RICHARD P. LESSER, M.B.A., M.S., C.H.M.M.
Senior Project Manager

 

Education

Masters in Business Administration, Executive Program, University of Denver, 2002

Master of Science, Geology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1982

Bachelor of Arts, Geology, University of Pennsylvania, 1978

Continuing Education

Technical & Professional Training Course on Assessment of Vapor Intrusion into Structures on Property Involved in Real Estate Transactions, American Society for Testing and Materials, October 2008

Professional Training, Due Diligence at Dawn, Environmental Data Resources, October 2008

Technical & Professional Training Course on Environmental Site Assessments for Commercial Real Estate, American Society for Testing and Materials, April 2007

2007 Housing Conference: What Makes Affordable Housing Sustainable, University of Denver

Environmental Insurance, Emerging Issues and Latest Developments on the New Coverage, American Law Institute - American Bar Association, 2004

Management of Polychlorinated Biphenyls, US Department of Energy’s National Environmental Training Office, 2001

Environmental Law, University of Denver, 2000

Environmental Sampling and Data Analysis,Executive Enterprises Inc., 2000

Working with NEPA: Strategies to Improve Results of NEPA Planning, Executive Enterprises, Inc., 1998

Construction Quality Management for Contractors, US Army Corps of Engineers, 1998

Integrating Quality Assurance into Project Development, by the US Environmental Protection Agency, 1998

The Environmental Regulation Course, Executive Enterprises, by Holmes Roberts & Owen LLP, 1996

Environmental Geochemistry Workshop,Geochemistry 101, by Transglobal Environmental Geochemistry, 1996

Media Training, by Katie Mann Media Relations and Presentation Training, 1996

ISO 14000, American Society for Quality Control Section 1313 and Western Technologies Environmental Services, Inc., 1995

Probability, Statistics and Geostatistics for Environmental Professionals, National Ground Water Association, 1994

USPCI, Total Quality Management, the Union Pacific Way, 1994

Dale Carnegie Course, Dale Carnegie & Associates, 1994

USPCI, Methods of Management, 1993

ENSYS, Training for Field Testing by Immunoassay, 1993

EPA Standards and Protocols for Environmental Analyses, Colorado School of Mines, 1992

Fate of Chemicals in the Environment, University of Colorado, 1991

USPCI, Field Instrumentation Training, 1989

Chemodynamics, American Institute of Chemical Engineering, 1989

Hazardous Waste Management under RCRA Revisited,NC State University, 1986

Short Course in Solvent Recycling Technologies, North Carolina State University, 1984

Client Development Institute, formal training in Sales and Marketing, 1984

Experience

Senior Project Manager, Slosky & Company, Inc., 2006-Present

Richard P. Lesser is responsible for environmental support to executives and project managers at real estate developments nationwide. Target markets include green-grass and brownfield projects slated for mixed use residential development.

Project Manager/Senior Principal Environmental Engineer/Area Manager/Senior Environmental Chemist/QA Manager, Washington Group International, Inc. Family of Companies, 1995-2006

Provided technical support to Washington Group Internationals heritage and affiliated companies managers, executives, and legal counsel. Designed environmental fate and transport spreadsheet based software to assess migration potentials of hazardous constituents from a RCRA regulated facility; approach was accepted by state oversight. Advised Department of Defense clientele with regulatory interpretation supporting RCRA and BRAC closures. Crafted regulatory compliance reviews of subsidiaries, establishing liabilities to parent corporation. Designed geochemical testing protocols for assessing interactions between pollutants and construction materials, successfully negotiating customized approach with state and federal oversight. Presented technical defense regarding tank management to state regulators and attorney generals office.

Marketing Coordinator/Geologist/QA Project Manager, U.S. Pollution Control, Inc., 1987-1995

Provided regulatory and technical support to USPCI staff and executives. Prepared plans and reports for hazardous waste facility investigations, underground storage tanks, surface water discharges, state and federal Superfund Projects, waste minimization studies, and property transfers. Designed project specific analytical applications to produce substantial cost savings. Lead technical negotiator for management of chlorinated phenol wastes abandoned at client site.

Account Representative, Resource Technology Services of Va., 1986-1987

Developed a new sales territory, identifying prospects through cold calls, site visits, proposal, contract consummation, and project execution. Achieved 99 per cent of waste placement in nonlandfill disposal options, prior to promulgation of current LDR restrictions. Negotiated and obtained emergency hazardous waste treatment permits for management of explosive wastes.

