SynTerra welcomes a new president after nationwide search

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Business executive Travis Waters is SynTerra’s new president.

Posted July 14, 2022

GREENVILLE, SC — SynTerra Corp., a science and engineering consulting firm, announced today that Travis Waters is the company’s new president.

SynTerra has made significant efforts to streamline business operations over the past couple of years. Today, the firm has approximately 100 employees and five offices in three states with the ability to serve clients nationwide.

Ruth Albright, Vice President at SynTerra, expressed her excitement about Waters’ onboarding. “We are delighted that Travis Waters has joined the SynTerra Management team as President of SynTerra,” Albright said. “We look forward to a great future with Travis leading the company to grow services and locations to serve our clients.”

The Board of Directors searched nationwide for top-tier candidates who shared the same vision and values as the company. “I am both humbled and excited about the opportunity to help this great organization further expand and grow to become the premier environmental and engineering consulting firm in the Southeast,” said Waters.

Waters, who has led companies in sales, marketing, and business operations for the past 20 years, is experienced in attracting new business segments and negotiating strategic contracts. Waters has managed multi-million dollar global accounts and has developed key business verticals with revenue exceeding $900 million. Waters also brings an entrepreneurial spirit; he has succeeded in several business ventures of his own.

Waters has given back to his community over the years through volunteer work. He served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors at the Big Brothers Big Sisters Foundation and volunteered as a driver for Meals on Wheels America.

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 Cary, NC, Charlotte, NC, Lexington, KY, and Pikeville, KY. Learn more about SynTerra at www.synterracorp.com.

Kathy Webb, P.G.

Senior Market Leader | Principal

Kathy, a founder of SynTerra (previously 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 also co-authored a trade journal paper with case studies of low-impact remedial strategies. Kathy is a licensed Professional Geologist in North 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, 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.