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ORLANDO, Fla. – Bayer Environmental Science recently brought together approximately 100 lawn care and pest control professionals to introduce its new granular fire ant control product, Top Choice, to the market.
The 2004 Fire Ant Summit convened at the Ritz Carlton Orlando for three days. Sponsored by Bayer, the summit served to educate the market on the fire ant preventative as part of a significant marketing push for the company.
Touted as a “revolutionary” tool for combating fire ants, the product contains the active ingredient fipronil, a nerve-affecting agent that reportedly serves as a preventative for up to a year per application.
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The first day of the summit focused on the product, its chemistry, mode of action and recommended application. Tim Davis, M.S., Clemson University, discussed the biology and characteristics of the fire ant, in addition to the complications inherent in treating the persistent stinging insect.
Laurence Mudge, field development and technical services representative for Bayer, later instructed attendees on Top Choice application specifics.
The summit also focused on marketing the product. Eric Whitaker and Dean Huff, both representatives of the marketing firm, Colle+McVoy, and Steve Albertini, executive vice president of Bayer’s public relations firm, Tierney Communications, discussed topics ranging from consumer research to marketing initiatives.
Attendees also learned from a panel question-and-answer session with four industry experts and two Bayer representatives, in which panel members addressed specific questions regarding Top Choice, its implementation and related concerns.
Dan Corrothers, vice president, Chipco® Professional Products, concluded the summit with a speech that offered a market overview and some motivational words regarding the featured product and its place in the industry.
As part of the summit, Bryan Gooch, insecticide business manager for Bayer, announced that on April 1, the company would unveil a Web site – Nofireants.com – as one of its primary marketing initiatives.
The author is assistant editor of Lawn & Landscape magazine and can be reached at wnepper@lawnandlandscape.com.