Client Spotlight: Amy Roth, Associate Vice President and Senior Geologist at Wilcox & Barton, Inc.

Over the course of her career, Amy Roth, Associate Vice President and Senior Geologist at Wilcox & Barton, Inc., a leading environmental services firm and valued REGENESIS client, has clearly established herself as an expert in the field of environmental remediation. With a background that includes several positions, such as Project Director, Senior Geologist, and Operations Manager, among others, Roth has been exposed to a broad spectrum of the environmental sciences industry, and in the process, has helped shape the continued growth of Wilcox & Barton, Inc. In her current role, Roth manages and provides technical direction for the firm’s Massachusetts-focused environmental scientists and engineers. “I also direct and/or manage larger projects,” she says, “I act as the Licensed Site Professional (LSP) of Record for a wide range of sites and clients.  I enjoy digging into the details of a project and helping people work through the technical and regulatory challenges.”

To prepare for a career in environmental science, Roth earned her undergraduate degrees in Earth & Planetary Science and English Literature while attending Washington University in St. Louis, then followed that with a Master of Science in Geochemistry, also at Washington University. “I really enjoyed my time at Washington University,” she says. “I was initially drawn to the planetary science program and remote sensing teams that work with NASA to develop scientific objectives and select instrumentation for missions. The Magellan Spacecraft, launched as I was graduating from high school, went into orbit around Venus right before my Sophomore year and it was amazing watching the teams analyze the data and imagery based on years of studying earth-analog remote sensing data.”

When asked why she enjoys working with REGENESIS, Roth points to the company’s high level of service. She continues, “I appreciate the full-service approach that REGENESIS provides.  They are experts in the field of remedial additives, and I appreciate being able to rely on that expertise for design, implementation, and evaluation. I also appreciate their willingness to work with us.  We had a project last year that required night work over the course of two weeks in January.  The REGENESIS crew accepted the challenge and came prepared for the weather and ready to work.” As for which REGENESIS products she uses, RegenOx® and ORC Advanced® are two that have performed well at several sites. She particularly likes their low cost and that they can be applied safely in a variety of situations. Roth has used other REGENESIS products as well. She shares, “We recently applied PlumeStop® with HRC™ and BDI® Plus at a chlorinated solvent site to rapidly decrease concentrations in a GW-1 (drinking water) area.  We’ve also applied PersulfOx® at a petroleum site, and we’re currently evaluating REGENESIS’ new carbon-based fluid, PetroFix^® for a petroleum site.”

To stay abreast of the latest trends in remediation, and as a LSP and Professional Geologist, Roth fulfills various continuing education requirements.  “I take at least 16 hours of training per year,” she says. “I also really appreciate the training sessions offered by the Licensed Site Professional Association (LSPA) at our monthly meetings.” Residing in Falmouth, MA, where she lives with her husband and two children, Roth enjoys a variety of family outdoor activities, especially camping and hiking. She adds, “We are lucky enough to live on a pond on the Cape, so we get to spend a lot of time in and around the water.  In April we are travelling to Utah to hike in the national parks and then ski for a few days.”  She also spends time volunteering as a member of the Solid Waste Advisory Committee, which tackles issues of solid waste and recycling, as well as waste minimization and litter reduction. When asked about the future goals of Wilcox & Barton, Inc., she points to the firm’s commitment to expanding its services throughout the region. She explains, “We want to continue expanding our environmental, civil, and geotechnical services throughout New England.  We have experienced steady revenue and staffing growth, nearly doubling in size over the past 5 years.  Given our work-from-home model, we tend to favor self-directed and efficient professionals, so our growth is more deliberate. That said, we also know it is important to maintain our core identity as a highly-responsive and flexible group of scientists and engineers that partner with individuals and teams to move projects forward.”

When asked what she thinks the future holds for environmental remediation, she feels the industry is definitely evolving. She continues, “We have seen the practice evolve from focused cleanup of releases to soil and groundwater, to larger-scale considerations. One example is understanding the complex ways in which releases to the environment impact indoor air, managing the underlying impact of ubiquitous historical fill, and evaluating the community impacts of persistent chemicals that were widely used.”  She also appreciates the opportunity to address various challenges associated with our environment. She shares, “The most rewarding part of my job is solving difficult problems.  Sometimes those problems are technical in nature, like trying to understand contradictory and changing indoor air data, and sometimes they are logistical, like wrapping remedial activities around a fast-moving construction project.” And the most challenging aspect of her work? “My most challenging experiences have been trying to help people understand the significant environmental exposures they have at home or at work. For example, explaining to a pregnant resident that the air in her home exceeds an Imminent Hazard level, or telling a room full of community members that the soil in their backyards and playgrounds has naturally-occurring arsenic concentrations that exceed risk standards.” To help encourage those who might be interested in joining her field of study, Roth suggests one should be prepared to get involved with details, and have an appreciation for variety. She concludes, “Environmental consulting is a great field for the hands-on scientist or engineer.  Between the contaminants, the impacted media, the property details, and the people involved, each site is different.  This industry also offers constant variety – you have the opportunity to work outside in the field, inside at a desk, in groups, alone, in emergency situations, and on projects that develop slowly over many years.  One day you are in a hardhat and boots in the mud, the next you are 20 stories above Boston Harbor in a suit!”

REGENESIS is proud to have Amy Roth, Associate Vice President and Senior Geologist at Wilcox & Barton, Inc., as a valued client and partner in environmental remediation, and appreciates her deep experience and diverse contributions in providing successful remediation outcomes for REGENESIS and its clients.