SynTerra now has 2 offices in Kentucky

SynTerra and ECSI become one science and engineering consulting firm

Press release (Posted Jan. 29, 2019):

“Having more locations, personnel, and service offerings means we can offer our clients broader capabilities and greater responsiveness,” SynTerra President Mark Taylor said.

GREENVILLE, SC — Officials from SynTerra Corporation and ECSI, LLC, announced that they have combined their operations. The two companies officially became one science and engineering consulting firm operating as SynTerra on Monday, January 28.

Characterizing the transaction as a unification of client-focused firms, officials of the combined company emphasize that the operations are “still the same.” They say the expanded company is ideally suited to serve clients throughout the eastern United States.

SynTerra — with headquarters in Greenville and existing offices in Charlotte, NC, and Birmingham, AL — now also has offices in Lexington, KY, and Pikeville, KY. The Lexington, KY, office of Bowser-Morner, Inc., also became part of SynTerra in the transaction.

“Having more locations, personnel, and service offerings means we can offer our clients broader capabilities and greater responsiveness,” SynTerra President Mark Taylor said. “This is such a natural fit. From Day One, we approached this as an opportunity to strengthen our firms to better meet the business objectives of our clients. We’ve been doing a lot of planning together, and we have been functioning as a team for months — now it’s official.”

Steve Gardner, President and CEO of ECSI, expressed similar sentiment. “From my first meeting with Mark, I had a good feeling about the fit between SynTerra and ECSI,” Gardner said. “Our experience, culture, and vision for the future were in sync. With ECSI recently acquiring the geotechnical capabilities of the Bowser-Morner Lexington office, our combined groups can now offer a complete engineering and science-based package. Everyone at ECSI is excited about the opportunities this partnership brings.”

SynTerra covers a full range of scientific disciplines in conjunction with process, civil, mining, and geotechnical engineering. SynTerra provides services to the electric utility, forest products, mining and minerals processing, manufacturing, site development, chemicals, and government market sectors.

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.