From Industrial Operations To Environmental Responsibility
Environmental management within industrial organizations has changed considerably over the past several decades. What was once often viewed primarily through the lens of regulatory compliance has developed into a broader discipline involving safety, remediation, resource management, community relationships, environmental performance, and long-term land stewardship.
Greg Jevyak's more than three decades of experience in the petroleum and environmental industries provide a useful perspective on this evolution. His career began with hands-on industrial training before progressing into engineering, site management, and environmental business management. That progression placed him at the intersection of industrial operations and environmental responsibility.
The Value Of Hands-On Industrial Experience
Greg began his professional development through a four-year apprenticeship as a metals mechanic craftsman. The program provided practical training in areas including pipefitting, boilermaking, plumbing, sheet metal work, rigging, heavy equipment operation, and drafting.
This type of technical foundation can be particularly valuable in environmental management because industrial sites are complex physical environments. Understanding how equipment, structures, piping, and operations function can help managers approach environmental challenges with a practical understanding of the facilities involved.
His later academic education at National-Louis University added another dimension to this technical background. Greg earned a Bachelor of Arts in management and business, with minors in psychology and communications. The combination of technical knowledge, management education, and communication skills became an important part of his professional development.
Environmental Management As A Multifaceted Discipline
Environmental management involves considerably more than environmental regulations. Industrial projects can require estimating, budgeting, scheduling, contractor coordination, consultant management, risk assessment, remediation planning, and communication with regulatory agencies.
As an environmental business manager, Greg was responsible for more than $80 million in environmental project work. His duties covered the planning and execution of projects as well as the management of consultants, contractors, and field operations.
This illustrates how environmental management often operates as a multidisciplinary function. Environmental objectives must be integrated with financial planning, operational schedules, workforce considerations, safety requirements, and stakeholder expectations.
The Growing Importance Of Brownfield Reuse
One of the most significant developments in environmental management has been the recognition that contaminated or underused industrial properties do not necessarily have to remain abandoned. Brownfield redevelopment offers an opportunity to address environmental problems while returning previously industrial land to productive use.
Greg led efforts associated with the transformation of a former refinery and chemical plant property into what became the first USEPA Brownfield reuse site in the country. The project demonstrated how remediation and redevelopment could be connected rather than treated as entirely separate activities.
The achievement also received national recognition through a United States Environmental Protection Agency Facility Leadership Award in 2002.
Connecting Environmental Performance With Operations
Environmental management is most effective when it becomes part of everyday operational thinking. Greg's experience with ISO 14001 certification provides an example of this approach.
ISO 14001 provides a framework for environmental management systems. Achieving certification requires organizations to establish structured processes for identifying environmental aspects, managing responsibilities, monitoring performance, and pursuing continual improvement.
Greg was responsible for achieving ISO 14001 certification at the site he managed. This work illustrates how environmental responsibility can become embedded within organizational systems rather than depending only on individual initiatives.
Safety And Environmental Responsibility
Environmental management and workplace safety frequently overlap. Industrial sites can involve hazardous materials, heavy equipment, demolition activities, and complex operating conditions.
Greg's management record included a 10-year period with no OSHA Recordable Injuries at the industrial site he managed. He also completed training in HAZWOPER, advanced defensive driving, asbestos control practices, hazardous waste management, risk assessments, and groundwater remediation techniques.
These experiences reflect an approach in which environmental protection and worker safety are closely connected. Effective management must consider both the condition of the environment and the people working within it.
Restoring Nature On Industrial Properties
Environmental restoration can also extend beyond remediation. Greg helped establish a certified Wildlife Habitat on the grounds of a former refinery and chemical plant. The habitat received certification in 2001 and recertification in 2003.
The project demonstrates a broader understanding of industrial land stewardship. Once environmental hazards have been addressed, land can potentially support ecological functions as well as future human uses.
This perspective represents an important evolution in environmental management: moving beyond simply removing environmental risks toward considering what a restored site can contribute to its surrounding ecosystem.
Communication As An Environmental Management Skill
Environmental decisions often involve multiple stakeholders. Managers may need to communicate with regulators, contractors, employees, community members, corporate leaders, and the media.
Greg's background in communications and media relations complemented his technical and management experience. He represented an industrial site in the community, participated in print and television interviews, and received professional media relations training.
Clear communication can be especially important when environmental projects involve complex technical information. Explaining objectives, risks, progress, and outcomes in understandable language can help create informed relationships among organizations and communities.
Looking At The Larger Picture
Greg Jevyak's career illustrates how environmental management has increasingly become connected with business management, safety, community relationships, and land stewardship.
His experiences across industrial operations, environmental remediation, Brownfield redevelopment, safety management, environmental certification, and ecological restoration demonstrate the range of responsibilities that modern environmental leadership can involve.
The evolution of environmental management is ultimately about recognizing that industrial operations exist within larger communities and ecosystems. Effective management therefore requires more than completing individual projects. It requires understanding how operational decisions affect workers, communities, regulators, natural resources, and the future use of industrial land.
