The staff of Impact Environmental is dedicated to providing expert services for its clients. Our dedication stems from our enthusiasm, is tempered by our expertise and polished by our diversity of experience - Welcome to solid ground.
Rich Parrish has been the President and CEO of Impact Environmental, and its senior consulting geologist, since he founded the firm in 1989. He has over 30 years of experience working as an environmental professional in the NY metropolitan area. He has shaped Impact Environmental into a 40 million dollar full-service environmental remediation and waste management contracting firm. Successfully taking on world class projects, Mr. Parrish has skillfully led Impact Environmental in retaining the largest construction and development companies in the world. Mr. Parrish experiences and skills have made him as fluent in the legal language of the industry, as he is of the technical language. This dynamic blend of disciplines has provided him the ability to protect his clients while plying to their needs.
During his career with Impact Environmental he has overseen the performance of over 5,000 Phase 1 and 2 Environmental Site Assessments, designed over 200 gasoline station release investigations and recoveries, directly supervised the investigation and remediation of over a dozen State listed Inactive Hazardous Waste Disposal Sites, navigated more than 20 clients through all phases of the Brownfield and Voluntary Cleanup Acts and authored over 20 Beneficial Use Determinations for the recycling of contaminated media.
His recent professional achievements have lead to the development of a Class B Recycling Center in Lyndhurst, NJ taking in material from many of the major capital construction projects all over the region. Mr. Parrish has worked tirelessly to navigate the completion of NJ and PA Brownfield Industrial Sites to meet full government compliance. He also has permitted over 10 solid waste recycling facilities located in NY, NJ, PA and Indiana to accept contaminated media for recycling. These include Former General Motor’s site linden, Former county landfill at Lincoln Park, Former Diamond Chemical in Lyndhurst, Former Atlas Quarry in Northampton PA and the Former NJ Zinc site in Palmerton PA among many others exciting projects in development.
Julie LaVan has served as general legal counsel for Impact Environmental since 2008, bringing to the position a wealth of legal expertise in the areas of corporate, environmental, construction, employment and general civil law. She holds bar admissions in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and various state District Courts, which are invaluable when representing the company interests on regional legal matters. Ms. LaVan also sits on various boards and runs her independent legal firm based in Moorestown, New Jersey, helping to cement her reputation throughout the Northeast as a strong business leader.
Kevin Kleaka is Vice President and Partner at Impact Environmental. Mr. Kleaka started with Impact in 1994, early in its history, and is principally responsible for Impact’s New York and New Jersey office as senior environmental scientist. He is responsible for the company’s environmental assessment, consulting, remediation, construction support and engineering projects. His long-term history and dedication with the company serves as the foundation for many client relationships and drives the overall management of the company. Mr. Kleaka’s integrity and sound work ethic defines his character as a professional and businessman.
Mr. Kleaka’s expertise is derived from years of experience with Phase I and II environmental site assessments, field sampling, drilling, geophysical surveys, petroleum spill investigation and remediation, underground injection control programs, brownfield redevelopment sites, construction sites, superfund cleanup sites, RCRA closures, UST compliance, vapor intrusion investigations and engineering control.
Mr. Kleaka works with numerous clients; including financial lenders/investors, private real estate owners, developers, insurance companies, government agencies, construction companies, and attorneys to navigate the complex environmental regulations in New York State, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. He is responsible for a skillful team of geologists, hydrogeologists, engineers, environmental scientists, and field technicians. His team is very dedicated and consistently meets client expectations through the successful completion of hundreds of projects each year.
Joel Rogers is Vice President, Partner, and Principal Engineer at Impact Environmental, with over 18 years experience across a spectrum of environmental projects. Mr. Rogers currently heads up Impact’s New Jersey environmental consulting and engineering practice, and serves as Environmental Coordinator on several contracts of one of the largest municipal construction projects in the country.
