The following is excerpted from Evansville Business Magazine, February/March 2014 issue, p.42
Making a Difference
Wilcox Environmental Engineering poised to expand its Evansville presence
By Emily Patton | www.evansvillebusiness.com
In 2014, Wilcox Environmental Engineering is celebrating 20 years of making a difference. The full-service environmental consulting and engineering firm based in Indianapolis, also is making a positive impact in Evansville.
After many years of servicing a variety of commercial, industrial, and local governmental clients throughout the area, Wilcox decided in 2008 to open an office in Evansville. The office, located at 318 Main St., Suite 218, was established shortly thereafter and now has three fulltime employees, and is actively looking for more. The Evansville office staff is supported by the Wilcox team of 45 employees in Fort Wayne, Ind., Birmingham, Ala., and Newark, Del.
“The city has a strong track record of development and renewal and has a good business climate,” says Jim King, Vice President of Operations at Wilcox. “We’ve been pleased with the growth of the office and grateful for the way our services and capabilities have been received throughout the Tri-State area.”
The company, formerly known as Astbury Environmental Engineering, was founded in 1994 by Steve Wilcox and Dan Astbury. Wilcox assumed the role of President and CEO in 2004 and became the exclusive owner of the firm in August 2011.
Wilcox currently has a variety of projects underway in Evansville through its three service divisions. The Investigation and Remediation Services Division investigates and cleans up soil, groundwater, and contaminant vapor contamination. The Industrial Compliance Services Division provides air permitting, Phase I environmental site assessments, asbestos and lead paint inspections and testing, environmental health and safety consulting, employee safety training, storm water permitting, and pollution prevention planning. Wilcox’s third service group, the Air Analysis Services Division, performs emissions (stack) testing to assist businesses in complying with their emissions permits.
One of Wilcox’s largest projects is assisting the City of Evansville with demolishing the former Swanson-Nunn Electric Co. building at 420 S.E. Eighth St., which is currently scheduled to be completed by the end of April. The oldest part of the 34,000-square-foot, two-story brick building may have been constructed between 1915 and 1930 and housed an industrial laundry and dry cleaner. Swanson-Nunn Electric occupied the structure beginning around 1940 and expanded it seven times. The company ceased operations in the late 1990s. The City began working on the project as early as 2001, and Wilcox began assisting the City in 2011.
The Swanson-Nunn property is an example of a “brownfield” site, which are abandoned or under-utilized properties that are contaminated or perceived to be contaminated – significant barriers to their redevelopment. The goal with all brownfield sites is to eventually return them to productive use.
Wilcox’s other projects in the Tri-State area include ongoing contamination investigations and active remediation at more than a dozen sites: numerous lead paint, asbestos, and Phase I environmental assessments of properties; and employee safety training at local industries.
For more information about Wilcox Environmental Engineering, contact 812-492-4319 or visit wilcoxenv.com.