FAIRFAX, Va. – NPMA Academy has traditionally been an in-person event with hands-on team building activities for developing emerging leaders. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic this year’s event is being held virtually, so while the venue has changed, NPMA’s Leadership Networking Community (LNC) and lead sponsor Corteva Agriscience have put together a program to deliver the “Academy experience” and those same relationship-building and business growth experiences in a different platform.

NPMA chose “Superheroes” as a theme for this year’s Academy and NPMA CEO Dominique Stumpf kicked off the event noting that “this theme could not be more fitting, because in the state of the current world every single one you are heroes. You are the protectors of public health and property. It is NPMA’s mission to support you and your efforts to be professional, knowledgeable and profitable.”

Stumpf then introduced Mark Neterer. business leader, pest management, Corteva Agriscience, who thanked attendees for participating. Neterer said he although he misses the in-person event, he is excited that the virtual format gives attendees the opportunity to have “the Academy experience” throughout the year. Academy is about “getting to know a lot of people, learn from each other, development some business skills and create networks for each other so that we can continue to do great things for this industry,” Neterer said.

Following the introductory comments, Academy attendees split off into breakout rooms where they got acquainted with their team members and received an overview of the event from team captains. Day one concluded with a fun team-building scavenger hunt. Each team chose a member who was given the task of finding five random items throughout their house. The Blue team took top honors thanks to the scavenger hunting skills of Clint Sowle (Ecolab).

July 16: Keynote Presentation featuring Kenyon Salo
Salo, known as the “James Bond of Speaking,” will show Academy attendees three simple concepts of living “The Bucket List Life.” He will guide attendees to fulfillment on their life-long journey, instructing how to create phenomenal experiences, share powerful stories, and help others along the way. The session is sponsored by Corteva AgriScience.

Academy attendees will dive deeper into the topics that are meaningful to them. The NPMA Learning Labs give attendees an opportunity to share ideas and gain a new perspective on how to better manage their businesses or employees. Topics include: Customer Service: It’s Everyone’s Job; Creating a Culture of Ownership; Building a More Diverse Workforce; Sales Metrics/KPIs; Creating a Leadership Development Program in Your Company; and Family Business – Transitioning Between Generations. The Learning Labs are sponsored by BASF

August 13: Happy Hour & Academy Olympic Activity
One of the highlights and benefits of Academy are all the great networking opportunities. Even though NPMA has shifted to a virtual format they have provided valuable networking time

August 27: Keynote Presentation featuring Galen Emanuele  
Emanuele’s virtual session will focus on how you approach and drive culture, leadership, and feedback in your organization. He will provide coaching and resources to help leaders define their unique Leadership DNA Code to increase self awareness, skill sets and effectiveness. The session is sponsored by Syngenta

September 10: and September 24: Academy Learning Labs
Academy attendees have two more opportunities to take advantage of the Learning Labs and take a deeper dive into Customer Service: It’s Everyone’s Job; Creating a Culture of Ownership; Building a More Diverse Workforce; Sales Metrics/KPIs; Creating a Leadership Development Program in Your Company; and Family Business – Transitioning Between Generations

October 8: Academy Closing Session
Teams will participate in one final Olympic activity as we close out Academy 2020