Mr. Rogers’ expertise in engineering and construction support services derives from extensive work experience throughout the Midwestern and Eastern United States. Expertise includes such areas as Brownfields redevelopment, regulatory agency negotiations, contracts, stormwater/erosion control, permitting, construction dewatering/treatment, regulated solid waste management/disposal, environmental site assessments (ESAs), remedial system design, and engineering/institutional controls. Mr. Rogers is a licensed professional engineer in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
Benjamin Hernandez has been an integral member of Impact Environmental’s Project Management and Engineering Divisions. Leveraging a diverse environmental and construction background, he has been on the front lines of several contracts of the $8.24 billion New York City MTA/LIRR East Side Access Project, situated on a Class II New York State Inactive Hazardous Waste Site. Other areas of expertise include AutoCAD design, civil engineering, groundwater/wastewater treatment design, sewer discharge permitting, Long Island Well Permitting, in-situ soil disposal characterization sampling, soil/waste management, stormwater & erosion controls plans, NYC Brownfields Program (VCP) & little-e designated site development, remedial action work plans, vapor barrier and sub-slab depressurization system design/ implementation, and vapor intrusion testing. With an eye for detail and a strong work ethic, Ben is exemplary of Impact Environmental’s exceptional standards. He has over 6 years of combined experience in engineering and environmental work, and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management and Engineering Technology.
Christine Camardella has over 20 years in the environmental field, and is a recognized leader both inside and outside of her professional life. She is an authority in negotiating regulatory compliance hurdles, and an expert at managing petroleum company portfolios. Her experience ranges from environmental assessments to spill closure strategies to remediation. Christine holds Master’s degrees in both Chemistry and Environmental Technology, and her professional technical experience in environmental geology, engineering geology, hydrogeology, chemistry, and laboratory science make her an invaluable asset to the Impact Environmental team.
David Pry joined the Impact team in 2012 and is responsible for overseeing Impact’s New Jersey Licensed Site Remediation Professional (LSRP) practice, in accordance with the Site Remediation Reform Act (SRRA) and NJDEP Technical Guidance. He is currently serving as the responsible LSRP on multiple projects in north and south New Jersey, including retail gas/service station portfolios, ISRA cleanups of former chemical plants, investigations of former industrial properties, and brownfield redevelopment projects. Mr. Pry holds a Bachelor’s degree in geology from the University of Rhode Island, and has over 26 years of full time experience in the environmental consulting field. He and is a licensed Professional Geologist in Tennessee and Kentucky, and is certified by the American Institute of Professional Geologists.
Over the past several years Doug Birkmire’s strong work ethic and organizational skills have garnered him the respected position of Operations Manager for Impact Environmental. Along with his team of analysts and facility workers, Mr. Birkmire works with various public and private agencies to obtain disposal facility approvals for many major contracting and development projects in the NY, NJ and PA area. By performing meticulous environmental due diligence and analysis of solid waste transportation and disposal projects, Mr. Birkmire maintains the high productivity and efficiency that are exemplary of Impact Environmental’s professional standards.
Greg Mendez-Chicas has quickly become a leading member of Impact Environmental’s project management team, responsible for coordinating large-scale capital projects and other special projects for the company. Serving as Assistant Environmental Coordinator on several large contracts of the $8.24 billion New York City MTA/LIRR East Side Access Project, Greg has successfully managed environmental construction support services on the Amtrak Sunnyside Yard, a Class II New York State Inactive Hazardous Waste Site. Other areas of expertise include Phase I and II Environmental Site Assessment, spill closures, waste management, public agency permitting, regulatory negotiations, stormwater pollution prevention planning, chemical storage tank compliance, asbestos inspection, engineering controls, vapor intrusion and indoor air quality studies. With a talent for leadership, diplomacy, and client relationships, he is adept at managing complex and highly political projects. Greg has over 6 years of experience in the environmental field, holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science, and is a New York State licensed asbestos inspector and Erosion & Sediment Control Qualified Inspector.
