SCS Engineers is 100% employee-owned electing its Board of Directors. Following our November Board Meeting, we are pleased to announce the promotion of several key professionals, including Robert Dick in Virginia and Michelle Leonard in California, as Senior Vice Presidents.
These professionals inform our business strategies and technical directives while providing the personal service clients expect from SCS. Every executive remains in the field listening to and serving clients – that’s the benefit of employee-ownership – no desk jockeys here.
Bob Dick supports landfills throughout the eastern seaboard and Mid-Atlantic, including over 150 landfill gas projects. He helps SCS clients to meet their Clean Air Act compliance goals and use methane gas for energy, reducing emissions. Bob is a civil and environmental engineer with expertise in solid and hazardous waste management. He manages SCS’s landfill and landfill gas engineering solutions for clients in more than 15 states and several foreign countries. “Bob plays a key role in our success,” said Jim Walsh. “His work and dedication to his clients help them implement environmental solutions that can be employed in other parts of the U.S. and globally.”
As a sustainable materials management leader, Michelle Leonard, well known throughout the waste industry, is also SCS’s National Expert in Solid Waste Planning, Recycling, and Sustainability. She has over 30 years of environmental consulting and project management experience, including solid waste management planning and facilities focusing on reducing, reusing, and recycling waste materials. Michelle is a long-time proponent of integrating the principles of a circular economy into the waste industry. “Michelle informs some of the largest cities and waste company programs in the country,” said Jim Walsh. “Her knowledge and dedication to her clients, industry, and within SCS earn her the position of Senior Vice President and our respect.
SCS announces the promotion of Garold (Tony) A. Cartee and Luke T. Montague, PG, to Vice President.
Tony is a Regional Manager for Filed Services OM&M in Charlotte, North Carolina. He has over two decades of experience in landfill gas system operations monitoring, maintenance, migration control, and recovery, plus New Source Performance Standards compliance and construction expertise.
Luke is a Project Director in San Diego, California. He is a Professional Geologist and licensed contractor with nearly two decades of experience providing environmental consulting and geotechnical support to general contractors, commercial and residential developers, and property and asset managers. His focus is site remediation activities that bring contaminated properties back to pristine condition.
Our National Experts play an important role as industry leaders who are deeply involved in professional associations related to their expertise. These professionals organize and participate in workshops and conferences, author and present technical papers, conduct research, and participate in national and state-level legislative and rule-making processes and regulatory policy.
The SCS Board announces new National Experts, Michael Schmidt – Environmental Insurance Claims and Underwriting, and Dana Blumberg, PE, who, in addition to her responsibilities as SCS’s International Expert, serves the Federal Services Experts.
SCS Young Professional, Hydrogeologist Nicole Kron, recently finished her second session of Skype a Scientist, a program in which she Skypes with classrooms and talks to kids about her work as a professional geologist and her journey to become a scientist. The Skype a Scientist program connects students and teachers with people in scientific jobs to help attract kids to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) pursuits.
Skype a Scientist matches scientists with classrooms around the world; teachers are able to choose the type of scientist that will match their classroom’s interests. Participating scientists, like Nicole, then skype with the students for 30 to 60 minute Q&A sessions that can cover any topic – from their particular expertise to what it’s like to work as a scientist to their favorite pastimes. The program helps students get to know a “real scientist” and about their career in a STEM arena.
Nicole has completed two sessions so far – one in May and one in June, and she has agreed to stay involved with the program going forward. “It’s so much fun!” she says.
Some of the questions Nicole has answered include:
During these sessions, Nicole talked about geology, work-life balance, self-confidence, and her hobbies. The ninth grade class was particularly interested in her new venture to make French macarons as well as her love of dancing.
Nicole says she really enjoys participating in Skype a Scientist because, “It gives
me the opportunity to show students that scientists and engineers are well-rounded
people with many interests.”
An SCS Marketing Manager, Sarah Hoke, added: “I love to see our folks making an impact in the community.”
It’s never too soon to start recruiting the scientists of the future!
Nicole and Sarah both work at SCS Engineers in the Madison, Wisconsin office. SCS Engineers provides career opportunities across the nation to talented individuals who bring value to their clients and in their communities.
