Reprinted from GRAIN JOURNAL November/December 2011 Issue
From its 1936 debut in Hollywood to its North Carolina home office today, Pestcon Systems, Inc. has specialized in fumigation products, supplies, and commercial application services for use in agricultural, urban, and industrial sites. Founder Wilford Gunn started the company 75 years ago as a side business to his construction company in southern California.
“Wilford Gunn owned a construction business, in which he recognized the need for termite inspections and control,” says George Hunt, vice president of sales, who has been with the company for 34 years. “On Dec. 2, 1936, Hollywood Termite Control was incorporated in the state of California. In the early years, the company helped pioneer the home pest control business but later focused on the commercial side of the pest control business.”
Brief History
In 1972, as the company diversified and expanded into agricultural chemicals, the name was changed from
“Hollywood Termite Control” to “Phostoxin Sales, Inc.”
On March 1, 1982, the business was renamed “Pestcon Systems, Inc.,” as the company is known today.
Since 1958, the company has been involved with marketing its main product line, aluminum phosphide fumigants, first sold under the Phostoxin® brand and later the Fumitoxin® brand.
“Our founder, Wilford Gunn, was president of the National Pest Control Association (now known as the National Pest Management Association), when he first heard about aluminum phosphide fumigant,” says Keith Hamm, director of operations, who has been with the company for 29 years. “He traveled to Australia to see the chemical being used by another company, then started seeking distribution rights in the United States.
“Aluminum phosphide fumigant was a patented chemical that was considered a revolutionary idea in the United States,” continues Hamm. “It took several years to get it off the ground, but when we got it into the market, and word spread, aluminum phosphide fumigant was recognized as the fumigant of choice.
“Aluminum phosphide fumigant was and still is effective, safe, and simple to use. And it’s environmentally friendly, which wasn’t even thought about in the late 1950s.”
Products
Pestcon’s primary business is the sales and distribution of Fumitoxin aluminum phosphide fumigant in the United States for use in pest management.
The fumigant is available in either pellet or tablet form and is packaged in resealable aluminum flasks. Pestcon also sells some aluminum and magnesium phosphide prepackaged fumigant.
“Fumitoxin fumigant products work on a wide variety of insects in many different structures and storage facilities,” says Hunt. “The products are used for the treatment of insect pests found in stored grains, seeds, nuts, peanuts, animal feed, and feed ingredients, plus other nonfood products such as tobacco. We also sell Fumitoxin for use in the treatment of various ground-burrowing vertebrate pests.” c
Other products and services available from Pestcon include:
• Commercial application services (fumigation for warehouses, bulk grain storage, railcars, mills, food processing plants, ships, barges, and trailers).
• Grain protectant chemicals (liquid and dust formulations).
• Personal protection equipment (respiratory protection equipment, gas detection and monitoring equipment).
• Insect monitoring equipment (trap kits used to determine when treatment is needed).
• Application equipment (dispensers, injection probes, and recirculation systems).
• Training programs offered for distributors and customers.
Industry Firsts
“Over the years, we have been involved in the investigation and implementation of better ways to protect a range of products in various situations,” says Hamm.
“For example, we developed the first automatic application techniques about 45 years ago. And we worked closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in finding a better way to protect export shipments. We thought why not fumigate during transit on ships, and after a lot of testing to make sure it was safe and effective, it became common practice. We’re always looking for new and better ways of doing things, as well as additional agricultural and food products that need protecting.”
According to Hamm, Pestcon Systems lays claim to a number of “firsts” in the pest control industry, including:
• Developing and introducing aluminum phosphide fumigant in the United States for use in grain elevators, warehouses, farm storage facilities, railcars, barges, and grain ships.
• Research conducted jointly with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in aluminum phosphide.
• Developing and implementing the automatic application of aluminum phosphide to grain, and to design and build equipment for this purpose.
• Developing practical procedures for in-transit railcar fumigation.
• Demonstrating the feasibility of in-transit vessel fumigation, with the first such grain ship fumigation in 1975.
• Creating and implementing a Safe Practices Policy for agricultural fumigants, mandating that every user be trained before using the chemicals.
Move to Wilson
Pestcon’s operations were consolidated in the early 1990s in Wilson, NC, which previously was home to a regional office.
“As competition increased, we had to get leaner, in order to stay competitive,” says Hunt. “Our regional office in North Carolina, located near our customers in the tobacco industry, was expanded to serve as our corporate headquarters and main warehouse.
“Today, all fumigants product that we import goes through our Wilson facility, where it is inspected for quality control. Then it either is warehoused there, or it goes to one of our two other distribution warehouses in California and Kansas.
“During the consolidation process, we decided that if we had to choose one place for our office, this was where the majority of our personnel were needed,” says Hamm, who was instrumental in establishing the regional office in North Carolina. “Certainly, California is an abundant agricultural state, but it was better for us to be closer to the Midwest and the East Coast. Since the consolidation, we’ve expanded the facility twice.”
Company Structure
Pestcon Systems, Inc. has 19 employees, most of whom are full-time. Hamm and Hunt lead the company. Hamm is director of operations and handles marketing for the eastern United States region and for ship fumigation customers, predominantly based on the Gulf of c Mexico. As vice president of sales, Hunt (who is located in Spokane, WA) is in charge of sales to distributors located across the United States.
Sunzon International, Inc., also based in Wilson, NC, is a sister company to Pestcon. Sunzon markets fumigant products outside of the United States.
“Sunzon is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year,” says Hamm, who in addition to his responsibilities at Pestcon, is vice president of Sunzon. “We sell to numerous countries around the world.”
“Over the years, the markets change, and competitors come and go,” says Hunt. “But we are in it for the long haul. We have a good product and good quality control, and our distributors are very pleased with both the services and product we provide. Pestcon has exhibited for over 42 years at the GEAPS (Grain Elevator and Processing Society) convention.”
Hunt shares how he got into the pest control business somewhat by accident. “I was considering a medical career, so I thought I’d get some background in the Army’s Medical Corps,” he says. “After basic training, they said that my scores were good enough to get into the specialty of preventive medicine dealing with pest control, so I did. After three years in the Army, I worked for a residential pest control company for five years, before joining Pestcon 34 years ago.
“The business keeps changing and getting tougher, but it is rewarding work, and no two days are the same,” he adds.
