Scott Knightly, CEO and founder of EnviroVantage, started out providing local lead restoration services in NH and has slowly grown the company by following the trends.
Knightly helped write NH’s lead abatement laws in the late 1980s and early 1990s and got the first lead license in NH. Today, the company, headquartered in Epping, works on abatement and remediation, demolition, and indoor air quality projects across the country.
The lead work turned into projects involving historical restoration, asbestos, demolition, soil work and more. Last year, the company executed projects in 15 states.
“You just follow where the trends are. What’s a new emerging market? PFAS wasn’t really anything nationally five to 10 years ago and now it’s mainstream everywhere and it’s one of the biggest things the world is grappling with right now,” he says.
Over the years, Knightly has worked on numerous jobs. Favorites include restorations for Old North Church in Boston and various lighthouses. “In 40 years, I’ve never done one job that’s the same. That’s what’s exciting for me. I’m a kid in the candy store,” he says.
The company employs about 150 people and staffs local employees at projects across the country. EnviroVantage has a training center in Northwood so its employees can meet the technical demands of projects. EnviroVantage also has offices in Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, and Puerto Rico.
In 2024, Matt Preston, who has been with the company for several years, was named president. “He’s doing a great job,” Knightly says. “He’s got the vision. He’s got the energy. He’s got the entrepreneurship.”
As Knightly looks back on 40 years of EnviroVantage, what stands out most is the people. In addition to his employees, he’s been able to work with family, including his wife Tonya, who is CFO, and two brothers. “I have to say, the biggest thing is about the people,” he says. “They’re the lifeblood of the company.”
