A New Way to Solve Your Hiring Challenge
Every NPMA member knows the challenge: finding and keeping good people is one of the hardest parts of running a pest management business — especially when it comes to pest control technicians. LAUNCH: Pest Management Career Summit is NPMA's answer to that challenge — a first-of-its-kind event built to connect our industry directly with the next generation of talent.
Why LAUNCH Matters to Your Business
The pest management industry generates $13+ billion in the U.S. annually, yet many companies still struggle to fill open roles — particularly technician positions, which represent the industry's greatest hiring need. At the same time, our industry offers real, often overlooked career paths in sales, marketing, finance and accounting, operations, and — for larger companies — technology and data roles.
LAUNCH is designed to put that opportunity in front of the right people at the right time: college students and other emerging talent from technical schools, two-year programs, and four-year institutions.
What Makes LAUNCH Different
LAUNCH is built specifically around the realities of our industry:
- Broad student focus: Workforce needs in pest management are much wider than a single discipline. LAUNCH engages students and other emerging talent across technical, agricultural, business, and applied science programs.
- Technician pipeline focus: Our greatest hiring need isn't concentrated at the college-graduate level; it's pest control technicians. LAUNCH is designed to reflect that reality, alongside efforts to attract talent for management-track and technical roles.
What's Included
Career Fair
Meet and recruit directly from a curated pool of students and emerging talent actively exploring careers in pest management — a direct line to your next hire.
Student Competition
Teams of students from participating schools take on business and technical challenges designed to showcase real industry skills, giving you an early look at rising talent.
Sponsorship Opportunities
Put your company in front of students, faculty, and fellow industry leaders as a sponsor of LAUNCH. Sponsorship packages are in development — details and pricing will be announced soon.
Help Us Build the Pipeline
LAUNCH's success depends on strong industry participation. Whether you're looking to fill open technician roles, build your talent bench for the future, or simply raise the visibility of pest management as a career, LAUNCH is your opportunity to get involved early.
