On June 30, 2020, after three decades of leadership, Brice Environmental’s longest employee and leader, Craig Jones, officially retired as President. However, Craig will remain involved as a Senior Technical Advisor focused primarily on Brice’s growing PFAS Program. Ceremoniously, we couldn’t let him go from his long-time role without a casual and informal “exit” interview to capture his brief reflections and words of wisdom.
What has been your biggest achievement at Brice? The growth we achieved these last few years. Adding breadth and depth of people and services.
What is your most fun memory at Brice? My most fun memory was working with the founders back in the 90s when I first started. I learned so much from their years of experience—how to tackle project issues, work with people, prioritize. We worked hard but had a good time doing it!
What was the most unique Brice project you worked on? The soil treatment project at Fort Polk, Louisiana. It was an ESTCP-funded demonstration that allowed us to innovate a unique acid treatment process. We sat around and drew out a process and selected a strong acid and base, and put a process together. Because the project was located in the oil refining area of Louisiana, it was easy to obtain everything we needed to perform this successful demonstration, which reduced very high total and TCLP metals in the feed soil to well below cleanup standards.
Back in the day: Craig on a soil treatment project, Fort Ord, CA
What was the biggest challenge during your Brice career? For 25 years, we were a small company in which I had my fingers in everything. But as the company grew these last few years, it was a real challenge to first realize I could no longer have my fingers in everything, and then learn to let go after hiring good people to handle the various operations.
What motto or personal mantra has gotten you through life? Don’t sweat the small stuff!
What will you miss the most? The people and the work challenges.
What advice would you like to give us, going forward into these tough times? These are tough times for sure given the pandemic, as well as the social, economic, and political unrest plaguing the country. All I can say is—this too shall pass!!! Just as most times of turmoil have passed over the course of our history.
What’s one thing you hope to do in retirement that you never had a chance to do otherwise? Sailing. Fishing in warmer temperatures for tuna, mahi mahi, and you name it! And of course, to hike and bike more often.
Thanks for your decades of leadership, Craig. You will be missed!
Craig has been a steady hand through thick and thin, a steady hand that has provided the stability BESC needed to grow to be the company it is today. From starting the company, through obtaining work, solving job problems, bringing on new people and offices, his steady hand has been the backbone of success for BESC. ~Sam Robert Brice