Rebecca Fyffe

Rebecca Fyffe is a socially-conscious entrepreneur and CEO of Landmark Pest Management, an award-winning, innovative pest control firm. Rebecca founded Landmark Pest Management as the only pest control firm in the United States with a social justice mission that exists at the intersection of public health and social justice. The firm contributes significantly to science in the public interest. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Rebecca served as a staff member for the Governor’s Commission on the Status of Women in Illinois. She is a subject matter expert on policies and programs designed to enable women and minorities to gain economic opportunities in corporate and government contracting. Rebecca served on the Advisory Committee of the Women’s Business Development Center, and was a board member and legislative chair for the Federation of Women Contractors. She served as chair of the Chicago Transit Authority’s DBE Advisory Committee, and has testified in numerous disparity studies. In 2018, Rebecca was named the National Small Business Person of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration, which is the federal government’s highest recognition for a business owner. Her firm is a recipient of the 2020 Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics. In 2021, Rebecca was appointed to the Better Business Bureau of Chicago & Northern Illinois’ board of directors. In 2022, Rebecca was appointed by Governor Pritzker to the Illinois Commission on Equity and Inclusion’s Business Enterprise Council. Awards and Recognitions 2021 Diversity in Business Award, Daily Herald Business Ledger 2020 Torch Award for Business Ethics, Better Business Bureau of Chicago 2020 Notable Entrepreneur, Crain’s Chicago Business 2020 National Woman Business Owner of the Year, NAWBO 2020 Enterprising Women of the Year Award Winner, Enterprising Women Magazine 2018 National Small Business Person of the Year, U.S Small Business Administration 2018 Illinois Small Business Person of the Year, Illinois Small Business Administration Rebecca Fyffe’s CV Director of Research, CEO, President 2012 to present Landmark Pest Management ABC Humane Wildlife Control & Prevention, Inc., DBA Landmark Pest Management
● Offer innovative science-based green pest control that incorporates DNA analysis and pesticide susceptibility research to help people live in greener, safer cities
● Provide an example for other business owners demonstrating how a corporation can align its mission and operations with social responsibility and the public good
● Manage the company’s green mission and social justice mission
● Direct the company’s philanthropic engagements
● Lead the company’s big, bold diversity, equity and inclusion commitments
● Manage the company’s research and development and proprietary innovations
● Manage the company’s commitment to business-to-business mentoring to help small woman-owned and minority-owned businesses grow their capacity
● Lead and oversee every aspect of the company’s strategic plan and day-to-day operations
● Create pathways for more women to succeed as STEM majors through mentorship and scholarship funding 1 Research Collaborator, 2018 to present The Chicago Rat Project, Nonprofit science in the public interest Urban Wildlife Institute, Lincoln Park Zoo
● This work is funded by generous grants from the National Science Foundation and the Grant Healthcare Foundation
● The project seeks to develop a better understanding of urban rat ecology that will help prevent the risks associated with rats and reduce human conflict with urban wildlife.
