Pinnacle Engineering wouldn’t be where it is today without our people. They are the backbone of our business and the reason why many clients have been with us since the beginning. Today, we introduce you to Jim Holland, our president and CEO. He shares his background, how we became a well-known environmental consulting firm, and what the future holds for Pinnacle Engineering.
When did you first become interested in environmental engineering?
I grew up farming and spending time outdoors, hunting, fishing, and boating. My interest in the environment stems from this, and I always hoped that my future career would involve working in the natural environment. I have always been and still am a student of earth science. Rivers, air, land, geography, and geology are all things that interest me, and it all crosses into environmental engineering.
What did the early days of your career look like?
I attended the University of Minnesota and graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering. After graduating, I was hired as a mechanical engineer in the facilities engineering department for a large manufacturing company called Rosemount, Inc.
The environmental industry boomed soon after that, and the company needed an internal person to handle environmental issues. I had an interest in this and started overseeing hazardous waste issues, superfund sites, air and water quality permits, and other things tied to heavy manufacturing. It was a rapidly changing industry, and I had a “trial by fire” for the next five years.
Why did you decide to start your own business?
In my work, I saw a lot of consulting firms that only focused on one thing: profit. They were also expensive and not always responsive. There was a gap in the understanding of industrial and manufacturing processes with a lot of firms. I decided to start a business that addressed these things and founded Pinnacle in July 1991.
How did you grow the business into the Pinnacle Engineering we see today?
In the beginning, it was just me and a few engineers providing services related to industrial compliance. There was a large need for this type of service, and the business quickly grew.
The early days
Then, in the mid-1990s, the Clean Air Act was amended to address hazardous air pollutants. That change created a need for our industrial clients to obtain air emissions permits. Air emissions permitting is extremely complex, and we realized that if we could do this, we could do anything. People in the industry know this, too, and therefore trust companies with air emissions permitting experience to handle their land and water analysis permitting.
From there, we built a suite of services for the industrial manufacturing industry. Our land services started with underground tank evaluation and cleanup and evolved into building an engineering group for an array of environmental challenges.
The ethanol boom in the late 1990s resulted in us developing permitting services for ethanol plants. Soon, we had a renewable energy team. Around this same time, we started working with the railroads, which deal with a lot of environmental and engineering problems tied to rivers, culverts, and other water sources along the tracks. As we worked with the rail more, we expanded that service area to include derailment support.
Our work with the rail led to services involving wetlands and natural resources, including minimizing the possible effects of events impacting the natural environment.
From the early 2000s to today
The energy industry started to take off in the early 2000s. In 2010, we saw an oil boom in North Dakota and quickly developed skills and services specific to oil and gas. At the same time, the green energy industry was growing, so we started developing biofuel and renewable energy clients.
Because of the ethanol and renewable fuel manufacturing plants’ reliance on corn and grain, our work in biofuels expanded into the agriculture industry. These products are transported by rail, so you can really see how these industries are intertwined and how the need for permitting, regulatory compliance, consulting, and emergency response is a challenge in each of them. By working with the rail, we continue to develop expertise and relationships with a variety of clients that are served by the rail industry.
What do you think makes Pinnacle Engineering unique?
The evolution of Pinnacle Engineering puts us in a unique position to see across all environmental issues and regulatory programs: engineering, water, air, and all the permitting and reporting that goes with them. Over the years, we have developed the expertise not only for preventative and regulatory services but to respond to and consult on emergency situations in real time. This has led to the development of extensive environmental engineering expertise and capabilities within Pinnacle.
Additionally, we are primarily a private business firm and not a government contractor. We understand the needs and challenges faced by private businesses because of our background. Our clients continue to appreciate Pinnacle’s responsiveness, technical capabilities and common-sense approach when solving a problem.
What would clients say about your business?
Environmental rules and regulations are constantly changing, so clients appreciate that we bring regulatory expertise to their team. We serve as a guiding light of what they need to focus on now and in the future. I keep my ear to the ground in a lot of different places and work as an advisor for our clients. Many call us an extension of their team, and that is exactly what we want to be. It’s a partnership.
What does the future look like for Pinnacle and its people, and what are you most proud of?
A lot of firms have started in the environmental space over the years. Big companies have gotten bigger and many now have a global presence. Our intent is to maintain our standing as a flexible and highly responsive business. Sure, we will grow in size and add services within our existing regional offices as needed, but it’s not our intent to grow overnight. Instead, we want to focus on growing our people to be the best they can be for clients. We have a core group of long-term employees who have been here 20-30 years. Quite a few clients have been with us that long, too.
As far as what I’m most proud of, it’s that we’re a family-centered business with highly intelligent, hard-working people who are not afraid to get their hands dirty. We compete with the biggest of the big and have clients who trust our people and our work.
What is something you want people to know about you?
I like to help people in my personal life, and that’s reflected in what we do at Pinnacle. I consider myself to be very fortunate in my life and Pinnacle has allowed our family and our employees the ability to give back to causes that we believe in. We’re not just here to develop business and make money. We’re here to help and truly become an extension of your business. We take the time to listen and understand you because we want to be a trusted partner, and not just someone you hire for a job.
Are you interested in partnering with Pinnacle Engineering for environmental consulting? Contact us to request a consultation!