As a leader in environmental risk management, we continually develop new methods to meet changing regulatory climates and share our successes with clients and the industry.
Press Releases
04/2013: Chief Operating Officer Speaks to Environmental Science Students/ Pete Capponi, Chief Operating Officer, spoke to Environmental Science students at Berry College in Rome, GA on Friday, April 19. He discussed the daily work of the consulting field and potential career opportunities in the environmental field.
03/2013: Spear Joins as Regional Director of Engineering and Compliance / Consulting Professional to Serve Industrial, Commercial Clients: Scott C. Spear, REM, CEA, REPA, RHCMM, a highly accomplished senior environmental manager with more than 30 years of experience in the industrial and transportation sectors, has joined GaiaTech as Regional Director. Spear has spent a large portion of his career providing high level EH&S management guidance to senior level executives for major manufacturing companies on an international level. His expertise includes risk management, EH&S integration, remediation project management and oversight throughout the United States, Eastern Europe, the U.K. and Mexico. He is skilled in emergency response, hazardous waste management, Phase II environmental investigations, corrective action, remediation and closure oversight. Spear holds certifications as a Registered Environmental Manager, Certified Environmental Auditor, Registered Environmental Property Assessor and Registered Hazardous Chemicals & Materials Manager. He has also served as the Executive Chair of the Exams Committee for the National Registry of Environmental Professionals for the past 17 years. Spear also invented and holds a U.S. patent for a Vacuum Boost device, used for on/offshore drilling, marine, mining, emergency response and waste management sectors. For more information about Engineering Services; please contact one of the following professionals:Peter Capponi, Chief Operating Officer, pcapponi@gaiatech.com, (404) 809-3865 or Scott Spear, Regional Director, sspear@gaiatech.com, (469) 385-1600, ext. 248.
03/2013: Chief Operating Officer Presents on Transactional Due Diligence at Atlanta Bar Association / Peter Capponi, Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President of Markets at GaiaTech, participated as a guest speaker at, “The Relationship Between Lawyer, Client and Environmental Consultant,” seminar hosted by the Atlanta Bar Association Environmental & Toxic Tort Section on March 8th. Mr. Capponi presented on “The Relationship between Lawyer, Client and Environmental Consultant in Transaction Due Diligence,” with Douglas Cloud, a Partner at Mowrey Meezan Coddington Cloud LLP. Their presentation focused on critical lessons learned on transactional relationships including the importance of maintaining confidentiality through contacts and disclosures, professionalism, and the benefit of sale-side diligence in each unique deal. They further explained the importance of building a team of lawyers, clients, and environmental consultants that respect and communicate with one another and understand the importance of meeting deadlines, exit strategies, developing appropriate scopes of services and competitive proposals, and anticipating a mechanism for handling the unexpected typically found in deals. The seminar was held at King & Spalding in Atlanta and was open to environmental law and consulting professionals. The Atlanta Bar Association is the largest voluntary bar association in the southeast with a membership of over 6,000 members from twelve counties throughout the metro Atlanta region.
03/2013: GaiaTech Awarded a Contract with Nexant Inc. / GaiaTech was recently awarded a contract with Nexant Inc. to participate as a qualified service provider in support of a new energy program funded by two Chicago-area utility companies. Nicor (natural gas) and ComEd (Electricity) have joined together to sponsor a program called “Process Heating Efficiency” which will target the top 10% process heating energy users in the utilities service area for energy conservation and efficiency measures. As a qualified service provider, GaiaTech will conduct detailed energy assessments for manufacturing companies, identify short payback measures to reduce energy usage, and then verify the savings after recommendations have been implemented. For more information, please contact Roman Lis: rlis@gaiatech.com, (312) 262-4352.
