William A. "Billy" Tesh has never met a problem he isn't willing to tackle. Whether it was a homeless shelter with major pest infestations or a tutoring program with a shortage of volunteers or our affordable housing program needing creative funding; Billy has been at the forefront of solving those issues. As a native of Greensboro, Billy has touched so many nonprofits, professional associations and businesses that the list would fill up this entire nomination, but recognition is not his motivator. His wife, Laurie, summed him up best when she said, "He is passionate about life, he is excited by his work, family and helping other people. Each morning, he bounces out of bed excited about the day." His boundless energy and innovation helped Habitat and the Greensboro Builders Association fund Raising Roofs, a builders blitz for the past eleven years.

Tropical Jersey Night at the Greensboro Grasshoppers was Billy's brainchild and has been underwritten by his company, Pest Management Systems (PMi) since the beginning in 2003. This event has raised $58,500 for Habitat and raised awareness of our program. To date Raising Roofs has built 50 homes for Habitat families in ten years, in large part due to Billy's financial, professional and personal support. Billy also donates services from his companies, including free pre-treats for all Habitat homes and drainage and hardscaping for build sites. He is always willing to help out Habitat families and has donated countless hours and over $75,000 in services to Habitat.  Billy has also been a connector for Habitat introducing new donors to our organization and sharing his love of our mission with others. He has earned the reputation as someone we can rely on to help us solve problems, make introductions and support our organization. Billy's impact on Habitat is like a meteor. Upon impact, a meteor scatters across the terrain leaving parts of it across the landscape. Billy is like that meteor making a huge impact through his financial contribution but his involvement and commitment spreads throughout our organization.

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The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services recently proposed rulemaking declaring the Eastern and Hairy-tailed Moles as pests and prescribing places pesticides registered by the North Carolina Pesticide Board may be applied in controlling the moles. The proposal sets the stage for reversal of a longstanding prohibition against the use of mole toxicants in North Carolina. NDACS is accepting comments on the proposal until Dec. 15. Click here to read the rulemaking.