This year marks the 40th anniversary of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the first Earth Day and Normandeau Associates, an environmental-science consulting firm based in Bedford.
During the past 40 years, each has grown immensely. Normandeau is employee-owned, has 18 offices in 11 states and employs more than 200 people nationwide. It grew 14 percent between fiscal years 2009 and 2010 to $22.6 million in sales. President and CEO Pam Hall expects sales to grow another 20 percent to $27 million in fiscal year 2011. The company recently doubled the size of its office in Maine and added an office in Portsmouth. Normandeau Associates also has offices in Hampton and Westmoreland. Earlier this year, the firm acquired Pandion Systems Inc., a Florida-based environmental science and ecology company that specializes in wildlife issues related to wind energy.
The firm's reach is as diverse as the natural world, providing state permitting and regulatory work, environmental impact studies, watershed protection planning, habitat remediation and even underwater diving for projects affecting water bodies. It also helps clients communicate with stakeholders to build consensus on projects ranging from Main Street work to roadway expansions and railroad work. The company works for both the public and private sectors.
We come at it from a natural sciences perspective. That's really our core and what differentiates us from other people in the business, Hall says, noting engineers, not scientists, dominate most environmental consulting firms. It's part of the reason we're hired for complex or controversial projects.
Hall says much of the firm's recent growth has been in renewable energy projects, including wind and hydropower. The company gained attention recently for its work with the Northern Pass Project to bring hydropower down from Quebec. Hall's company came under criticism after being initially hired to work on both state permitting for Public Service of NH and to conduct an environmental impact statement. Critics were concerned about it being a conflict of interest. Hall says the two jobs were advertised in the same request for proposal, but now the company is only doing the state permitting work.
The company continues to thrive. Normandeau added 20 employees nationwide in the last year in addition to the 17 employees of Pandion, and Hall sees that growth continuing. The company also recently expanded its services to include environmental management systems. For more information about Normandeau Associates, visit www.normandeau.com
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