Field Chemist/Account Manager, ECOFLO, Inc., 1983 - 1986

Served as Field Chemist managing labpacks, unidentified waste characterizations, and recontainerization of air reactive wastes. Served as Account Manager for Pennsylvania territory offering nonlandfill disposal options for hazardous wastes.

Certifications and Training

Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM) Number 10448 (Current)

“L” Security Clearance (idle)

OSHA 40 Hour, OSHA Supervisor, and 8 Hour (idle)

RAD Worker II (Idle)

DOT HM-126 / 49 CFR 172 Subpart J (1993)

Publications and Presentations

Speaker for Institute of Hazardous Materials Management’s Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM) Review Course:

•	September 15, 2006, Groundwater and Hydrogeology, Toxic Substances Control Act, Environmental Assessments, and Environmental Management Systems
•	August 15, 2003, Environmental Regulations, Toxic Substances Control Act, Management Systems, and Environmental Audits
•	August 25, 2002, Groundwater and Hydrogeology, Regulations, Toxic Substances Control Act, and Environmental Audit

Lesser, R., 2003, Deactivation and Decommissioning of a Nuclear Facility Subject to CERCLA Authorities: An Example, presented at a joint mini-symposium of the Central Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Health Physics Society and the Colorado Section of the American Nuclear Spring Symposium, hosted by Colorado State University, The Cottonwood Club, Fort Collins, Colorado

McClain, M., Myers, J., Winter, M., and Lesser, R., 2000, Chemically Resistant Groundwater Barriers at Rocky Mountain Arsenal, in: Soil, Sediments, and Groundwater, Innovative Technologies Issue, pp. 22–26.

Speaker for Executive Enterprises, “Cost of Quality”, “Biases Observed in Valid Data”, and “Sampling Tools”, 1996-2000, Denver, San Diego, Washington, Kansas City, Atlanta

Speaker for American Society for Quality, Section 1313’s ISO 9000 Group, ISO 14000: Local
Significance for an International Standard, 1999

Lesser, R.P., and Hull, C., 1995, "Classical Quality Assurance in Environmental Assessments: A Practical Example”, American Environmental Laboratory, 1995, pp. 54-55.

Morrow, M., and Lesser, R., March 1994, "Reinventing the Environmental Management Industry: One Company's Perspective”, presented at "Creating Solutions for Tomorrow's Challenges," a symposium sponsored by the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM

Speaker for EnSys, Inc., "Environmental Quality, Where's the Q?,” September 1993, Denver, Colorado

Lesser, R.P., and Edwards, J., June 1993, "Quality Assurance Programs for Environmental Consultants: An Alternative to the Standard," in the Proceedings of the 17th Annual Rocky Mountain Quality Conference, pp. 241-250.

Lesser, R.P., et al 1993, "Statistical Defensibility of Field Screening Data, A Programmatic Approach," in the Proceedings of the EPA/A&WMA Third International Symposium on Methods for Field Screening for Hazardous Wastes and Toxic Chemicals, pp. 277-287. Reprinted in American Environmental Laboratory, May 1994.

Speaker at American Electroplating Society Regional Meeting, Charlotte, NC, "Metal Recycling of RCRA Wastes," 1987.

Lesser, R. P. and Sinha, A. K., 1982, The Cambro - Ordovician Volcanic / Plutonic Province of the Central Appalachians, Poster Session at the 95th Annual Geological Society of America Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana, published in GSA Abstracts with Programs, p. 545.

Foland, K. A. and Lesser, R. P., 1978, Sr isotope relations among cogenetic intrusions and inclusions of the Ascutney Mountain Complex, Vermont, USGS Open-file Report No. 78-701, pp. 119-120. Short Papers of the 4th Int’l Conference, Geochronology, Cosmochronology, Isotope Geology. Snowmass-at-Aspen, Colorado, 1978.

Project Experience

Project Manager for completion of a 5-year $30 M human health and eco-risk based brownfields remediation, with a budget to complete of $4.6 M. Negotiated cost-saving alternatives totaling ~$1 M with the client and regulatory oversight (Louisiana and USEPA Region VI); client testimonial letter available. Mr. Lesser provided leadership to a project team that had been the focus of a Dept. of Justice qui tam investigation, earning high performance scores from the client. Project was completed on time and on budget.

