Stantec, a global leader in sustainable design and engineering, has reorganized its Environmental Services (ES) leadership team in the US after successfully integrating three recent acquisitions.
Since 2021, Stantec has acquired select aspects of the North American and Asia Pacific Divisions of Cardno, Cox|McLain Environmental Consulting, Inc. (CMEC), and California-based Paleo Solutions. The three acquisitions are a continuation of Stantec’s commitment to sustainability and its ES Practice.
Susan Reisbord, executive vice president – Environmental Services, said the integration of the three acquisitions and the talents and leadership of the new staff have propelled Stantec to become a major player in the US Environmental Services industry. In just three years, the Stantec ES staff has doubled in the US.
“Whether a client is looking for help with environmental permitting, ecosystem restoration, health sciences, asset transformation, ESG advisory services, or cultural resources, we have the skillset and experience to cover virtually any ES need,” she said. “We have been on the front lines of helping clients solve their climate change, sustainability, and resilience challenges.”
Scott Storlid was named Stantec’s US operations business unit leader. Based in Madison, Wisconsin, Storlid brings 35 years to the ES practice and will lead all business operations for ES in the US. The US integration also involved naming five regional business operations ES leaders, who report to Storlid, to work with clients across the full spectrum of environmental services.
“Our regional business leaders bring an extraordinary amount of skill and experience to our ES business and will help drive solutions for our clients,” Storlid said.
The US regional business leaders are:
West Regional Business Leader Rusty Benkosky: A civil engineer with more than 30 years in the environmental services business, Rusty has worked on projects ranging from hazardous waste clean-up, climate change, the energy transition, and expert witness work. He has successfully led high growth in net revenue and operating income in every role he has had during his career. An experienced account manager, he currently oversees a large utility account in the western US that started as a small client generating $500K annually in net revenue to one of Stantec’s top clients with revenues exceeding $30M in 2022. In addition to being at Stantec for 20 years, Rusty also was a managing partner in a global consulting firm where he also oversaw high growth. He is a licensed engineer in California, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington, and a licensed contractor in California. He has an MBA in executive leadership.
Mountain Regional Business Leader Yasmeen Sultana: Based in Portland, Oregon, Yasmeen’s technical experience includes air quality, greenhouse gas, and ESG. With more than 16 years of experience, Yasmeen serves as a strategic advisor and high-value solutions provider to our clients dealing with emerging and most-pressing climate-related issues. She has been assisting global energy, power, manufacturing, food and beverage, and federal clients with developing their ESG, sustainability, and carbon programs, strategy, and implementation at scale. Prior to joining Stantec six years ago, Yasmeen was a partner at a global environmental consulting firm. At Stantec, she served as the Business Center Operations Leader in her previous role for Northern California and Pacific Northwest geography.
Gulf Coast Regional Business Leader Ashley McLain: Ashley is an AICP-certified environmental planner and expert in National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance for transportation infrastructure. She successfully managed NEPA compliance projects in the southwest for more than 25 years from her base in Austin. Her experience stems from her history assessing environmental impacts of private and public projects with CMEC, where Ashley was president and CEO from 2007 through 2021 when the company joined Stantec.
Great Lakes Regional Business Leader John McInnes: John has more than 30 years of experience characterizing and remediating soil and groundwater contamination for clients throughout the US. He served for five years as Stantec’s National Technical Lead for Remediation, Risk and Industrial Hygiene before transitioning to the Regional Business Leader for the Southeast US (Gulf Coast) from 2021-2022. John continues to serve our clients on critical groundwater remediation projects and takes great pride in delivering the full range of Stantec’s capabilities to drive value and positive outcomes. Based in Indianapolis, John regularly provides litigation support and related services.
East Coast Regional Business Leader Gretchen Thach: With more than 24 years in the environmental services field, Gretchen has guided strategic objectives and connected personnel in support of site assessment and remediation projects across numerous countries on six continents. She has experience in the management and performance of environmental assessments, regulatory compliance, and program management. She has managed projects to reduce her client’s liabilities across the United States, Australia, and Latin America. Gretchen previously led the Assessment and Remediation business at Cardno prior to joining Stantec.
About Stantec
Communities are fundamental. Whether around the corner or across the globe, they provide a foundation, a sense of place and of belonging. That’s why Stantec always designs with community in mind.
Stantec cares about the communities they serve—because they’re their own communities too. This allows us to assess what’s needed and connect the expertise, to appreciate nuances and envision what’s never been considered, to bring together diverse perspectives so Stantec can collaborate towards a shared success.
Stantec is of designers, engineers, scientists, and project managers, innovating together at the intersection of community, creativity, and client relationships. Balancing these priorities results in projects that advance the quality of life in communities across the globe.
Source: Stantec
