On November 1, 1995, Chuck Taylor and I took the leap and started a new company (GT Environmental) to provide consulting services to solid waste management districts and industrial facilities for air permitting and other environmental regulatory issues. We were not very original in the name selection, but the name over the years has signified quality and consistent delivery of services to our clients. We were nervous about succeeding especially since we had young families. Chuck and I had worked for another consulting firm and wanted to make subtle changes to the benefits package we provided to allow employees to control their retirement programs, vest them in their retirement immediately, pay for employee and family health insurance, and always let employees know how the company was performing. We accomplished that and more. For twenty-six years, GT has flourished. Our goal was to make a nice, not extravagant, living and have control over our lives and offer a great place to work for our employees. We wanted to be able to go to our kids’ sporting events and enjoy weekends all while accomplishing and meeting our clients’ needs. For the most, part we have accomplished that and hope the legacy we started will be continued by the team at GT far into the future. The new leadership at GT has been a part of our team since the inception. Ron Hansen joined GT nine months after we started. Jim Skora has been with the company more than seventeen years. Many of our team members have been in the environmental or administrative fields for more than a decade. We cannot adequately thank everyone who is or was a GT associate and client over the years.
So, after 40 years in the environmental and solid waste industry, 26 years managing and operating GT Environmental, Inc., almost a decade at the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, and thirty years as a consultant, I am retiring as a full-time employee and partner. I want to thank many people responsible for my successes especially my family: wife Phyllis and adult children Lauren and Jason. Thank you to the entire team at GT Environmental and all of those who contributed to our success over these many years. Thank you to the clients that put their faith and trust in our team. It has been a great journey which is not over, and I expect to stay connected and keep many of the friendships developed over the years. I would be remiss if I did not mention the decades of relationships built through my activities on the Board of Directors at the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA). Act 2.0 is just beginning, and I look forward to our continued opportunities to work together.
Sincerely,