Project Manager for the first AFCEE 4P environmental task order executed by Washington Group International, providing optimization consulting services for eleven air force bases nationwide. Completed the project on schedule with an approximate 15 % budget underrun.

Quality Assurance

SSOC LLC: Designed a radiological characterization plan for plutonium contaminated asbestos, meeting requirements of the Nevada Test Site as well as the Department of Transportation. Cost savings for the packaging and disposal operation approached $3.7 million dollars. Described in “Breaking New Ground for Asbestos Assaying and Shipping” by Jeanna Blatt, Rocky Flats Envision, Vol. 8, No. 2, 2000.

Westinghouse West Valley Nuclear Services: Served on an Internal Design Review committee reviewing proposal for reclassification of high level nuclear waste storage tanks, 2000.

Denver West Remediation and Construction, L.L.C.: Served as Quality Assurance Coordinator for fixed - bid remediation contracts at Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Center. Served on the Flats’ Quality Assurance Committee. Developed corporate - level Project Quality Procedures which were consistent with NQA-1 requirements. Performed systemic surveillances of on - site operations, documenting compliance or non-compliance with approved Procedures, 1997.

Shell Chemical, Inc.: Served as Quality Assurance Coordinator for demolition of Rocky Mountain Arsenal’s South Plants complex. Contaminants of concern include nerve agents, heavy metals, chlorinated pesticides, and organophosphorus pesticides, 1997-1998.

US Army Corps of Engineers: Performed Texas TNRCC compliant statistical analysis for a nuclear weapons plant, 1996.

US Pollution Control Inc.: Co-authored USPCI Consulting Services’ Quality Assurance Manual, Accreditation of Laboratory Data. Established an automated laboratory analysis request for use by USPCI CS personnel. Created a standardized QA/QC system for laboratory analyses, 1992.

Union Pacific Railroad: Served as Quality Assurance Project Manager for a > $10,000,000 remediation project involving low thermal desorption of total petroleum hydrocarbons and excavation/stabilization/offsite disposal of heavy metals impacted wastes, 1994-1995.

Union Pacific Resources: Composed Quality Assurance Project Plan for a RCRA Facility Investigation, 1990.

Regulatory Support

Westinghouse Government Environmental Services LLC Engineered Products Division, Negotiated, for a client allegedly in violation of their storm water discharge permit, an exit strategy with regulatory oversight (state and Region VI) that did not engender fines or penalties. Prepared corporate response to proposed to EPA’s proposed NPDES general Permit for Stormwater Discharges From Industrial Activities, Docket ID OW-2005-0007, Federal Register Volume 70, No. 230, pp. 72116-72120, FRL-8004-5, M, 2003-2006.

SSOC LLC, Negotiated with Region 8 TSCA substantive requirements of PCB management at a plutonium impacted CERCLA site. Implemented substantive requirements via a BIO-compliant Operations Order, 2000.

RMRS LLC: Negotiated with CDPHE and Weld County regarding authorizations to landfill PCB bulk product wastes. Performed audits and assessments. 1999.

RMRS LLC: Prepared corporate response to USEPA’s proposed rulemaking to de-regulate Low Level Mixed Radioactive Waste, RCRA Docket Number F-99-ML2P-FFFFF, 1999.

RMRS LLC: Authored programmatic level guidance for Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site’s Kaiser Hill L.L.C. and RMRS on developing regulatory issues and their impact on the site’s closure strategies. Regulatory issues included PCB laden paints (bulk product wastes) under TSCA, lead based paints, electrical wiring, and brass / bronze under RCRA, and ARARs under CERCLA, 1998–2000.

RMRS and Kaiser Hill LLC: Performed technical negotiations with CDPHE and Colorado’s Attorney–General’s office regarding a pending RCRA Consent Decree for management of RCRA tanks at Rocky Flats, reporting to RMRS’ Acting General Counsel and Kaiser Hill L.L.C’s Acting General Counsel, 1999.

Holme Roberts & Owen LLP: Provided due diligence environmental and health and safety audits supporting divestiture of an international high-technology electronics manufacturing corporation, 1997 and 1999.

US Navy, Southern Division: Provided regulatory interpretation and support for remedial activities at US Navy Southern Division bases. Jurisdictions included EPA Regions 4, 5, and 6. Activities included RCRA Corrective Actions, UST closures, and Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) related activities, 1997-1999.

US Corps of Engineers, Tulsa: provided regulatory interpretation and support for remedial activities at US Corps of Engineers projects, under Tulsa’s Total Environmental Restoration Contract, 1996-2005.