03/2013: Menter Joins as Director, Commercial Real Estate / Consulting Professional to Serve Industrial and Commercial Clientele: Jeffrey D. Menter, a highly accomplished senior environmental professional with more than 20 years of diversified experience, has joined GaiaTech as a Director in our Commercial Real Estate Group. Mr. Menter is a Certified Environmental Consultant (CEC) and Certified Air Quality Specialist (CAQS). Additional certifications include OSHA 40-Hour HAZWOPER trained Supervisor; U.S. EPA/AHERA Accredited Asbestos Building Inspector, Management Planner and Supervisor; and Air Sampling Professional. He holds state asbestos licenses in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, Wisconsin and Virginia. Mr. Menter has spent his career leading complex asbestos management projects (AHERA/NESHAP surveys and abatement monitoring/oversight) for school districts, commercial, industrial, and multi-family facilities in accordance with applicable OSHA, U.S. EPA, state, and local requirements. His due diligence expertise spans an abundance of multi-faceted real estate transactions including performance/management of over 4,000 Phase I ESAs; ACM, LBP, Radon, Mold and IAQ surveys; and Phase II Site Investigations incorporating Corrective Action, Remediation and Regulatory Closure. To learn more about GaiaTech's Commercial Real Estate Group, please contact one of the following professionals: Paul Temcio, Vice President, Real Estate & Facilities, ptemcio@gaiatech.com, (312) 262-4372 or Jeffrey Menter, Director of Commercial Real Estate, jmenter@gaiatech.com, (312) 262-4325.
03/2013: Your Boiler and Emergency Generators are Subject to a New EPA National Emissions Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP), GaiaTech can help you navigate the new Rules and satisfy the requirements. / EPA has adopted a new rule requiring facilities with boilers and emergency generators to comply with specific work practice standards to reduce harmful toxic air emissions. GaiaTech specializes in evaluations of the affected combustion sources and recommendations to achieve compliance. Addressing non-compliance and aligning your facility with the new rule avoids unnecessary regulatory scrutiny, potential violations and/or fines. We also identify potential capital expenditures associated with compliance that could affect a borrower's liquidity or the market value of the asset. Work practice standards are measures designed to reduce potentially harmful emissions from operating combustion units. These include permitting; conducting energy assessments, tune-ups, inspections and repairs; and providing timely submittals and notifications for the EPA or State regulating body. The new rule requires facility management to evaluate and demonstrate efficiency and appropriate operations of control technology rather than actual testing, sampling or monitoring of emissions. The upside is lowering operating costs associated with fuel consumption can improve the bottom line and make you more competitive.The new SBA SOP 50 57 is effective Friday, March 1, 2013. Facilities with Hazardous Substances will require a Compliance Audit conducted in accordance with ASTM 2107-06. An applicability review of the new NESHAP should be considered when conducting diligence. We have the technical expertise and ability to address both the new SOP and the new NESHAP Rule either in conjunction with a Phase I or as a separate diligence effort. For more information on the SBA SOP 50 57 Compliance Audit requirement, the new boiler and emergency generator standards or other compliance or training services, contact:Paul Temcio, Vice President, (312) 262-4372 ptemcio@gaiatech.com or Stephany Lane, Director, (312) 262-4350 slane@gaiatech.com
02/2013: Looking to Reduce Process Heating Costs for Your Industrial Facility? GaiaTech can help by showing you how to increase energy efficiency / As part of its expanding energy services, GaiaTech has been selected by two Chicago-area utilities to provide expert energy analysis to industrial facilities. ComEd (electric utility) and Nicor Gas have teamed up to sponsor a program called, "Process Heating Efficiency" to reduce energy usage at facilities that use relatively high amounts of energy. For facilities that qualify for the program, GaiaTech will provide a comprehensive process heating study including the identification of energy efficiency measures (EEMs) and a detailed financial analysis. Just as importantly, the entire cost of the comprehensive study is fully-funded by ComEd and Nicor Gas-valued at up to $100,000. In addition to identifying EEMs, GaiaTech will also verify energy cost saving after implementation using process measurements, data loggers, and engineering calculations. The goal of the Process Heating Efficiency program is to identify low cost or no cost energy efficiency measures that have a payback period 0 to 18 months. In addition to receiving a free energy study, qualified facilities are also eligible to receive financial incentives (7 cents per annual kilowatt-hour, and $1 per annual therms saved) to pay for any capital investment associated with the agreed-on EEMs. A Process Heating Efficiency Study comprises the following three phases: Phase I - A preliminary energy audit is conducted at the facility to identify potential EEMs for consideration Phase II - A detailed energy audit is conducted to develop an accurate financial analysis and EEMs are finalized.Phase III - Following the implementation of selected EEMs, cost savings are verified. Industrial facilities that have significant energy usage outside of process heating or significant costs from wastewater operations can take advantage of GaiaTech's expertise in these areas as well. Consult one of GaiaTech's process optimization experts regarding successful projects at other facilities. For more information on the Process Heating Efficiency program or other energy services, contact: Roman Lis, Certified Energy Manager, (312) 262-4352 rlis@gaiatech.com or Lisa Bongiovanni, PE, Vice President, (312) 262-4326 lbongiovanni@gaiatech.com
02/2013: GaiaTech Provides Successful Environmental Review for Multiple Portfolio Facilities / Last year, GaiaTech conducted environmental reviews for several large gasoline conglomerates. GaiaTech was retained to analyze risk through lease agreements on gasoline stations and convenience stores that had historical issues with underground storage tanks. These desktop reviews included a review of documents and information provided by the conglomerate, phone interviews with their corporate team members, a review of environmental database reports for each facility provided by Environmental Database Resources (EDR), and searches of other publicly and privately available online environmental databases.
