Aspect Consulting
Specialty: Earth science engineering, environmental remediation, water resources, geotechnical/engineering technology
Principals: Tim Flynn, president; Doug Hillman, operations manager; Lori Herman, principal hydrogeologist
Founded: 2001
Headquarters: Bainbridge Island
2005 revenues: $4.8 million
Projected 2006 revenues: $5.1 million
Projects: Barbee Mill/Port Quendal, Olympic Sculpture Park, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation site at Seattle Center, ASR feasibility studies in Goldendale and Kennewick
Photo courtesy Aspect Consulting Aspect Consulting conducted a remedial investigation and cleanup of a former dynamite manufacturing plant.
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Active businesses never rest, but it’s nice to hear when no further action is needed. But that bit of encouragement is getting harder to come by these days for environmental engineering firms, as the state tightens up its cleanup requirements.
A “no further action” letter — a determination from the state that a toxic cleanup is complete — is the gold standard for cleanups, said Doug Hillman, a principal at Aspect Consulting.
Yet the state, he said, has made such closure more difficult to attain, pointing out that contaminated soil and groundwater doesn’t necessarily stop at the property line. That worries lenders and property owners, who must watch out for lingering liability issues that could put the kibosh on their plans for the site.
It also poses a challenge for Hillman’s firm, whose remediation work includes the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation site at Seattle Center.
“The end point is evolving,” he said. “The marketplace needs to adjust to that. Lenders are having to adjust to a different endpoint.”
More urban infill
Aspect Consulting, like other environmental firms, has benefitted from the active real estate market.
“Business has really picked up over this point in time last year,” Hillman said, crediting the surge in urban infill projects.
The firm’s range of specialties, in addition to remediation, include water resources and geotechnical engineering.
As an example of its water resources work, Hillman said the firm is conducting aquifer storage and recovery feasibility studies in Kennewick and Goldendale. The firm also offers legal and technical support for lawyers who practice water rights law.
Slow growth
Much of Aspect’s geotechnical work involves coastal landform stabilization projects. The firm is also working on tunneling projects for the Brightwater waste treatment system and Sound Transit.
Despite the upswing in business, the firm, with a staff of 37, hasn’t taken on many more employees.
“Growth is measured,” Hillman said. “We have no plans to double in size.”
In the face of strong competition, the firm likes to emphasize its in-depth expertise rather than its breadth, he said. “That makes us more attractive as teaming partners. We’ve formed a boutique mind-set. That focused approach has served us and our clients well.”