutions... he also serves many pest companies in Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee providing CEU hours. Mark’s duties with GPCA includes Past President 1994-1995 and has served as co-chair on many other committees. He lives in Bolingbroke, Ga. with his wife Yvonne. Mark has one daughter named Kelly Hunter Hardy, a past recipient of the GPCA Glenn Burnett Scholarship. Mark and his wife Yvonne enjoy spending time with their grandchildren Karlie, Willa Kate and Ryan.
Conference, Summer 20
Mission: To provide GPCA members an opportunity to earn recertification credits while enjoying a beautiful vacation opportunity.
Brantley Russell is a Regional Vice President for Arrow Exterminators, Inc. He started out in the Turf & Ornamental Business in 1985 with Turf King out of Jacksonville, Florida which sold to Bug-Out Service in 1986. During his 19 years with Bug Out Service, Brantley served in positions with the company as a Lawn Technician, Lawn Supervisor and then helped open the Yulee, Florida Branch Operation where he served as Branch Manager until 2005. During his time with Bug Out Service, Brantley was involved with several organizations within the Amelia Island and Callahan/Hilliard communities and was President of the Greater Nassau County Chamber-Commerce.
In Jan. 2005, Brantley had the opportunity to join Arrow Exterminators, Inc. as a Service Center Manager to run the operations for a newly acquired company in Evans, Ga. In 2006 he was promoted to District Manager, and in July 2007 he became Regional VP of Operations for Region 4 which now encompasses East Ga and South Carolina. During the past 18 years, Brantley has served in many capacities with GPCA serving on the Board of Directors with various committees as well as being a Graduate of the Leadership program.
Brantley has been married for 27 years to his lovely wife Karen, has three children, Lindsey, Lauren and Tyler as well as two fantastic granddaughters; Emma and Chloe! During his spare time, Brantley enjoys being on the lake during the summer months, traveling to the mountains and attending College football games to watch the Florida Gators!!
Steve Sullivan is president of Sullivan sales & Marketing where he represents Rockwell Labs, VM Products, AMVAC, Airofog USA, Birchmeier, Mattress Safe, Burrtec & BurrowRx for the southeast region. Steve has over 16yrs of manufacturing experience in the pest control industry. He has also served multiple roles with GPCA as well as other state associations. Steve is a graduate of East Tennessee State University and lives in Canton GA.
Education
Mission: Promote the opportunity for self-improvement by providing educational opportunities that increase individuals’ skill levels, enhancing self-image and improve customer service. Goal: Maintain and enhance the many training opportunities.
Alyson Gilleland is the Vice President of Arrow University with Arrow Exterminators. She has been in the Pest Control industry and with Arrow for 11 years. Alyson is a GA Certified Operator, GA Approved Speaker, and a Certified Professional in Talent Development through the Association of Talent Development. She is a Georgia native, born and raised in Cherokee county, where she resides with her husband, Matt and her 7 year old son, Liam. She also serves as GPCA Education Committee Co-Chair.
Alyson is passionate about instructional design, adult learning, and helping others develop professionally.- 40 plus years in the industry
- Started in 1979 for Swat, Inc. – Forest Park, GA
- 1985 became a Georgia Certified Pest Control Operator.
- 2001 Joined Terminix as a Service Manager
- 2003 began co-training with Jim Chase
- 2006 promoted to Quality Assurance Specialist
- 2008 Passed exams and became one of a few industry-trained Board Certified Entomologists
- 2008 -2018 Several promotions through the Technical and Compliance ranks
- 2018 became Louisiana licensed in GPC, CVC, TC
- 2020 Technical Support Manager
1997 - Present Bayer Crop Science
Chemical Manufacturer
Eastern Regional Sales Managers
1990 - 1997 Central Garden and Pet Company
Chemical Distributor.
District Sales Manager, Consumer Chemicals
EDUCATION
1983 - 1987 University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia.
BSA in Agricultural Economics: December 1987.
GA PestVets
Mission: The GPCA Pest Vets are committed to making Pest Management an industry of choice for veterans in Georgia. We want to be recognized as the best industry for veterans to work in and as an industry that supports and contributes to veterans. The Georgia Pest Vets Unit is a state unit of the NPMA Pest Vets Council
Xavier Cugnon is a Marine Corps Veteran serving as a Vice President of HR Administration at Arrow Exterminators. He also sits as Commanding Officer of the Arrow Veterans Committee. The committee has collectively accomplished numerous initiatives that have had a notable impact to the community. He has an extensive HR background across multiple industries including manufacturing, utilities, and consumer services. Xavier is SHRM-SCP certified and is an adjunct professor for the Society of Human Resource Management-Atlanta. He completed his graduate degree at Villanova University in Human Resources Development.
Chuck Carney is the Georgia Regional Manager for Cook’s Pest Control.
Chuck spent twenty years in the United States Army prior to his coming to work for Cook’s Pest Control in February 1998. Chuck has been in the pest control industry for eight years, where he has been a pest control technician, sales representative, and district manager in both Marietta and the Atlanta SE Districts. Chuck was promoted to his current position as Georgia Regional Manager in October 2003.
Chuck is an approved training instructor, providing training for employees at Cook’s Pest Control and GDA Region meetings. He holds and HPC and WDO license in Georgia.
He is active in the Georgia Pest Control Association where he has been the Region 6 Director and is currently the President of the Association.
Chuck and his wife Kay have two children; Mallory who is nine and Will who is seven.
