SynTerra Drone Exhibition

Event piques interest, cranes necks, and showcases advantages.

By Karen Prater (Posted October 10, 2019):

Eyes were fixed on the sky above PIkeville, KY, as our state-of-the-art drone took flight under the control of licensed pilots Andy Willis and Gabe Shepherd.

The future is here … in 2019 … in Pikeville, Kentucky.

That thought hit me as SynTerra (formerly ECSI) hosted its Drone Exhibition at Kentucky Enterprise Industrial Park. I apparently wasn’t alone in my realization. Every guest listened intently as Andy Willis and Gabe Shepherd — SynTerra’s licensed drone pilots — discussed advantages of this exciting technology. Andy and Gabe explained how drone applications save time, and they emphasized cost-efficiency. Most importantly, they explained how drones enhance safety.

And they skillfully flew SynTerra’s new state-of-the-art Matrice 210 RTK V2, made by industry-leader DJI. “Awesome” would be an understatement. It was amazing, almost impossible to look away. But I did sneak a glance at the crowd, and all eyes were fixed upward, locked in on our mechanical wonder. Pardon the hyperbole, but the flight really was enchanting.

Back to Earth. Sure, there’s the cool factor. Only a short time ago, drones were the thing of movies — devices of intrigue, or toys of the very elite. But we’ve gone beyond the novelty, and organizations like SynTerra are using drone technology to acquire more data from more places, while enhancing safety. In land surveying, the use of drones saves hours of time while making jobs easier and more cost-efficient. We now have an all-in-one tool. Instead of using theodolites, infrared reflectors, and GPS, land surveyors can now use a drone. With drones, gone are the days when it was necessary to spend countless hours surveying by foot. A drone cuts long field days short, with the same results.

SynTerra uses drones for planning and mapping, inspections, taking photos, grid work, and acquiring data from throughout a property, including rough terrain and hard-to-reach places. Drone mapping provides increased speed and automation that allow SynTerra to safely take on and complete more jobs, on more sites, in less time.

SynTerra uses drones to support project goals, enhance work products, improve results, and reduce risk while maintaining or reducing project costs. With drones, it’s easier and safer to inspect elevated structures such as rooftops and towers, confined spaces such as tanks and tunnels, and large areas such as quarries, landfills, and wastewater systems. SynTerra uses drones to collect data for survey-grade maps and 3D models that support civil engineering projects. And it all can be done in hours on-site instead of days.

We were excited and proud to have hosted the Drone Exhibition and lunch. (Many thanks to the City of Pikeville for letting us use the park.) There’ll be more of these events, for sure. It’s great to be at the forefront of technology, helping clients and potential clients discover safer, more efficient means of achieving their business objectives.

And yes, drones are cool!

Learn more about SynTerra drone capabilities.

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.