SCS Engineers continues to expand and advance its team of environmental professionals in Northern California by welcoming Wendell L. Minshew, a licensed professional engineer specializing in civil engineering.
“As a highly-qualified addition to the team, Wendell will help SCS Engineers provide exceptional environmental service to our clients in Northern California,” said Ambrose McCready, Vice President with SCS Engineers. “His significant background in engineering strengthens our regional team, and helps ensure we meet and exceed client objectives.”
With more than 30 years of engineering experience, Minshew specializes in leading the design, planning, permitting and construction management of solid and hazardous waste facilities. He obtained his Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from CSU Fresno and is a licensed Professional Engineer in California, Nevada, Oregon, and Arizona.
SCS serves Northern California through our offices in the San Francisco Peninsula, Sacramento, Oakland, Modesto, Santa Rosa, and Pleasanton. See our nationwide locations.
SCS Engineers will participate in the Career Eco Veterans Virtual Career Fair this Tuesday, February 27th from 11AM-4PM Eastern / 7AM-1PM Pacific. SCS Engineers is proud to offer rewarding careers to Veterans; we value the dedication work ethic, discipline and technical knowledge that you bring to our workforce. If you or anybody you know is interested in attending, please register on the Career Eco website. It is free for Veterans to register and participate.
SCS Engineers presents a behind-the-scenes look at the special people who make us thrive and the roles they play within the organization.
Gene Dumas joined SCS Engineers in 2015 as a Project Manager for the Risk Management
group with a thirty-year background in the ammonia refrigeration business. When asked what attracted Gene to SCS, he said “What SCS Tracer did is what I’ve always wanted to do. SCS Tracer has the passion for making the ammonia industry safer. SCS goes out of the way for customer service. Ammonia refrigeration is a very dangerous industry and what separates SCS from other companies is the commitment to safety.” For years, Gene has known Lee Pyle, Vice President and Project Director for SCS Engineers, within the ammonia refrigeration field and when he met her team at SCS, “I was blown away with their intelligence and passion. They are super smart and a good group. Lee put together a hell of a team.” Considering all those factors, it was an easy decision to join SCS Engineers.
Outside of SCS, Gene has been a member of the Refrigerating Engineers & Technicians Association (RETA) since 2004. RETA is a refrigeration organization with a mission statement to enhance the professional development of refrigerating engineers and technicians. Gene states “it’s basically the education sector of industrial ammonia refrigeration. We train, develop and certify the people who are actually working in the facilities operating systems.”
Eleven years after becoming a member, Gene was sworn in as a national president on October 1st, 2015 and was president for the 2016 year. Presently, he is a chairman for RETA and on his last year on the RETA National Board of Directors.
At SCS, Gene considers one of his greatest achievements is mentoring the newer generation to understand their industry better. “I think my mission in life is to mentor. Mentoring the younger people that are coming in, putting them under my wing, it’s very rewarding, intrinsically rewarding.” Gene comments, “I want to pass my knowledge to the next generation because we’re losing our skilled craftsman. It’s very critical that we train. A trained operator is #1: safe and we need more of them.”
For current and future SCS employees, Gene offers this piece of advice: “I came here because I wanted new challenges and wanted something new every day. The minute you 
quit growing, you’re dying. The minute you stand still, the world will pass by you. You better be moving forward because the moment you stop, you become a hazard to yourself and people around you and complacency is your worst enemy. “
SCS Engineers is currently looking for a Senior Professional to add to our Risk Management Ammonia Refrigeration team. For more details visit the SCS Engineers Careers Page or click here to apply directly.
SCS Engineers presents a behind-the-scenes look at the special people who make us thrive and the roles they play within the organization.
Roger Hogg has been with SCS Engineers since 2010 as an engineer working on Solid Waste projects. However, his career in the Solid Waste industry actually began when he was still in college. During senior year at the University of Florida as a Biological Engineering major, Roger obtained an internship with a local municipality in their Solid Waste department. At the time, he still didn’t know what he wanted to do with his career but he found the projects that he worked on to be fascinating. The projects ranged from agricultural waste management to landfill gas energy and Roger knew what he wanted to do with his career.
