Alex Blahnik’s pest management career began in 2000 as a Waukesha technician. Since, he has served in management as a service manager, field training manager, interim technical director, national technical manager, national fumigation manager, national thermal remediation manager, and regulatory compliance manager. He is currently a district technical manager for Liphatech. Alex is an Associate Certified Entomologist and holds credentials including a Master of Organizational Leadership degree, PCQI, LEED Green Associate, and WPCA Master Tech. He is happy to be home to talk with his own state about rodenticide active ingredients.

Stanton E. Cope, PhD served almost 24 years as a Medical Entomologist in the U.S. Navy, including four years as the “head bug guy” for the Department of Defense. Stan retired in 2012 with the rank of Captain. In 2017, he joined AP&G (Catchmaster) as VP of Technical Products and Services. He has published over 100 scientific and technical papers, delivered well over 250 presentations all around the world, has done research or operational entomology in over 20 countries, and has worked on mosquitoes for 40 years. Stan received the ‘PestVet of the Year’ award in 2021 from the NPMA.

Mark Davidson began his career when he joined his family’s pest management company in upstate New York. He started as a technician and moved up through the organization, eventually serving as CEO until the sale of the company to a national brand. During that time, Mark also earned a bachelor’s and two master’s degrees in business space. Mark has served on many boards and in advisory roles with everyone from entrepreneurs in start-up to service-oriented technology corporations with revenues in the hundreds of millions. He enjoys helping service professionals succeed in business through his consulting firm, Davidson Business Services. He exercises his love for travel by staying active on the speaking circuit, where he has taught business in the service industry for audiences up to several hundred.

Anna Iversen is a board-certified entomologist with over 20 years of experience in the pest management industry. She earned her BS in Biology from the University of Oregon in 2001 and her MS in Grain Science with a focus in Entomology from Kansas State University in 2006. Anna is the U.S. Technical Director for Pelsis, the parent company of B&G Equipment, Curtis Dyna-Fog, Brandenburg, Synergetic and Bird B Gone brands. Previously she has worked in technical and training capacities for McCloud Services and Terminix. 

Dawn McCluskey works for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), in the Bureau of Agrichemical Management, as an Environmental Enforcement Specialist Sr. within the Division of Agricultural Resource Management. Dawn has been working in the compliance field for over 12 years. She began her career in the compliance field, working for a large agriculture cooperative with responsibility for compliance oversite of 30 locations spanning 12 counties and over 400 employees. Dawn has worked diligently in the compliance areas including several Federal and State regulatory agencies (OSHA, EPA, FMCSA, FDA, DHS and DATCP).

Brandon McKittrick is a highly accomplished insurance professional holding the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter designation (CPCU) and with over two decades of experience dedicated to complex claims resolution. Bringing 20 years of hands-on expertise in liability claims across various commercial sectors, he possesses a deep, technical understanding of coverage interpretation, litigation management, and insurance claim defense. During the last thirteen years with West Bend Insurance he has specialized in unique and complex specialty risks, including the pest control industry. This specialization allows for meticulous handling of niche liabilities, ensuring efficient resolution for the most challenging claims. 

Marc Potzler, BCE, PCQI completed his bachelor’s degree in 1999 from SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry in Syracuse, NY with an entomology major. He became a Board Certified Entomologist through the Entomological Society of America in 2015. In 2003, he began working as a pest control technician, focusing on third party audited accounts. He advanced to a training director role in 2008. In 2015, Marc joined Rentokil as a Technical Service Manager, covering the Northeast & Midwest, until he assumed the role of Food Processing SME in 2022. In his current role, he supports food production and manufacturing customers in the goal to create a pest-free environment through the use of integrated pest management strategies.

Steve Volz is starting his 31st year with the State of Wisconsin. He has worked the last 14 years as an Environmental Enforcement Specialist Sr. with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) in the Bureau of Agrichemical Management and is also credentialed to perform inspections with FDA and EPA. Previously, Steve has held several positions in Law Enforcement and has also worked as a Commercial Agricultural Applicator.  Steve graduated from UW Oshkosh with a BA in Criminal Justice.