Biographies

Looking to find the best pest expert for your story?

Biographies of Atlanta-based Arrow Exterminators (parent company of Nader's Pest Raiders) representatives are included below.  To schedule an interview, please fill out the media request form.

Emily Thomas, Chief Executive Officer and President
Biography

Cindy Mannes, Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer
Biography

Shay Runion, VP of Professional Development 
Biography

Emily Thomas
Chief Executive Officer and President
Arrow Exterminators

Emily Thomas is Chief Executive Officer and President of Arrow Exterminators, a third generation family owned business and one of the top ten pest and termite control companies in the United States. Thomas has aggressive plans to grow the business from current revenues of $100 million to projected $200 million in 10 years.

While overseeing the daily operations of this fast growing company, Thomas is committed to maintaining the close knit culture of her family's business. Thomas is truly devoted to her extended family of employees, Arrow's customers, the environment and the pest control industry and as a result, more and more companies continue to join the Arrow family.

Thomas, a third generation pest control professional, began her Arrow career in 1998. She learned all aspects of the operations side of the business while working in several branch offices in metro Atlanta before moving into commercial pest control sales. In addition, she gained experience in the marketing and IT departments before being promoted to Chief Operating Officer in 2003.

A graduate of Vanderbilt University, Thomas is a respected leader and industry ambassador who co-chairs the Professional Women in Pest Management organization and in 2007 was elected to the National Pest Management Association Board of Directors as an At-Large member. In addition, Thomas serves on the Board of Directors for St. Jude's Recovery Center and JumpStart, non-profit organizations based in Atlanta.

In May 2007, Pest Control Magazine featured Thomas in their "Newsmaker" article, and The Atlanta Business Chronicle featured her in their "Women at Work" article, both honoring this dedicated industry advocate. Thomas was also recently named to Georgia Trend Magazine's 40 Under 40 for 2008 for her positive impact in the Atlanta region.

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Cindy Mannes
Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer
Arrow Exterminators

Cindy Mannes is Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer of Arrow Exterminators, a third generation family owned business.

In this role, Mannes is responsible for helping Arrow shape its long-term strategic vision and also execute the company's external and internal marketing communications. As part of the company's senior management team, Mannes will help position the company to achieve its strategic vision and aggressive growth plans.

Mannes is a sought after resource and thought leader within the pest management industry and has appeared on over 90 television and radio broadcast outlets including CNBC, and CNN as well as quoted in high-profile publications such as in Good Housekeeping, Real Simple and USA Today.

A 15-year industry veteran, Mannes served as vice president of public affairs and industry spokesperson for the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) since October 2001.

At NPMA, Mannes was responsible for educating consumers about all facets of pest control - from the growing public health concerns related to pests to the benefits of selecting a professional to control them. She was instrumental in enhancing the image and value to consumers of pest control professionals through her work with the local, state and national media.

Mannes has had a long-standing and successful career in communications and marketing. She has applied her strategic, tactical and leadership expertise to help launch or reposition corporations, brands and products to business and consumer markets worldwide.

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Shay Jones Runion
Vice President, Professional Development
Arrow Exterminators

Shay Jones Runion is Vice President, Professional Development of Arrow Exterminators, a third generation family owned business.

Runion is responsible for creating, developing and implementing Arrow University, the company's unparalleled training program that uses advanced learning concepts and techniques to facilitate all training for the company, including manager, new employee and technical training.

Runion joined Arrow Exterminators in October 2006 as director of Sentricon quality assurance. She began her career with Dow AgroSciences as a sales trainee in the crops division. In 2002 she was promoted to a sales territory in the pest management business. This afforded her the opportunity to work with numerous pest control companies throughout the southeast.

Runion is a lifetime member of Auburn's Agriculture Alumni Association and also a member of the Georgia Pest Control Association (GPCA) where she recently served as chair of the Leadership Class committee. Runion is an approved speaker with the Georgia Department of Agriculture and has given numerous termite training sessions for continuing education hours.

Runion graduated from Auburn University with a degree in agricultural sciences. While at Auburn, Runion served as the College of Agriculture student president, Ag Council president and the Agriculture Ambassador president. Her studies included entomology for both agricultural crops as well as urban pest management. Runion is currently pursuing her master's degree in entomology.

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