GaiaTech reviewed several facilities in regions across the United States. These reviews identified nearly half of the sites had open release incidents in various stages of remediation. Additionally, GaiaTech identified high risk portfolio-wide potential for future releases based on the old age of the underground storage systems at most of the sites. Despite this information, GaiaTech was able to determine that all but a few of the company’s open releases had a number of layers of protection from responsibility for the ongoing cleanups.
GaiaTech was able to provide a most likely case and reasonable worst case scenario for the conglomerate’s current exposures. As a result, they were able to secure their real estate loan with their bank.
For more information, please contact: Paul Temcio, Senior Vice President. (312) 262-4371. ptemcio@gaiatech.com
01/2013: Regulatory Filing Deadlines for 2012 Year-End / As in past years, GaiaTech stands ready to assist our industry clients in ensuring compliance with up coming regulatory deadlines for Tier II, Form R and Air Emissions Reports for reporting year 2012. State and local authorities expect these reports to be both timely and complete; so now is a good time to prepare your data for any such reports that apply to your entity. These could include:
Tier II Form: Year 2012 Reporting Deadline is March 1, 2013 Facilities covered by EPCRA Section 312 must submit an emergency and hazardous chemical inventory form to their Local Emergency Planning Committee, the State Emergency Response Commission, and their local fire department.
Air Emissions Report: Year 2012 Reporting Deadline. Under the Clean Air Act (CAA), EPA limits the quantity of air pollutants throughout the U.S. Facilities with air emissions must submit an annual air emissions summary report to quantify those emissions. (Note: Deadlines vary by state.)
Form R Reports: Year 2012 Reporting Deadline is July 1, 2013.Under Section 313 of EPCRA, certain businesses must report each year on the amounts of covered chemicals their facilities released into the environment. (Note: Form R Reports can be filed early in 2013.)
GaiaTech assists many clients in addressing regulatory compliance programs and permitting. We can help you identify reporting requirements for operations or portfolio assets, answer questions about the applicability of the reporting requirements to your facility, and assist you in completing the reports.
01/2013: Dallas Operation Relocates to New Office / Effective immediately, GaiaTech's Dallas operation has relocated to new facilities.
Please update your contact information with our new address: GaiaTech, Inc., 122 W. John Carpenter Freeway, Suite 430, Irving, TX 75039. Our telephone and fax numbers remain the same: Tel. (469) 385-1600 and Fax (469) 385-1599. Questions? Need someone's contact information? Call Michael Gorman at: (469) 385-1600 or e-mail him at: mgorman@gaiatech.com.
11/2012: Understanding the Clear Air Act: Vice President of Air Quality Services to Speak at Conference / Chris Blume, Vice President of Air Quality Services at GaiaTech will be instructing and speaking at the 2012 Air Quality Management Conference sponsored by the Air and Waste Management Association (AWMA). On November 14, Mr. Blume will be co-instructing the Clean Air Act Primer training course which is geared for environmental professionals seeking a better understanding of the Clean Air Act, with special Title III air toxics and Title V permitting. On November 15, Chris will be participating in the regulatory update panel and presenting on broadly applicable, new area source NESHAPs. The conference will cover new and evolving topics important to a diverse array of environmental professionals from industry, government, environmental services and the legal community. Details about this timely and informative event can be found at: lmawma.org
For questions or more information regarding GaiaTech's Air Quality Management capabilities or to learn more about the 2012 Air Quality Management Conference, please contact: Christopher Blume, P.E., (312) 262-4371, cblume@gaiatech.com.