Confidential client: Composed response to CERCLA 104 (e) request, reporting to Morrison Knudsen’s Corporate Counsel. Obtained treatability permit exemption under 40 CFR 261.4 (e), 1998.

Amax Coal West, Inc.: Conducted multi-state RCRA due diligence audits of hazardous waste service providers (including waste broker and Subtitle C TSDFs) that received client’s RCRA regulated hazardous wastes, 1997.

Union Pacific Railroad: Prepared sampling and laboratory plans applying non-standard analytical techniques to allow site closure under TNRCC regulations, 1994-1995.

Union Pacific Realty: Field Supervisor for characterization and disposal of pentachlorophenol/ dibenzofuran contaminated wastes abandoned at a client site by a third party. Negotiated storage requirements with state and local authorities. Arranged disposal by incineration, prior to relaxation of F027 treatment bans, 1990.

Riverway, Inc.: Provided environmental audit of large (~ 400 acre) property subject to transfer, 1990.

Celanese Fibers: Obtained regulatory permit exemption for the detonation of potentially shock sensitive waste materials, 1985.

Burroughs Wellcome: Obtained regulatory permit exemption for the detonation of potentially shock sensitive waste materials, 1985.

Analytical Chemistry

KH LLC: Adapted an immunoassay test kit for trinitrotoluene, establishing its detection capability for picric acid. The test was then used to free release a waste water sump suspected of harboring dried picric acid residuals at a USDOE Class III nuclear facility, 2000.

RMRS LLC: To facilitate completion of demolition of Rocky Flats’ Building 729, a plutonium building, designed qualification protocol for field testing for PCBs in roofing materials by immunoassay, identifying a qualified analytical subcontractor and supervising the tests. The analytical results allowed demolition, earning an RMRS Safety Award September 29, 1999, as described in RFETS’ Envision, October 11, 1999, Volume 5, Number 20, Page 3.

Shell, Inc.: Designed chemical compatibility testing protocols for slurry wall materials proposed for use during remediation of Rocky Mountain Arsenal’s Section 36. Negotiated approach with state and federal regulatory oversight. Obtained approval for use of chemical surrogates in treatability testing, reducing chemical exposure potential of pesticide/nerve agent derivatives for geotechnical laboratory personnel. Evaluated outgassing potentials for chlorinated pesticides and ammonia during proposed remediation of Basin F, 1997-1999. Resulted published in Soils, Sediment, and Groundwater, Innovative Technologies Issue, 2000.

Union Pacific Railroad: Supported various projects as a Geologist, Geochemist, and QA Project Manager. Managed analytical quality assurance issues for a wide variety of projects with individual project revenues exceeding $10 million. Responsible for experimental designs at several sites undergoing risk-based closures, either under RCRA or state regulations. Projects included statistically based sampling designs per Texas TNRCC regulations for total concentration and leachable concentration analytical data with an emphasis on minimizing false positive results. Quantitated accuracy and precision for lead measurements in environmental samples with concentrations exceeding 1,000 mg/kg. Identified false positive errors in analyses of regulated polyaromatic hydrocarbons in the presence of aromatic-based fuels and coal tars, allowing proposal of site closures to industrial cleanup standards; savings to client exceeded $1,000,000. Applied QA Level II data for regulatory approved closure of a site being remediated under the NCP. Designed and implemented a small Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) for mobile GC laboratory. Modified and implemented Quality Assurance Project Plan for on - site thermal treatment of TPH contaminated soils, 1991-1995.

Union Pacific Railroad: Principal or co-author of administrative infrastructure for an environmental assessments group, including a Quality Assurance Manual, field Standard Operating Procedures, operating standards for a mobile laboratory using gas chromatography for total petroleum hydrocarbon analyses, 1993.

Union Pacific Resources: Obtained regulatory acceptance for application of a Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbon screening technique used for a RCRA Facility Investigation, which was used to reduce onerous costs of GC/MS analytical. Managed analytical data generated by sub-contract laboratory, identifying bias/imprecision issues which were then remedied at no extra cost to the client, 1990.

Solvent Recovery Services (a USPCI Inc. subsidiary): Applied QA Level I data for an NPL listed site abandoned drum site to simplify analytical effort for waste characterization; cost savings exceeded $100,000, 1993 - 1994.