Roger started in the SCS Tampa office and now works at the SCS Atlanta office where his project work ranges from landfill gas field system design to air compliance reports. When asked what his favorite part of working at SCS is, Roger replies:
“The flexibility and opportunity to work with people in the other SCS offices, the culture and the quality of people. SCS values the culture of inclusion. SCS is truly a team, we definitely try to help each other out. We cross the lines of expertise to deliver a good product to the client. We try to help each other succeed. ”
Not to say that Roger did not face some challenges: he remembers that the transition from being a staff engineer to a senior role and handling the pace of the consulting took some time to adjust. He remembers that challenge and he takes his role as a mentor to the newer generation at SCS very seriously. With new hires, he makes himself available to mentor them in the technical aspects of the job we well as to make sure they are taking advantage of the family culture at SCS.
He believes the best advice he can give to future SCSers is:
“Be a sponge, absorb as much knowledge as you can. Keep your eyes wide open and always try to improve yourself.”
He also advises to focus on producing a really good product and satisfy the needs of your clients as he attributes that greatly to his own success at SCS.
If you would like to join a team oriented, client success driven company like SCS, please visit the SCS Careers Page for all of our available job openings.
SCS Engineers presents a behind-the-scenes look at the special people who make us thrive and the roles they play within the organization.
Andrew Ard’s interest in the environment started when he was a junior in high school. He took a required environmental science class and it opened his eyes to opportunities he was truly interested in pursuing. His interest led him to enroll in a five-year Environmental Engineering Master’s program at Texas Tech University. During his studies, Andrew discovered he wanted to explore more about landfill work so he seized the opportunity as an intern with the leading company in the solid waste industry: SCS Engineers.
Andrew remembers as an SCS intern, he was given the opportunity to work on projects under the supervision of engineers. Also, he was given a view of how an engineering consultancy worked and it prepared him for a career once he graduated from university. Now as a Staff Professional, Andrew enjoys a variety of projects at SCS which includes construction and design planning, while utilizing programs such as AutoCAD/Civil3D, or reviewing and implementing regulations. One of the reasons he decided to stay and start his career as a young professional after receiving his masters was the passion he saw in SCS employees.
At SCS, Andrew states that everyone is very passionate about what they do. They truly enjoy and are proud of their work. Furthermore, SCS is very fast-paced with lots of projects. Some may not enjoy the high-pressure environment, but he thrives on learning something new every day. He remarks that his supervisors assign their employees just the right amount of work and they place them in a position to succeed. Also, with SCS being an employee-owned ESOP company, Andrew really feels that he is invested in the company and its success.
For future SCSers hoping to succeed, Andrew has this piece of advice: “Make sure you ask a lot of questions. If you’re not sure about something, ask and learn; there are multiple people that you can go to with your questions. It’s a really free-thinking environment. If you are a young adult looking to get into the solid waste industry, there’s no better place to learn than SCS.”
If a future with an organization like SCS Engineers and a career path like Andrew’s is something you’re interested in, please visit the SCS Careers Page for all of our available job openings.
SCS Engineers presents a behind-the-scenes look at the special people who make us thrive and the roles they play within the organization.
Meghan Blodgett has always been interested in science and the outdoors but it wasn’t until she took a Geology course at Amherst College that she realized she could integrate both of her interests into a career. After receiving her bachelor’s degree in Geology and her master’s degree in Hydrogeology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Meghan started her career at SCS Engineers as a hydrogeologist.
Meghan says her favorite aspect of working at SCS is the variety of projects that she is involved in. From large complex developments to smaller remediation assignments, Meghan has been able to work with a number of clients on very diverse sites. Working at SCS is never boring, she says. No two clients or projects are the same. Furthermore, her field is constantly evolving and she has to stay on her toes to stay ahead of new laws and regulations.
Meghan says she genuinely enjoys what she does every day. The work in the field and her interaction with the field staff is a very hands-on experience she would not have been able obtain in a classroom. She explains that while there are busy seasons throughout the year when numerous projects come up at one time, her project managers are great at distributing the workload and encouraging her to be involved in different ventures.
Management constantly inspires employees to develop professionally, so Meghan has taken additional courses and has been able to continue her education using SCS’s tuition reimbursement program. She is also preparing to take the Professional Geologist exam in spring of 2016.
