Extended reach and expertise

SynTerra opens Tuscaloosa office, bolstering its surveying capabilities.

For immediate release (Posted March 4, 2020):

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama — SynTerra Corp., a science and engineering consulting firm, announced that it has opened an office in Tuscaloosa and added a top professional in Lexington. The announcement came after SynTerra combined operations with a pair of Tuscaloosa-based surveying companies — Brian Foster & Associates and Herring Surveying & Mapping.

The scientists, engineers, geologists, and surveyors of SynTerra work on projects throughout the Southeast and beyond. Clients include mining operations, pulp and paper companies, industrial facilities, utilities, government agencies, and construction companies. In addition to Tuscaloosa, SynTerra has offices in Greenville, S.C. (headquarters); Charlotte, N.C.; Lexington, Ky.; Pikeville, Ky.; and Birmingham, Ala. The firm has about 200 employees.

“These exciting developments in Tuscaloosa bolster both our surveying capabilities and our geographic presence,” said Steve Gardner, SynTerra vice president of special projects. “Coupled with our advanced GIS/CAD capabilities and our state-of-the-art drone program, the addition of these top surveying professionals puts us in an amazing position. We can offer clients data and visualizations that many surveying companies cannot provide. Clients know what they’re getting from us. There’ll be no shortcuts, because our surveying comes directly from SynTerra professionals.”

Gardner also emphasized the mobility of SynTerra professionals. “We take pride in our responsiveness,” he said. “Clients in the Tuscaloosa area will benefit from all of our services. Likewise, our clients throughout the country will benefit from the surveying experts we now have in Tuscaloosa.”

SynTerra services include:

Ecological sciences
Mining engineering
Surveying / Drone capabilities
Industrial compliance and support
Civil and solid waste engineering
Due diligence and property services
Hydrogeology
Geotechnical engineering
Chemical process engineering
GIS / CAD / Data management

For more information about SynTerra, contact Steve Gardner, P.E. and SME-RM, at jsgardner@synterracorp.com or (859) 233-2103, ext. 103.

Kathy Webb, P.G.

Senior Market Leader | Principal

Kathy Webb, who co-founded SynTerra (then known as The Fletcher Group) in 1992, has completed remedial investigations and regulatory compliance projects associated with Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) facilities, state and federal Superfund sites, solid waste landfills, brownfield redevelopment, utility coal combustion residual (CCR) management units, and regulated industrial facilities. She has supported litigation as an expert witness related to chlorinated solvents, metals, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

Kathy is known for her practical assessment strategy with the perspective of the client’s business objectives. She routinely evaluates groundwater corrective action systems for effectiveness and progress toward achieving compliance objectives. She has co-authored a trade journal paper with case studies of low-impact remedial strategies. Kathy is a licensed Professional Geologist in North Carolina and South Carolina.

Mark Taylor, P.G.

Principal

Mark has worked more than 40 years in natural-resource based industries. His expertise includes mine geology and mine engineering, hydrogeologic and geotechnical investigations, solid and hazardous waste management, and regulatory negotiations. He has published peer-reviewed papers about coal geology, ore geochemistry, mineralogy, and solid waste management. He is a leading expert in mining and environmental permitting for litigation support.

Mark is licensed as a Professional Geologist in South Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Washington. He serves on the boards of the Upstate Red Cross and Upstate Forever. He served on the South Carolina Board of Registration for Geologists for six years. Mark holds a Master’s degree in Geological Sciences from The University of Michigan and a Bachelor’s degree in Geological Science from Harvard University.

Andrea Kehn, P.E.

Vice President of Engineering | Principal

Andrea Kehn, leader of our Civil & Environmental Engineering Business Unit, has 28 years of experience in chemical manufacturing and environmental consulting. She leads and supervises staff professionals on multidisciplinary projects for a variety of industrial clients. Andrea’s vast experience and expertise includes: air quality construction and operating permitting; air quality modeling; air permit record-keeping and reporting; Oil Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures (SPCC) and Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plans (SWPPP); NPDES permitting; water quality modeling; process safety management; risk management compliance and auditing; and RCRA compliance.

Andrea is registered as a Professional Engineer in South Carolina. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Michigan Technological University.

Ruth Albright, P.E.

Vice President | Principal

Ruth has led projects for major industrial facilities throughout the Southeast and beyond. She built her knowledge of environmental regulations and their application to manufacturing operations while working for the second largest chemical manufacturing company in the United States. At SynTerra, she has expanded both her knowledge and reputation working for chemical manufacturing operations of all sizes. She has also worked extensively with other manufacturing operations, including pulp and paper, industrial equipment, pharmaceuticals, food, and automotive parts and assembly. Her experience includes air and wastewater permit compliance, solid and hazardous waste management, solid waste construction permitting, hazardous materials transportation, wastewater treatment systems, air pollution control equipment operations and maintenance, and ambient air monitoring systems.

Ruth is a professional engineer registered in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Virginia, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Michigan, Arkansas, and Kentucky. She is an active member of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce Environmental Technical Committee and serves as the chair of the water subcommittee. She has previously served as the program and committee chair for the Greater Greenville Chamber of Commerce Environmental Affairs committee. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Clemson University.