Jan 19, 1999

Hart Crowser broadens its base

SEATTLE -- Hart Crowser, a national environmental consulting and remediation design firm with headquarters in Seattle, has hired staff in remediation engineering and relocated one of its specialists in sediment toxicology. It is part of a concerted effort to add depth and strength to the company's services. But this is also a new era at the company for another reason: Founder Ron Hart has retired, and been bought out of the firm. Ron Crowser is now president and CEO. As for the new faces, Matt Schultz has joined the firm as a senior associate remediation engineer. Formerly of Foster Wheeler Environmental Corp., he most recently managed a multi-site remediation program for the U.S. Navy. In his first assignment at Hart Crowser, he managed remediation of a former steel yard brownfield in Ballard prior to its redevelopment as a Fred Meyer store. In the firm's Portland office, Taku Fuji, a sediment toxicologist, will perform sediment quality assessments and risk assessments at hazardous waste sites. Fuji previously worked in the Seattle office of Hart Crowser for about three years. Prior to that he worked as a risk assessor for the state of New Jersey's Division of Hazardous Site Mitigation. Chuck Whittlesey, Hart Crowser's principal in charge of industrial services in Seattle, said Schultz's hiring reflects the firm's desire to provide a broader selection of program managers -- partly in response to requests from the Navy. "It's more of a bolstering and qualitative increase," he said. Whittlesey added that the firm is doing well in all five of its core business areas. Services range from due diligence to remediation design and geotechnical surveys. "We're projecting a little over 20 percent growth in our company [this year]," said Whittlesey. "We are meeting those projections now." The firm's strongest business segment is industrial -- particularly brownfield redevelopment -- followed by ports and harbors, real estate development, federal projects and mining. Locally, the firm is working on the new major league ballpark and King Street Station in Seattle, the third runway at Sea-Tac Airport, Navy shipyards, the Starwood Hotel and Bellevue development projects.

Get ready now for GLOBE 2000

VANCOUVER, B.C. -- It's already time to start thinking about GLOBE 2000, an environmental conference and trade fair to be held in Vancouver from March 22 to 24, 2000. The conference will highlight business responses to the risks of climate change; innovations in clean industrial technologies; financial markets and environmental business; international markets for environmental solutions; and corporate environmental strategies. The trade show will feature 400 exhibitors, ranging from water supply and wastewater technology to information systems and environmental management services. Some 10,000 people are expected to attend. For more information, call (604) 775-7300 or e-mail. Or see the Web site.

Environmental Partners is certified

BELLEVUE -- Environmental Partners, Inc., an environmental consulting and engineering firm, has received certification as a small disadvantaged business from the U.S. Small Business Administration. The company has been operating for nine years and has offices in Bellevue, Fairfield, N.J. and Santa Ana, Calif.

Ecology wants a few good recyclers

OLYMPIA -- The state Department of Ecology is seeking applicants for its annual waste prevention, reduction and recycling awards. The department will grant six awards to governments, businesses, groups and individuals who not only performed well in waste reduction and recycling, but who also demonstrated innovative approaches and outreach efforts during 1998. The awards will be given to the best small business program (under 100 employees); best large business program (over 100 employees); best federal facility; best small government program (population under 75,000); best large government program (population over 75,000); and special recognition for achievement. Applications can be found in Ecology's regional offices or on the department's Web page, http://www.wa.gov/ecology/swfa/recycle/recycleaward.html. The deadline for applications is March 12. Awards will be issued May 4.

Be a sensitive-areas person

SEATTLE -- King County's Department of Development and Environmental Services will present a class on the Sensitive Areas Code on Jan. 28 and 29. Tuition is $95 and includes a field trip. For real estate agents and appraisers who need continuing-education credits, the course is worth 15 credit hours at a cost of $119. For more information call Barbara Questad, King County Land Use Services Division, (206) 296-7149.

Crown Jewel Mine gets Ecology water permit

CHESAW -- The state Department of Ecology last week approved a water-quality certification for the Crown Jewel Mine, a mammoth project proposed by Battle Mountain Gold Co. and Crown Resources. The open-pit mine would be located about three miles northeast of Chesaw, Okanogan County. It would operate 24 hours a day for about 10 years, including construction, operation and shutdown. Each day the mine would process about 3,000 tons of ore while employing about 144 people. Gold would be extracted with conventional milling and cyanide leaching. Ecology's water permit was issued pursuant to Section 401 of the federal Clean Water Act. It requires that an applicant for federal water-quality-related permits first receive certification from the state that the construction, operation, closure and reclamation of the project would meet the state's aquatic protection standards. In the case of the Crown Jewel Mine, the 401 certification is required before the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers can issue a permit to fill and/or excavate 3.76 acres of wetlands on the site. Battle Mountain Gold Co. has previously obtained permits governing air quality, water quality, fish habitat, surface reclamation, facility construction, zoning and public health. Still pending is a waste-discharge permit from Ecology and a surface mine reclamation permit from the state Department of Natural Resources.

Click on shipyard pollution prevention

SEATTLE -- The Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention Resource Center has posted four reports on shipyard waste reduction at its Web site, http://www.pprc.org/pprc/sbap/ship.html. The reports evolved from roundtable discussions the PPRC held with Northwest shipyards over the past two years. They cover paint removal, antifoulants and coatings, sandblasting and grit disposal, and best management practices for a variety of routine shipyard functions. For more information, contact Chris Wiley, PPRC industry outreach specialist, at (206) 2231151.

Find opportunity in global warming

SEATTLE -- On Friday, Jan. 29, the American Cultural Exchange will present a conference entitled "Business Solutions for Global Warming." With speakers from the state, the University of Washington, Seattle City Light, the Environmental Protection Agency, elected representatives, consultants and alternative-energy technology providers, the conference promises food for thought and ideas for business development. The cost is $100 per person. The conference will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at McCormick & Schmick's Harborside, 1200 Westlake N., Seattle. For information or reservations call Connie Bain, (206) 217-9644. Jon Savelle is the Journal's environment editor. He can be contacted at (206) 622-8272.

Northwest Power Planning Council

Retired Potlatch Corp. executive Todd Maddock was elected chairman of the Northwest Power Planning Council. He replaces John Etchart of Montana, who held the post for three years but did not seek re-election. The council is charged with mitigating and enhancing fish and wildlife affected by the region's dams while assuring an adequate supply of affordable electricity.

Virginia Mason Medical Center

Mary McGann, M.P.H., M.S.W., has joined the Virginia Mason Medical Center as project manager of the Office of Value Assessment. McGann has over nine years of experience in health services research performed at a variety of clinical and academic institutions, including the University of Washington, the University of Michigan and the Seattle VA Hospital.

TPC at Snoqualmie Ridge

The Tournament Players Course Snoqualmie Ridge, a Snoqualmie golf club scheduled to open June 1, has sold out of first-phase memberships. Second-phase memberships are now being offered. For more information, contact Jo Powell, director of membership, at (425) 396-5055.

WUTC

Marilyn Showalter, a senior policy advisor to Gov. Gary Locke on energy and telecommunications, has been named by Locke to chair the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission. She replaces Anne Levinson who resigned the chair to become a judge in Seattle Municipal Court.

Starbucks

Starbucks has opened a store in the World Trade Center at 2200 Alaskan Way, across from Pier 66, its second waterfront location in Seattle. Fernando Martinez, district manager for downtown Seattle, said the store would serve waterfront businesses as well as residents of the neighborhood and expose foreign visitors to the brand.