10/2012: GaiaTech Hikes Out to New Denver Office: New Office Offers Further Expansion Into the West / GaiaTech has recently re-opened a satellite office in Denver, Colorado, as we continue to deepen our presence in the western U.S. and continue to invest in valuable client relationships. Don R. Smith, CHMM, Senior Project Advisor, experienced in transactional diligence, environmental compliance and site investigation/remediation programs and formerly in our Chicago office, will be leading our Denver activities ,on Due Diligence, Mergers & Acquisitions, and Marketing. In addition to due diligence and acquisition support, Mr. Smith has experience to lead environmental compliance, site investigation and remediation programs. GaiaTech looks forward to meeting our client's needs in the western U.S. and continuing our expansion across the country and around the globe.
If you would like more information or have any questions, please contact: Don R. Smith, CHMM, GaiaTech, Inc., P.O. Box 22281, Denver, Colorado 80222-0281, (312) 607-0781, dsmith@gaiatech.com.
09/2012: Updated ADA Accessibility Guidelines: New Requirements for your Facilities / As of March 15, 2012, the Department of Justice has amended its regulation implementing Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which applies to public accommodations including private businesses and commercial facilities. Under the adoption of the 2010 ADA Standard for Accessible Design, the Department has adopted revised design standards that include the relevant chapters of the Access Board's 2004 ADA/ABA Accessibility Guidelines as modified by specific provisions of this rule. The accessibility guidelines issued under the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) primarily address facilities in the Federal sector and others designed, built, altered, or leased with Federal funds. The final ruling on Title III went in to effect on March 15, 2011, but as of this past March 15, 2012, compliance with the 2010 Standards is required for new construction of a facility as well as alterations and barrier removal. GaiaTech's Real Estate and Facilities division routinely performs ADA assessments and consulting services for large, national retailers and other facilities. Our team consists of a dedicated group of real estate specialists who advise and offer services specifically tailored for real estate owners and property managers.
08/2012: Manager of Compliance Services and Air Quality Spoke at Environmental Conference / Todd Cloud, Manager of Compliance Services and Air Quality at GaiaTech, participated as a guest speaker at the 7th Annual Georgia Environmental Conference in Savannah, GA on August 23. Mr. Cloud took part in a panel entitled Clean Air Act Regulatory Update, examining recent developments with respect to Clean Air Act Compliance in terms of litigation, permitting, and enforcement. Topics Mr. Cloud discussed included the GHG Tailoring Rule, proposed changes to the Start-up, Shut-down, and Malfunction (SSM) provisions of the Georgia SIP, area source NESHAP implementation, and the challenges presented by the recent revisions to the SO2 and NO2 NAAQS. The conference was open to environmental experts who are committed to sustainability and was well attended. The Georgia Environmental Conference is the state's largest and most comprehensive educational opportunity on today's environmental programs.
05/2012: US EPA's Jencius Presents on Air Emissions / On May 11, GaiaTech hosted a training seminar relating to EPA's ongoing enforcement protocols for air emissions violations. Mickey Jencius of the EPA's Region 5 discussed enforcement priorities, inspection protocols, and the compliance process, from inspection to NOV issuance to settlement.
04/2012: GaiaTech Hosts Seminar on GHG Tailoring Rule, April 10, 2012 / GaiaTech has joined forces with leading environmental law firm Mowrey Meezan Coddington & Cloud LLC to offer a seminar on EPA's newly issued final tailoring rule. "GHG TAILORING RULE: WHAT DO WE DO NOW?" will review the new rules and their implications, including with regard to BACT and facilities permitting. City Club of Buckhead, Atlanta Financial Center, 8:00 am to 11:00 am on Tuesday, April 10, 2012. To learn more, click here.