● Collaborators include, Landmark Pest Management, Chicago State University, The Field Museum of Natural History, Johns Hopkins University, DePaul University, and the University of British Columbia Rebecca Fyffe founded Landmark Pest Management in 2008. In 2012, she acquired ABC Humane Wildlife Control, the nation’s first commercial nuisance wildlife control company, founded in 1976. Her company, ABC Humane Wildlife Control & Prevention, Inc., DBA Landmark Pest Management, is a merger of the two brands and serves over 10,000 clients in the Chicago metro area annually. Director of Research, CEO, President, Founder 2008 to 2012 Chicago Wildlife Management and Consulting, Inc., DBA Landmark Pest Management
● Developed technological, methodological, and scientific innovations in pest control using proprietary research and DNA science starting in 2008. The company incorporated in 2010
● Established short and long-term goals, presided over the workforce, managed budgets
● Directed the company’s accountability to clients, employees, regulatory agencies, and the general public and acted as the face of the company Scientific Advisor, Strategist (part-time, mostly remote) 2013 to 2017 Telluride Institute, Telluride, Colorado
● Established the Telluride Institute as a leader in biodiversity and climate change research in the field of mycology
● Founded the Citizen Science program and invited children and adults from around the country to perform environmental research alongside scientists in the field
● Accompanied a team of scientists to Iceland as a consultant to the Icelandic Ministry of Agriculture to assist Iceland in its recovery from the banking crash by harnessing geothermal energy to grow mushrooms as an export product to mainland Europe
● Served as Executive Director of the TI’s Telluride Mushroom Festival
● Founded the Telluride Voucher DNA Research Program from which the field of mycology now has a number of names for regional Hebeloma species, which prior to the program, were unnamed species. Specimens from the program are permanently housed at the herbarium at the University of London. Additional specimens are housed at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago Journalist, Public Relations 2005 to 2006 Daily Herald Newspaper, Arlington Heights, IL
● Wrote a travel column called Day Tripping and a column called Nature Girl about nature and outdoor activities for Beep, the Daily Herald’s attempt to appeal to twentysomethings
● Produced and edited the photography that accompanied columns and feature articles as well as a short documentary to help the newspaper explore convergence content
● Conducted public relations to expand the scope and image of the Beep product Consultant, Managing Director, CEO 2002 to 2012 ABC Humane Wildlife Control & Prevention, Inc., Arlington Hts., IL
● Roles of increasing responsibility from part-time consultant to managing director, then CEO
● Managed daily operations. Contributed input on long-term strategic planning Deputy Director, Co-Founder 2002 to present Wildlife Control Policy Institute, Nonprofit, Chicago 2
● Serve as liaison to the Centers for Disease Control and other scientific organizations to institute research-based public policy initiatives
● Coordinate research and publication efforts
● Direct and manage communication with grant making agencies, first-responders, and the media Staff, Governor’s Commission on the Status of Women in Illinois 1999 to 2000 Office of the Governor, State of Illinois, Chicago Served as a full-time staff member of the Governor’s Commission on the Status of Women in Illinois
● Worked in support of placing a moratorium on the death penalty in Illinois, authored Illinois’ portion of the federal reauthorization of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Act, hosted legislative roundtables to garner downstate support for the passage of the Illinois Gender Violence Act, and wrote speeches
● Served as liaison between the Governor’s Commission on the Status of Women in Illinois and COWL: the Conference of Women Legislators
● Contributed written and photographic works to the Chicago Sun-Times, the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Defender, among other publications
● Assisted with running press conferences and assisted the advance team with visiting venues and planning the run of show for events that the Governor was to attend
● Attended and delivered remarks at events as a representative of the Governor’s Commission on the Status of Women in Illinois or the Office of the Governor Host, Moderator (Youth Forum) 1998 The National Issues Forum is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that serves to promote public deliberation about difficult public issues Boardships Board of Directors Member 2021 to present Better Business Bureau of Chicago & Northern Illinois Council Member – Appointed 2022 to 2024 State of Illinois Commission on Equity and Inclusion’s Business Enterprise Council for Minorities, Females, and Persons with Disabilities Board of Directors Member and Legislative Char 2019 to 2022 Federation of Women Contractors DBE Advisory Board Chairperson 2016 to 2019 Chicago Transit Authority Advisory Board Member 2016 to 2022 Women’s Business Development Center Board of Directors President 2012 to 2015 Illinois Mycological Association, a scientific and education nonprofit Board of Directors Member 2003 to 2004 Volo Bog State Natural Area, Ingleside, IL Board of Trustees Member – Elected 1998 to 1999 College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, IL Education Certificate in Executive Management, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth 2018 and 2024 Executive Education, Loyola Quinlan School of Business 2017 3 Honors Scholar Program in Journalism, Participant, Roosevelt University, Chicago 2006 to 2008 Wildlife Epidemiology Honors Research, Roosevelt University, Chicago 2006 to 2008 Completed Honors Scholar Program with a major in Pre-Law and Political Science, College of DuPage 1998