Q. So everyone wants to know this – how did you get your nickname?
A. Honestly, I don’t know – it pre-dates me coming to ECS. There was a whole group of men I worked with at another firm when I was about 25. We all came over to ECS together, and as a nickname, ‘Doc’ just came over with us.
Q. What was your first job at ECS?
A. I came in as a CMT field technician. I had a degree in Geology, and I wanted to make the switch to environmental. Around 1989 I was a Field Services Manager, then moved into the environmental department around 1990. I started leading the Environmental group around 1999/2000.
Q. Who has inspired you the most at ECS?
A. Oh, definitely Jim Baldridge. Jim joined ECS in late 1988 and was head of the Field Services department, so he was my boss. The thing I realized about Jim was that he was firm, but fair. At that point in my career, what I needed was the ‘firm’ part of Jim’s style, but the ‘fair’ part was just the icing on the cake. It’s something I’ve tried to bring into my own management style.
Q. How was your leadership style influenced by this experience?
A. I try to be a calming personality. I plan out possible outcomes in my mind before speaking. I also try to be fair with my team, and temper that with firmness.
Q. What’s the best part about working for ECS?
A. It’s definitely the people. There are lots of pressures and constant deadlines, but from the beginning, the group of folks I worked with were the ones who hung in there with me and helped me adjust to living in a new place after my move from Pittsburgh.
Q. What’s your advice for someone coming new into our industry and working for ECS?
A. Be prepared to grind for a while. You have to be willing to make your own way –opportunities are here in abundance, but you have to reach out and make it happen yourself.