Orion’s Vice President and Principal Engineer Mike recently reached 21 years at Orion! Mike is a staple at Orion, the founder of our Berkeley office, and is always sure to stop by and chat with each person when visiting the Long Beach and Burbank offices (pre-COVID). He has a way of instilling comfort in everyone and is a true listener. From remediation system design, home-improvement projects, or whiskey recommendations Mike offers nuggets of knowledge on any topic like nobody’s business. His candid nature comes through in every conversation and he offers support in a myriad of ways to everyone at Orion. He is willing to comb through a document with staff to get the wording just right or provide support in the field at sites across the country. Mike …
Jeff Celebrates Twenty-Six!
Orion’s Long Beach-based President and technical Director Jeff recently reached 26 years at Orion! Jeff is an Orion pioneer and true Renaissance Man, someone who is innately curious about the world and who is always open to learning and the acquisition of knowledge. He is also one of those rare individuals that literally everyone enjoys working with and always elevates the project team he works on. When asked about the environmental field and projects he has worked on by an interviewee, it wasn’t so much the content of Jeff’s reply, but rather his energy that made his response memorable to one of Orion’s now Senior Project Managers:
“I recall Jeff leaning back in his seat, looking at the ceiling, and talking affectionately about his …
Maclyn Reaches 2 Years at Orion!
Join us in celebrating Maclyn's 2-year milestone at Orion! We admire his hard work and considerable care for his contributions to Orion's work standard and culture. Maclyn sees a project through from conception to completion. His consistently positive attitude and work ethic have made him an invaluable member of the team. Maclyn deliberately makes time for training and mentoring staff working on his projects. He has been named a Sensei of Japanese anime and is a worthy contender in the Long Beach Just Dance competitions. Is there anything he can't do? Although he won't tell us his secret, we did ask what makes working for Orion unique?
What makes Orion unique is its ability to be focused on excellence while still putting time and effort …
Maintaining Our Culture During the Pandemic
Corporate culture is a difficult thing to describe. It generally refers to the shared values, attitudes, standards, and beliefs of company employees. If you ask any of Orion’s employees, they will say the high-standard, low-key culture is a primary reason that they enjoy working at Orion. A very low turnover rate proves this.
Orion is a community: Individuals committed to excellent technical work operating in an open environment that emphasizes caring about one another, clients, subcontractors, vendors, and the greater community.
Beyond work, we have fun! Daily, brown-baggers gather in the lunchroom (Long Beach headquarters), to watch various Netflix design and food shows (and even “The Bachelor”). Monthly, we celebrate …
Sustainable Remediation: Transitioning from Active to Passive Remediation
During the past 5 years, Orion has managed a northern California site containing two active bulk fuel terminals and a former retail gasoline station. Historical releases from each property resulted in a 15-acre commingled groundwater plume of fuel constituents including benzene and methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE). Two water-bearing zones with heterogenous soil within the shallow interval lie beneath the site. Seasonal water table fluctuations result in changes in contaminant concentrations and mass discharge that can vary orders of magnitude.
Many remediation technologies had been implemented at the site including excavation, light non-aqueous phase liquid (LNAPL) recovery, air sparge, soil vapor extraction, dual-phase extraction (DPE), and …
Three Cheers for 3 Years!
Not sure what our technical editor would think of that title, but whoa, hey, totally radical! Carina and Alex are both celebrating 3 years at Orion! Why do we hire so many people in the spring and summer? I don’t know and as long as we have both of these bright minds on our team then I don’t care!
Carina works out of the Berkeley office outside of the current work-from-home situation. That doesn’t mean Carina only works on projects in the Bay Area, she’s also worked on site in our southern CA portfolio as well as some field work in Texas, cool! From early on, Carina’s been able to see the big picture for her projects, long-term goals, remediation strategies, the tough stuff (tough “stough” ?!?!?). What does Carina find unique about working at …
Say What!?!? David’s Already at 2 Years!?!?
Long Beach-based senior staff geologist David hit 2 years at Orion a little more than 1 month after becoming a California PG! Those 2 years sure did go by fast. It’s been great seeing David bring his previous experience at the USGS to both the field table and desk on several Orion projects. How invested is David in his work? He’s moved-his-office-desk-to-his-house-to-stay-productive-during-quarantine-invested *eyebrows raise emoji*. Outside of his quarantine office, he’s a fermenter, a baker, a brewer, a home project enthusiast, some might say a bona fide Renaissance person (after some of his beer anyways). What does David look forward to the most about returning to the Long Beach office once “normal” operations resume?
I miss hanging out …
A Decennial Celebration to Remember!
Berkeley-based Sr. Project Geologist Scott recently reached 10 years at Orion! Normally, we would celebrate a milestone like this with a lunch celebration, but the world just isn’t allowing for that at the moment… IOU Scott!
Scott’s a big part of the Berkeley team and Orion. Don’t let his laid-back style (think: sandals to his first client meeting) fool you, his colleagues say he’s one of the hardest workers up there in NorCal. He brings vast experience with him to every project and his management style is dynamic and innovative. Scott has a creative and unique perspective and he creates a comfortable environment for others around him to share their own unique viewpoint in order to find the best solutions to every problem, regardless of …
Karla Hits 3 Years at Orion and Someone Hits the Big 20!
Congratulations to Senior Staff Geologist Karla for reaching 3 years at Orion! Karla joined Orion in 2017 and works in our Burbank office. Karla is always willing to learn and has worked on a number of project teams since joining Orion. Along with her military training, Karla brings a calm attitude and attention to detail to her work both in the field and office. She is always a great companion to have in the field. Even on long drilling days with 100-degree weather, you’re guaranteed some laughs! What makes Orion a unique workplace for Karla?
“Orion has a unique culture that's fun, positive, and creative. I love that everyone is willing to help each other out and that you can always reach out for questions. I can't wait for stay …
Pneumatically Enhanced ISCO Injections Achieve Site Closure
Orion was retained to design and implement an in situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) treatment program at a former gasoline service station in southern California currently occupied by an active medical facility. Groundwater was primarily impacted with fuel oxygenates methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) and tert-butyl alcohol (TBA) at concentrations over 100,000microgams per liter (µg/l). Lithology at the site was heterogeneous and generally consisted of semi-consolidated, partially-cemented silts, silty sand, and clayey sands, with discontinuous clay lenses.
Orion conducted an ISCO pilot test near the former source areas to evaluate the effectiveness of the technology. The pilot test was completed at night to eliminate impacts to daily medical facility …