Building Consumer Trust With International Pest Management Credentialing

Abstract:
In 2004 the highly-successful Associate Certified Entomologist (ACE) program was developed by the Entomological Society of America (ESA) Certification Corporation (ESACC) as a means of providing a professional credentialing pathway for pest management professionals (PMP) who may not have the formal academic training of an entomologist. The ACE program and its partner program, the Board Certified Entomologist (BCE) are the two most dominant personal credentialing options for PMPs in the United States and around the world. However, they are not the only way that individuals and businesses in the pest control industry can differentiate themselves from the competition. From business credentials like QualityPro–a program offered by the National Pest Management Association (NPMA)–or the Confederation of European Pest Management Association’s (CEPA) CEPA-certified directory, to third-party credentials such as Angie’s List, today’s pest management customer is faced with a dizzying array of credentials to sort through. This paper serves as an exploration of the various pest management-based credentials that exist, the reasons for personal and business credentials, and offers a deeper exploration of the ACE and BCE programs.