Client Spotlight: Jeremy Kinman, Associate Technical Director for Wilcox Environmental Engineering, Inc.

For Jeremy Kinman, Associate Technical Director for Wilcox Environmental Engineering, Inc., a Midwest-based environmental consulting firm and valued REGENESIS® client, a career path leading to environmental remediation began in his youth, while growing up in rural southern Indiana. “I’ve always been interested in the outdoors,” he says, “and spent most of my youth fishing, hunting, and camping. This paired well with my interest in science, and an appreciation for preserving, protecting, and maintaining the environment-  treating it as a heritage for future generations.” With a BS in Geology from the University of Southern Indiana and a career spanning two decades in the environmental remediation industry, Kinman realizes his work is indeed benefitting our planet, while also providing him with a role that is both rewarding and challenging.  He shares, “I began my tenure at Wilcox as a staff geologist in 2004, after spending four years as a staff geologist for another Indianapolis-based consulting company. One of the more rewarding aspects of my job is being in a position to assist a client with property redevelopment or obtaining an incident closure letter from the state regulatory agency. It’s also rewarding to watch some of our junior staff develop, succeed, and grow professionally.” Throughout his tenure at Wilcox Environmental Engineering, Kinman has risen steadily through the firm’s ranks, starting out initially as a staff geologist working in the field. He continues, “I primarily focused on site assessment, contaminated property management, and remediation. I loved field work (and still do!) and stayed in the field for as long as I could.” Later, he transitioned out of the field into a project manager role and began designing work plans for investigation and remediation activities for projects he directly managed. He shares, “Although different than implementing work plans from a field perspective, I quickly found I enjoyed project management and interacting with clients, property owners, subcontractors, and regulatory personnel.” He was promoted to senior project manager in 2013, and then to his current post of associate technical director just last year.

In his current role, Kinman serves as an operational resource, consultant, and mentor to the firm’s senior project managers, project managers, and staff scientists and provides direct technical oversight on many of the firm’s investigation and remediation projects. He continues, “One of the more enjoyable parts of my position is being able to directly interact and engage with our talented project staff and work with them to solve challenges, while providing customer service to our clients.” He also appreciates the opportunity to help mentor and train staff. He shares, “I enjoy helping our project management staff become better project managers. Part of this includes utilizing a few unique and innovative project management tools to help us track budgets, task status, and stakeholder engagement for our projects.” To stay current on emerging trends and the latest technology in his field, Kinman participates in monthly internal training. He continues, “We refer to it as ‘Wilcox U’, and it includes topics ranging from long-term stewardship to project management best practices and investigation/remediation techniques. Webinars offered by REGENESIS and ITRC are also valuable to help me stay current with environmental advances in the industry. In addition, I attend local investigation and remediation workshops and conferences.” When asked why he enjoys working with REGENESIS, he points to the reliable response and collaborative approach they bring to his project work. “I’ve always enjoyed the turn-key approach to design and implementation that REGENESIS provides,” he says. “Their follow-up data analyses, evaluation, and recommendations are also valuable. REGENESIS’ managers and engineers collaborate well with our project teams to design a remedy that is compatible with our client’s tolerance for risk. Many times, this entails multiple iterations and redesigning the injection plan, and the REGENESIS team is always accommodating.” With regard to specific REGENESIS products and solutions, PlumeStop®, HRC and  3-D® Microemulsion are used most often, and recently the team included BDI® Plus on a pilot test with good results. He explains, “We implemented a permeable reactive barrier in an impacted area down-gradient from a former dry-cleaner site in a residential area using PlumeStop, HRC, and BDI Plus. Implementation was efficient, and the REGENESIS field crew went above and beyond to accommodate nearby residential property owners. Within 30-days of implementation, groundwater concentrations decreased up to 95% in the pilot testing area.”

Residing in Brownsburg, IN, Kinman works out of the Wilcox corporate office, located in nearby Speedway, Indiana, directly across from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “We have a great view of turn 1 from the second floor of our office!” In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his college sweetheart and wife of 20 years, their two kids, and “one energetic yellow Labrador retriever named Zibby.” He also finds time to volunteer with the local Boy Scouts for his son and coaches his daughter’s middle-school lacrosse team. “I’m also the president of the Professional Geologists of Indiana (PGI),” he says. “PGI is a not-for-profit society aimed at promoting the profession of geology and the careers of Licensed Professional Geologists within Indiana.” When asked how he’s seen his industry change over the years, he points to how site risk assessment has evolved. He continues, “The early thinking was that a mechanical remediation system was needed at every site if a concentration of contaminants exceeded a ‘closure level’, regardless if there were any completed exposure pathways. Now, we assess potential exposure risk to receptors by developing a complete understanding of the conceptual site model, and remediation decisions are based primarily on minimizing that risk through remediation, mitigation, and/or property use restrictions.” And how would he encourage others to join in his field of study? He concludes, “Ask questions, work hard, and separate yourself from your peers. In addition, be team-oriented and be willing to pitch-in where needed, and lastly, become a problem-solver or a solution-person.”

REGENESIS is proud to have Jeremy Kinman, Associate Technical Director for Wilcox Environmental Engineering, Inc., as a valued client and partner in environmental remediation, and appreciates his vast experience and dedication in providing successful remediation outcomes for REGENESIS and its clients.