Environmental Chemistry

US Department of Energy: Designed a fate and transport review of the leachability of lead from lead based paint debris, enveloping RCRA waste characterization requirements. Review allowed off – site landfill of lead based paint debris at non–hazardous or RCRA Subtitle D landfills, 1999.

US Corps of Engineers: Performed remedial design reviews for RCRA Corrective Actions. Designed a spread-sheet based system for semi-quantitative fate and transport evaluations at a nuclear weapons assembly plant. The spreadsheet incorporated known site physico-chemical conditions and contaminant characteristics to determine migration potentials of selected hazardous constituents in a very rapid time-frame. Conducted statistical evaluations and calculations to determine input terms for Texas’ Subpart S risk-based closure evaluations. COE jurisdictions included Tulsa, OK and Sacramento, CA offices, 1995 - 1996.

Amoco Oil: Prepared fate and transport evaluation of an acidic hydrocarbon sludge pond as part of a facility-wide RFI. Served as Project QC Manager, 1997 - Present.

Amax Coal West Inc.: Performed a spreadsheet-based rate-of-decay evaluation of chlorinated solvent degradation at a mine facility subject to a state - imposed RFI investigation. The evaluation focused on evidence of natural attenuation in the vadose and uppermost saturated zones, 1996.

Field Experience

US Department of Energy: Crafted a series of Operations Orders and Job Hazards Analyses to meet DOE standards to allow rapid response cleanup of non radiological chemical spills at a defunct plutonium processing plant. Implementation precluded need for fire department first response, 2000-2003.

General Motors: Performed a plant - wide Waste Minimization Survey for a > 500 vehicle per day assembly plant. Field supervisor for sampling of a series of large (100' x 25' x 15') wastewater sedimentation tanks, 1994.

USPCI, Inc.: Installed groundwater monitoring wells at a RCRA facility approved for accepting CERCLA wastes. Provided on - call chemical advisory support, from Staff to Executive level personnel, 1990-1995.

Union Pacific Railroad: Performed quarterly field sampling, data evaluation, and reporting for a RCRA regulated site with more than thirty groundwater monitoring wells, 1990-1993.

Olin Corporation: Field Sampling Supervisor for acquisition of approximately 500 verification-of-removal soil samples generated for closure of a series of RCRA impoundments. Composed first draft of final report, 1989.

Pennzoil, Inc: Field Supervisor for sampling of four (4) RCRA regulated surface impoundments. Obtained sludge samples from beneath fifteen feet of overlying waters, using tools customized to meet unexpected field conditions. Composed Remedial Investigation/Focused Feasibility Study report used by client to achieve regulatory approval for in-place site closure. Technologies reviewed included stabilization and dewatering, 1989.

Burroughs-Wellcome, Inc., Account Manager, provided lab pack services for a major pharmaceutical research center. All materials (excepting Hg) placed in non-landfill treatment or destruct options, 1986-1987.

Chemtronics, Inc., Account Manager, provided waste evaluation services, plus transport and recycling of RCRA regulated waste materials, 1986-1987.

North Carolina Department of Agriculture: Account Manager, providing lab packing services for a pesticide/herbicide RCRA regulated storage facility. Except for Hg - pesticides, all materials were placed in some form of treatment/destruct option, 1986-1987.

Various clients: Provided emergency response support for leaking drums of solvents, hydrofluoric acids, and leaking gas cylinders, 1983-1986.

Johns Hopkins Advanced Physics Lab: Account Manager, provided waste stream evaluations and brokerage services for the transport and disposal of saturated rhodamine-fluorescein dye solutions by biological/activated charcoal treatment technologies, 1984.

Celanese Fibers: Onsite Field Supervisor for the sampling, evaluation, and shipment of approximately 500 drums of unknown materials. Identified materials included flammable and chlorinated solvents, chlorinated phenols, dyes, flavorings, non-RCRA regulated carcinogenic materials, and others. Obtained regulatory permit exemption for the detonation of potentially shock sensitive waste materials, 1993.

Public Service

Erie Village Homeowner’s Association Community Development Committee, 2008 - Current

Secretary, Erie Village Homeowners’ Association Board of Directors, 2004 – 2008

Member-at-Large, Erie Village Homeowners’ Association Board of Directors, 2008

Appointee, City of Lafayette, Planning Commission, 1997-1999

Advisory Member, City of Lafayette, Open Space Committee, 1998-1999

Professional Associations

American Statistical Association

American Society for Quality, Local Operating Committee Chairman, 1994-1999