Press release

Science and engineering firm SynTerra acquires Duncklee & Dunham.

Posted October 15, 2020

SynTerra Corporation, a science and engineering firm, announced that it has acquired Duncklee & Dunham of Cary, NC. The acquisition gives SynTerra its ninth office across five Southeastern states and increases the company’s staff size to more than 180.

Officials from both companies characterized the transaction as a unification of client-focused firms. Having worked together on projects for more than a year, familiarity and cohesiveness between the two companies already existed, said Steve Precourt, who became SynTerra’s new president in August.

Precourt — an accomplished Professional Engineer, business executive, and former Florida lawmaker — called the acquisition a win-win for both companies. “Having more people in more places, people with similar yet unique skill sets, means we have broader service offerings and can perform with greater responsiveness,” Precourt said. “Due to the vision and hard work of Past President Mark Taylor and Vice Presidents Ruth Albright and Kathy Webb, we are now better positioned to meet the objectives of existing clients and to attract new business nationwide.”

Founded in 1993, SynTerra is employee‐owned. SynTerra engineers, geologists, scientists, and surveyors help clients meet business objectives and address technical challenges. Clients include manufacturers, mining operations, utilities, pulp and paper companies, developers, and government agencies. Capabilities include environmental consulting, water and wastewater design, civil engineering design, air and wetlands permitting, surveying and drone applications, and more. Headquartered in Greenville, SC, SynTerra also has offices in Birmingham, AL, Cary, NC, Charlotte, NC, Hendersonville, NC, Lexington, KY, Pikeville, KY, Tampa, FL, and Tuscaloosa, AL. Learn more about SynTerra at www.synterracorp.com.

Duncklee & Dunham was established in 1996. Its environmental geologists and engineers worked on projects in all 50 states. The firm’s expertise and specialties fall within environmental assessment and remediation; industrial hygiene; and compliance engineering and design. Learn more about Duncklee & Dunham (now operating as SynTerra) at www.dunckleedunham.com.

For more information, send an email to communications@synterracorp.com, and a SynTerra representative will contact you promptly.

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.