Our Story
As a proud third-generation pest management professional, I have always been driven by my desire to make a meaningful difference in an industry that protects health, food, and property. I have worked and excelled at all levels of the industry starting as a technician and progressing through a decade long run in sales and marketing at Bayer. However, at each step, I sensed there was room for both personal and industry-wide improvement, so I searched to identify where I could have the greatest impact.
Then it hit me! I’ve witnessed the introduction of over 70 new professional grade insecticides in the marketplace over the last decade. Many went on to generate millions of dollars and fit a market need, but just as many fell short. The failures cost corporations over $10 million dollars in lost investment and cost even more in terms of missed market opportunities. It takes eight to ten years to test, develop, and register a new pesticide, and there is a critical information gap that occurs during this time frame. The costly and time intensive development period requires a great deal of technical research, but often lacks the knowledge of new trends and current customer needs.
After this realization, I needed to develop a plan on how to help industry professionals like me make more educated decisions around product, price, place, and promotions. To help solve the problem, I hired a consulting team, led by Pedrom Rejai, from the business school at the University of North Carolina. We used a consulting framework to assess the industry holistically, completed innovative research, and developed statistical models leading to insights that sparked the concept of DataWave. From there, I assembled a diversely talented team and launched DataWave Research, LLC.
I am especially excited to have my father, Gary Braness, join me on this journey. He started his career working with his father in their family pest control business. As a young father of four rambunctious children, Gary pursued his Ph.D. in urban entomology from Purdue University. He was willing to dedicate time and take a risk to build a career in a profession he was passionate about. He spent most of his career at Bayer, holding various positions in research and product development. In 2011, he started his own pest management consulting business. Now, to continue his legacy and keep the generational tie to the industry, he will be working with DataWave as our Technical Research Director.
To complement our combined 60 years industry experience and enhance our ability to develop actionable intelligence, Pedrom Rejai joined our team. Pedrom has a keen ability to bring clarity to complex situations, along with 10 years of experience in manufacturing, business, and consumer goods. Pedrom will serve as Market Data Analyst, specializing in data analytics and visualization.
Countless people have asked why I would resign from an established company to launch a new business. The simple answer is my passion, entrepreneurial drive and courage. These characteristics are founded on the belief that this next step will allow me to impact the industry in a dynamic and positive way. My family has been committed to advancing the pest management industry for over 60 years, and we plan to ride the wave for 60 more with DataWave Research, LLC.