Golf
Goal: Committee’s goal is to raise funds for The American Red Cross and the GPCA Scholarship Fund. Further, the committee’s goal is to offer the opportunity for GPCA members and the community to network in a charitable and rewarding endeavor.
Government / Legislative
Mission: We are organized to forward the legislative objectives of GPCA and to defend our association in cooperation with GeorgiaLink against legislation which would be harmful to our industry. Goals: Be vigilant toward any legislation to insure the growth and integrity of our industry. Develop grassroots campaign. GPCA Legislative Day at the State Capitol and other events as warranted. Encourage participation in PAC program.
Chris has over 33 years of experience in the pest control industry, and began his career with Orkin in 1987 as a commercial route technician. Chris has held various positions within the Rollins / Orkin organization, and his years on the “front lines” have provided the foundation for his progression within Rollins.
Chris is currently the Group Vice President of Operational Support for Rollins, and is responsible for leading 16 Departments that routinely support field operations.
Chris has worked closely with a multitude of industry and regulatory organizations; acquiring an understanding and knowledge of the rules and regulations that govern our industry, all in an effort to position Rollins as an industry leader.
At Northwest, Jeff Dunn is approaching his twentieth year, and currently serves as Chief Progression Officer.
Jeff is a GPCA Past President and a GPCA Pioneer Award Recipient. He has served as an Instructor for the UGA Pest Management Certificate Program since its inception in April 2006.
He currently serves as Chairman of NPMA's ByLaws Committee and as NPMA's State Policy Affairs Representaive for the State of Georgia.
Jeff resides in the Atlanta area with his wife and children.
Sinyard is owner and president of Adams Exterminators located in Albany. and Southwest GA. Sinyard currently serves on the Georgia Structural Pest Control Commission. He is past Chairman and serves on the Board of Directors of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Sinyard also serves on the Board of Truist Bank South Georgia, the Board of Governors and a member of the Board of Georgia Chamber of Commerce. Sinyard served as the Past Charmain of the Georgia Quail Hunt, the Dougherty County Commission, Albany Dougherty Economics Development Commission, and has served since 1992 on the Georgia Military Affairs Coordinating Committee.
Bodine is married to Lillie with three sons, three daughter in laws and two wonderful grandchildren.
Guardians
Mission: To provide financial support to the association through Guardian membership funding. To ensure projects and goals that are identified by Guardian members and the Executive Board are achieved. To advance the GPCA and its membership within the pest control industry. To enhance training and learning opportunities for members of the association.
Chuck Carney is the Georgia Regional Manager for Cook’s Pest Control.
Chuck spent twenty years in the United States Army prior to his coming to work for Cook’s Pest Control in February 1998. Chuck has been in the pest control industry for eight years, where he has been a pest control technician, sales representative, and district manager in both Marietta and the Atlanta SE Districts. Chuck was promoted to his current position as Georgia Regional Manager in October 2003.
Chuck is an approved training instructor, providing training for employees at Cook’s Pest Control and GDA Region meetings. He holds and HPC and WDO license in Georgia.
He is active in the Georgia Pest Control Association where he has been the Region 6 Director and is currently the President of the Association.
Chuck and his wife Kay have two children; Mallory who is nine and Will who is seven.
Industry Affairs
Mission: To provide support, guidance and recommendations to GPCA members, the Structural Pest Control Commission and the Georgia Department of Agriculture, relating to issues affecting the industry, in order to advance the professionalism in the pest control industry to better serve our customers.
Northwest exterminating- 20 years
Vice President of Industry relations
26 years in industry
ACE
Past GPCA President
Past NPMA Region 2 Director
Resides in Villa Rica Ga with wife and 2 sons
Bonnie M. Rabe is currently the Managing Director of Government Relations with Rollins where she started in September 2017. She provides regulatory assistance to the Rollins family of companies as well as works to develop beneficial relationships between the industry and regulators at the state and federal level. She is currently chair of the NPMA Public Policy committee.
Previously, she worked for the New Mexico Department of Agriculture (NMDA) for 27.5 years and retired as the Director for the Agricultural and Environmental Services Division. As AES Director, she oversaw the pesticide compliance, plant industries, and feed, seed, and fertilizer programs. Bonnie began her career as pesticide inspector with the pesticide compliance section. She is a graduate of NMSU with a Bachelor of Science degree in Entomology and a Master of Science degree in Agricultural Extension Education.
She has been married 29 years to her husband Jeff who is an environmental engineer for Northwind Services at White Sands Missle Range. They have two children, Jacob 27, and Jenna 22, who both live in New Mexico.
Leadership
Mission & Goal: To focus on team building, management styles, education and legislative issues.
Pasha Simpson, Director of Inside at Arrow Exterminators, in Atlanta GA. In her leadership role she is responsibilities of managing and developing the Regional Inside Sales Managers and the Inside Sales Team. She ensures company goals and standards are exceeded by coaching and guiding the inside sales team to perform at a higher level. She has 13 years of Pest Control Industry experience. Pasha is Certified Operator for the State of Georgia. She is recent graduate of the GPCA Leadership program and a recipient of James Allgood Jr. Leadership Award.
Public Relations
Mission: To help generate positive press and promote professionalism for the pest control industry in Georgia. To provide outreach opportunities to enhance the recognition and appreciation of our industry to consumers. Goals: This committee administers the Pest Management Professionals recognition program. This endeavor seeks to recognize outstanding employees who work in the pest management industry.