05/2011: GaiaTech Appoints Peter J. Capponi as Senior Vice President / APeter Capponi, a senior environmental engineer with more than 25 years of experience in environmental engineering and health and safety management, has joined GaiaTech as a senior vice president. Peter, who specializes in program management, project execution and strategy development, and has been responsible for account and client relationship management for Fortune 500 companies, will split his time between our offices in Atlanta and Chicago. See Peter's bio.
01/2011: GaiaTech Prepares Clients for 2010 Year-End Tier II, Form R, Emissions Deadlines / Again this year, GaiaTech is assisting its industry clients in ensuring compliance with regulatory filings for Tier II, Form R and Air Emissions Reports for reporting year 2010.
01/2011: Lisa Bongiovanni to Lead Liability Management & Compliance / Effective January 1, 2011, GaiaTech has appointed Lisa A. Bongiovanni as vice president of the firm's Liability Management and Compliance Services team. Bongiovanni joined GaiaTech as a senior environmental consultant in 2007, and in her new role is responsible for managing site remediation and compliance projects in our transactions group. Click here.
08/2010: In Memoriam David Michael Pasquinelli / David M. Pasquinelli, a Senior Vice President at GaiaTech since September 1, 2000 and a greatly respected member of the company, passed away on Wednesday afternoon, August 18, 2010. He was 58. Dave was an excellent environmental engineer, an important member of GaiaTech's management team, and a friend to us all. He will be greatly missed by his colleagues, clients, and friends. More.
04/2008: ADA Access Guidelines in Review / A new proposed revision to the Access Guidelines mandated under the American Disabilities Act of 1990 is in the final stages of being updated by the United States Access Board. In December of 2007, the U.S. Department of Justice submitted a notice to update its ADA standards for administration review. The new guidelines will affect the path of travel, parking, restrooms and life safety elements of both existing and new construction and may have an impact on an existing facility's compliance status. If approved within typical timeframes, the notice may be published for public comment in April 2008. Learn more.
11/2007: GaiaTech's Blume Keynotes Air Quality Management Conference / GaiaTech's Chris Blume, a specialist in Air Quality Management and the current Chairman of the Lake Michigan States section of the Air & Waste Management Association, was the keynote speaker introducing the 2007 Air Quality Management Conference on Nov. 2. The meeting focused on the Clean Air Act, especially Title III - Air Toxics, and Title V - Clean Air Permitting.
03/2007: GaiaTech Appoints New Experienced Professional / GaiaTech recently announced the hiring of a new senior professional. George A. Mileskiy is an EHS professional with broad experience in domestic and international projects, including leading due diligence in M&A transactions and optimizing exits, managing global compliance audit programs and needs assessments, management systems development, and in regulatory and business impact evaluations on the use of chemicals and hazardous materials. George was for nine years the director for environmental management and regulatory oversight for a leading Tier-One automotive components manufacturer. He is based in Chicago and Detroit.
06/2006: GaiaTech's Courcier Addresses FASB, SOX, & Reporting Liabilities / Taken together, new FASB standards and SOX regulations significantly alter environmental reporting requirements, including on certain previously undisclosed liabilities for cleanup obligations associated with environmentally impacted property. GaiaTech's CFO Steve Courcier addressed these new requirements at a seminar on June 8, from 8:00 am to 10:30 am, at the Union League Club of Chicago. Contact the Air & Waste Management Association: robin@lmawma.org.
05/2006: GaiaTech CFO Courcier Presents on FIN 47 / FASB Interpretation No. 47, which takes effect for public and non-public companies in 2006, proposes to revolutionize the financial reporting of environmental liabilities. Steve Courcier, GaiaTech's CFO, is presenting at a national conference on FASB Interpretation No. 47, held in New York City on May 18-19, 2006. Courcier's presentation focuses on the implications for financial reporting of environmental issues, addressing approaches for estimating and disclosing environmental liabilities and AROs.
11/2005: GaiaTech Moves Dallas Office to New, Larger Facility / GaiaTech moves its Dallas operation to new expanded offices in Irving, Texas.
09/2005: Newton, Pasquinelli Co-Author Article in M&A: The Dealmakers' Journal / GaiaTech's Phil Newton and David Pasquinelli were invited to submit a feature article on environmental due diligence for equity and strategic buyers. The article was published in the September issue of Mergers & Acquisitions: The Dealmakers' Journal.
