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Dan Ariaz
Dan has lead Arro-Gun Spray Systems since it’s inception in the 1980’s. His philosophy of keeping it simple from operations to equipment designs and implementation has guided the Company throughout.
Dan grew up in Smokey Valley, Nevada. After serving in the Marine Corps, he moved to Reno, where he started his career at the Washoe County Parks and Recreation Department. He then transferred to Washoe County District Health Department, where he was hired as an Environmental Investigator, later transferring to Vector Control. While working in Vector Control, Dan developed new application methods for vector control and devised innovative equipment at his home. Due to budget shortages in Washoe County Vector Control during that time, Dan and his wife Pat (PJ) donated several pieces of the equipment to the county to be used in the Vector programs; that equipment is still being used today.
Upon his retirement, Dan and Pat established two companies to provide vector-control services internationally—Arro-Gun Spray Systems, LLC and BioRational Vector Control, LLC. Arro-Gun Spray Systems, LLC manufactures the mosquito foggers and spray products that Dan developed and patented for mosquito and sand fly control, while BioRational Vector Control, LLC consults with clients to create innovative solutions and provides environmentally sound chemicals used in the processes Dan has created.
Dan Ariaz received the Medal of Honor from the American Mosquito Control Association (AMCA) at its April 6, 2009 international conference in New Orleans. The award recognizes Dan’s lifetime of contributions to the field of mosquito and vector control and his innovation in creating environmentally friendly and cost-effective solutions for controlling disease-transmitting organisms. The Medal of Honor is one of the highest awards given by the AMCA and marks the first time that this honor has been awarded to a Nevada resident.
The Work – From Exclusive Resorts to Developing Countries
Dan’s work takes him around the world, focusing primarily on the Caribbean and Africa. He has consulted with several exclusive resorts in the Caribbean to provide solutions for sand fly and mosquito problems, which negatively impact tourism. Some past client notables are the private Caribbean resort owned by Sir Richard Branson of Virgin Group, Neckor Island and the Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort in Savu Savu, Fiji.
The flipside to Dan’s work with affluent clients is his focus on providing assistance to developing countries and to the people living in substandard conditions in depressed areas. Many countries on other continents, notably Africa, have and continue to experience tremendous suffering and deaths from vector-borne diseases. Those countries need affordable and effective means of controlling mosquito and other insect populations, as well as sanitation solutions. Dan and his staff advise those governments not only on vector control, but also on solid waste and liquid waste management and strive to improve the quality of life through education and environmentally-sound processes that take a “soft” approach to mosquito, sand fly and vector control. Dan is currently working on several malaria-abatement programs in Africa and the Caribbean.
Innovation
Over the course of his career, Dan developed many of the processes and the machinery used for mosquito control that he uses in his work and he holds a number of patents for both equipment and methods. In addition to working in mosquito and sand fly control, Dan also developed some of the first applications used to combat West Nile Virus. Those applicators are currently used in storm drains throughout the United States and Canada. All the equipment and processes Dan has developed, focuses on controlling mosquitoes and sand flies using non-toxic methods and chemicals, especially important as the health of the environment becomes increasingly precarious.
Mentoring
Dan’s emphasis on education also extends to mentoring the next generation of vector-control scientists. Throughout his career, Dan has paved the way for many young people to pursue careers in vector control, through college work-experience programs in that field. Today he mentors college students enrolled in natural science degree programs, by enabling them to travel abroad and work on real-life problems in their field. Dan’s further commitment to the field is demonstrated by his active participation in professional organizations in the vector control field. He has served on many national and State boards including the West Nile Virus Task Force and Hantavirus Task Force. He has also spearheaded many of the vector control programs that are currently used in the state of Nevada and internationally.
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