Sterling International: An American Success Story
Spokane, WA (PRWEB) July 03, 2013 -- Make pest control smarter: This is the principle on which Rod Schneidmiller founded Sterling International and its RESCUE!® brand of American-made, non-toxic pest control products more than 30 years ago.
Through innovative research and design, and manufacturing the safest and most effective products on the market, Schneidmiller and his RESCUE!® team have pioneered smarter pest control for the consumer while continually pushing the edge of green pest control technology.
RESCUE!® products lure and trap the target insect with a non-toxic mode of action. All traps in its product line use attractants developed in the in-house research lab to replicate what is already found in the natural world – either from the target insect’s body, its food source, or its nest or colony. RESCUE!® recently began incorporating visual stimuli to attract insects to adhesive traps.
In addition to the traps’ non-toxic features, Schneidmiller is most proud of the fact that RESCUE!® products are made in the U.S.A. Sterling International is the only American pest control company to manufacture all of its products in the U.S.
“We at Sterling are committed to developing and manufacturing our products here in the U.S.,” explains Schneidmiller. “We benefit the American economy by keeping our manufacturing on U.S. soil, and that is an important concept for us. Plus it’s truly an honor to employ our neighbors and provide jobs for our community, and we will continue to do so.”
According to Schneidmiller, this pride translates to the trained scientists, industrial designers, engineers and production workers who take personal ownership of the results of their labor. “There’s a ‘can-do’ attitude, a culture of integrity, and a sense of purpose in every position on the RESCUE!® team,” Schneidmiller explains. “We couldn’t be more proud of what comes off the production line and to label it ‘Made in the U.S.A.’”
An American Success Story
Schneidmiller’s accomplishment with Sterling International and the RESCUE!® product line is a classic American success story. As a farmhand in his youth, Schneidmiller saw the inefficiencies and hazards of “bombing” with dangerous chemical pesticides to kill insect pests.
After receiving a degree in agronomy and economics, he began tinkering at home with natural products and trap designs to build a better method of pest control. His first product—a fly trap made from a plastic jar and a powdered attractant—was met with skepticism when he went on sales calls.
“Lawn and garden buyers for larger retailers didn’t know what to make of me,” Schneidmiller recalls. “They couldn’t understand why I had created a trap when people could just use spray pesticides to rid them of pest troubles.”
But Schneidmiller understood why consumers would choose a safer method of control and anticipated a growing demand for such products as the public became increasingly aware of the dangers of conventional pesticides. With that classic “stubborn American” streak of perseverance, Schneidmiller would not take no for an answer. In 1982, he landed his first sales at a few small hardware and garden stores in the Spokane, WA, area, and Sterling International was born.
More than 30 years later, Sterling International’s commitment to smarter pest control stands stronger than ever. In addition to the fly traps, other RESCUE!® product lines are seeing consistent growth including traps for wasps, hornets, yellowjackets and Japanese beetles. These American-made products using cutting-edge technology are known as reliable and environmentally safe solutions that won’t harm pets, plants, humans, or beneficial insects.
The question Schneidmiller first asked himself, “Why spray chemicals when you can safely trap pesky insects?” continues to be the force driving Sterling International’s product development and securing its place as a category leader.
Established in 1982, Sterling International, Inc. offers RESCUE!® traps and attractants for stink bugs, flies, Japanese beetles, Oriental beetles and more. Look for these products at home improvement centers, hardware stores and lawn and garden retailers throughout the U.S.
For more information and great tips, visit http://www.rescue.com or follow RESCUE!® on Facebook. Visit the site for a list of retailers near you.
Katie Dubow, Garden Media Group, http://www.gardenmediagroup.com, 610-444-3040, [email protected]
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