When asked what has made her a successful SCSer and if she can provide advice to any future employees, Meghan states, “Don’t be afraid to speak up. If you see an opportunity you want, ask about it. If a project manager has a project you’re interested in or there is a class you want to take, don’t be afraid to go after it. The managers will most likely say yes.”
If a future with an organization like SCS Engineers and a career path like Meghan’s is something you’re interested in, please visit the SCS Careers Page to see our available job openings.
SCS Engineers presents a behind-the-scenes look at the special people who make us thrive and the roles they play within the organization.
Vice President Dana Murray recently celebrated her 20 year anniversary with SCS Engineers. Dana started at SCS Engineers after receiving her Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering at Old Dominion University. Initially hired as a Staff Engineer, Dana worked her way up to Project Engineer, to Project Manager, to Project Director and now Vice President.
One of Dana’s biggest roles through her years at SCS is being the Program Director for the prime contract with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Landfill Methane Outreach Program. This includes an international effort such as helping cities to reduce their methane gas output or designing landfills. She states that this is “very powerful work” and our efforts make a difference in the lives of the citizens in developing countries.
Dana attributes her long-lived success to how supportive SCS Engineers is to its associates. The management is very encouraging to their entry level engineers and employees. Also, not only are the SCS personnel smart, hard-working and passionate about their projects, they are supportive of each other’s work as well. In 1997, Dana took 5 years off to be with her children and she was welcomed back to SCS to continue her career when she wanted to return to the workforce.
In Dana’s opinion, this network of support is what sets SCS Engineers apart from other companies. The fact that SCS has almost 800 employees but still possess a small company feel is rather unique. Furthermore, Dana states that what SCS does best is giving their employees opportunity to grow. She remembers that when she was a young engineer, she craved having a project to herself. She got the opportunity because SCS is involved in a wide variety of projects.
Engineering seems to be in Dana’s blood; her father was a partner in an engineering firm, and now her two sons are both studying engineering in college. One piece of fatherly wisdom that Dana continues to take to heart is, “as long as you produce good work, it doesn’t matter if you’re male or female.” When asked if she had any like advice for future SCSers, she encourages everyone to “ask a lot of questions.” Dana continued, “employees should not hesitate to ask questions of their managers if they are unsure of what to do. Manager and employee are intended to work closely together, and only when they do, can they both succeed.”
If a future with an organization like SCS Engineers and a career path like Dana’s is something you’re interested in, please visit SCS Careers Page for all of our available job openings.
Sam began his career at SCS in September 2010, just following his graduation from Washington State University with a BS in Civil/Environmental Engineering and a background in Technical Illustration. Despite receiving job offers from larger engineering companies, Sam chose to work with SCS Engineers. When asked what attracted him to SCS over other companies Sam replied, “The main draw was the size of SCS Engineers and the ability to work on a wide variety of environmental projects.”
SCS Engineers is growing and highly rated by clients and industry. As SCS grows, the company maintains the spirit of entrepreneurship because SCS values authenticity, humanity, and creativity in individuals. Sam preferred the opportunity to expand his experiences beyond a singular practice, gaining proficiency in multiple environmental fields.
Now, after 5 years as a Staff Professional, Sam’s been involved in multiple practice areas at SCS. He has served as an integral part of a team, on a diverse range of projects from groundwater to gas monitoring to large construction. Always a problem-solver, Sam is able to combine his technical skills toward solutions in a profession he enjoys. With 5-years of experience under his belt, Sam is focusing on what interests him as a professional and the specialty area to focus the rest of his career.
His advice to future SCS employees?
“Explore and enjoy the SCS dynamic environment. Don’t think that there is just one solution to a problem: there are always newer, better, and more efficient ways to tackle a challenge. Also, find your niche within SCS and make it yours; make yourself valuable to the company’s clients.”
When asked what advice he can offer to job seekers, Sam said, “Keep your expectations realistic and be prepared to put in the work to accomplish your goals.”
Sam is currently preparing for his Professional Engineer exam in Civil: Water Resources.
Thank you, Sam.
If a future with SCS Engineers and a career path like Sam’s is something you’re interested in, please visit the SCS Career Page for all of our available job openings.