Hal Benjamin’s wealth of knowledge and experience brings an expert level of support to Impact Environmental’s remediation practice. Mr. Benjamin has over 32 years of technical and environmental experience throughout the Eastern and Southern United States, with a strong background in environmental, industrial, and construction project management and operations. As a team leader in the remediation practice, he continues to apply an innovative and expert approach to projects such as groundwater and in-situ soil active remediation systems, sub-slab depressurization and vapor barrier systems, water treatment and permitting. He is a State of NJ Licensed N3 Operator allowing him full ability to work on industrial waste water treatment systems with high flow rates. Since 2006, his unique blend of expertise has been instrumental to the growth and operations of Impact Environmental’s affiliated construction dewatering and groundwater treatment company, Engineering Control Corp (ECC).
John Herbig has been a backbone of the Impact Environmental family for over a decade. Taking a central role in Impact’s largest projects during that time, he has gained a wide-range of experience in disciplines such as phase I and II environmental site assessments, spill investigations, remediation, Geoprobe operations, engineering controls, in-situ soil waste characterization, trucking and waste management facility operations. This diverse background and network of industry relationships has allowed him to grow into the key role of business development and client management for the company. With a boots-on-the-ground work ethic and a well-rounded professional proficiency, John exemplifies the level of service Impact Environmental provides for its partners and clients.
Juliana de la Fuente joins Impact Environmental as a results-driven environmental professional with over 22 years experience. For over two decades she has leveraged technical expertise to implement and manage environmental projects for a diverse range of public and private industry clients, including state and federal agencies, law firms, real estate developers, construction companies, public utilities, transportation companies, communication companies, retail gas station owners, major oil companies, and military contractors. Highlights of project experience include environmental site assessments, remedial investigations, feasibility studies, remedial action work plans, tank closures, manufactured gas plant (MGP) remediation, groundwater remediation system implementation and operations, in-situ bioremediation and chemical oxidation, indoor air quality studies, asbestos sampling, waste management, and environmental support for construction and dewatering projects. Juliana holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science with a concentration in Geology, and maintains over 15 environmental training certifications.
Michael Bluight brings more than 13 years of experience to the job and is a great addition to the Impact Environmental Project Manager staff. Mr. Bluight boasts Senior Hydrogeologist experience across a wide range of commercial and industrial clients, including major projects on bulk petroleum storage terminals, retail gas stations, electroplating operations, former manufacturing plants, former military facilities, and New York State Superfund sites. Technical expertise includes countless Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments, petroleum spill investigations, chlorinated solvent groundwater investigations, groundwater transport modeling, in-situ groundwater remediation system design and implementation, bioremediation and in-situ chemical oxidation design, metals remediation, aquifer testing, air & wastewater treatment, and soil vapor intrusion. A tireless worker, he dedicates himself to continued learning, and attends conferences and seminars to stay current on changes in the regulatory landscape and new technological advances in the industry. Michael holds a Bachelor’s degree in Geology, with a concentration in Engineering Geology, and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Hydrogeology.
Scott Jackson joined the Impact team in 2014, and is a key project manager that brings a strong scientific background and New Jersey regulatory expertise . He is currently managing multiple projects throughout New Jersey, ranging from complex property assessments, to spill investigations and remediation, to ISRA properties and brownfield redevelopment projects. Mr. Jackson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in geology from the East Tennessee State University, and has over 16 years of full time technical experience in the civil and environmental consulting field. He holds a Professional Geologist License in Tennessee, and is a member of the American Institute of Professional Geologists.
As senior environmental analyst for the waste management side of the company, Xin Yuan has led some of Impact Environmental’s largest projects. He is currently professionally credentialed as an Professional Engineer. His skills at design and implementation of remediation plans for contaminated sites and his ability to act as on-site manager have made him an essential part of the waste management team. Mr. Yuan actively works analyzing compliance and permitting work for several waste disposal and beneficial reuse projects. He has made his mark as an integral part of such projects as the Columbia University Manhattanville Redevelopment, the Former NJ Zinc Co. West Plant Remediation Project and Morris Blanchard Redevelopment.
