Citadel Saves 50,000 Wild Honey Bees!

Citadel’s beliefs and ethics were called into action when they suddenly became the home to over 50,000 wild honey bees. Just like any other company, Citadel was alarmed at the idea of wild bees being so close in proximity to its employees and pedestrians and their safety possibly being threatened. As an environmental company, Citadel not only works with many companies to bring safety and sustainability to the forefront, but they practice it as well.

Citadel was aware of the option to bring in an exterminator and have them removed and killed, but then that would be going against their company ethics, so they pursued other alternatives. They found help from a bee specialist, Chris Carr who works at Shangri-La (Citadel’s client) who was more than willing to help in this quest to save the wild honey bees. The process took more than 9 hours and after a few stings, Mr. Carr was able to get the bees to their new home at C & C’z Beez where they are continuing to make wild honey.

Citadel is more than proud to say that they did not contribute to the current honey bee hive shortage by only relying on one option. With a little time, research and in Citadel’s circumstances, luck, they were able to stick to their ethics and beliefs and remain a positive example.

Specs+Spaces Article - Citadel Environmental Services: Greening the Workplace

An article was published from Dunn-Edwards Specs + Spaces, recognizing Citadel not only for its work in helping companies Go Green, but also for setting a great example as to how beneficial being Green can be!

Specs+Spaces Citadel Environmental Services: Greening the Workplace

EHS&S Consultant by Day - Financial Prognosticator by Night

While I practice Environmental, Health, Safety and Sustainability (EHS&S) consulting by day, I’ve been forced to become a financial prognosticator by night. As the Principal of Citadel, a mid-sized, employee-owned EHS&S firm, I’ve always had to make forecasts about the economy, identify industry trends, and formulate corporate strategies. The basis for my decision making could be as sound as making conclusions relying on established business and trade journals or as weak as consulting with the swelling in my trick knee. Either way, it was hard for me to go wrong. 

Before the last major recession, “all boats were rising” - I could always dial in growth into the planning process, as we had grown steadily for 15 years. Conversely, for 2008-2010ish, I could forecast reductions or no growth as the entire economy was either in a tail-spin or treading water – “all boats were sinking”.

But a couple of weeks ago, I was given a challenge by a valued Citadel business consultant, Dr. Kim Huynh, to conduct a webinar to a university audience. My responsibility was to share my insights into the EHS&S industry as to its stability, potential for growth, trends, and industry drivers. My challenge was that I was presenting to a mature, international audience that likely wouldn’t merely accept “because my trick knee is never wrong” predictions, and were looking for fact-based assessments. And we all know, anyone making predictions the last couple of years were, either, fools or someone who was going to soon made a fool. But, here I was, being forced to make predictions in the transparency of fog.

I turned to three trusted sources to measure the state of the economy for the EHS&S industry: (1) our existing pipeline, (2) IBISWorld’s August 2011 Report, and (3) our insurance broker.

Unrecognized by most, the environmental industry is a good leading indicator about the strength of the economy or at least investor confidence. We represent several hundred clients in numerous industries including real estate, retail, entertainment, education, energy, manufacturing/aerospace, defense, health care, government, etc. Often, environmental firms, especially those similar to Citadel that service the entire life-cycle of real estate, are the first in on deals, working with the “smart money” before architects and engineers, and well before contractors. Therefore, my first indicator was looking at work in progress, backlog, opportunities, and the telltale billable hours metric. Having reviewed those measures, the first indicator for an economic upturn was a “go.” 

The second source was IBISWorld’s August 2011 Report for our industry. After reading about 50 pages of the report and all of the entertaining charts (zzzz), the conclusion was that we could expect 9.4 % annual growth for the next several years. The second indicator was a “go.” So far, so good. 

The third source, while ostensibly an odd source, was our insurance broker. For the past 20 years, I’ve turned to our broker as a bellwether as to the state of the economy. Similar to Citadel, his firm represents clients from a cross-section of different industries and are intimately familiar with their clients’ business operations. In the case of our broker, it doesn’t hurt that he is the West Coast President of an insurance brokerage owned by one of the nation’s top-ten largest banks. Having his insight into his customer base and access to his parent company’s economists, he reported back that almost all of his clients were adjusting their strategic plans upward or currently hiring new staff to service existing business or expected business. Our experience is similar to many of our broker’s - we’ve been hiring additional staff (announcements will be forthcoming), investing in real estate and equipment, conducting extensive staff development, and re-tooling our practices of how we work.

The conclusion for my preparation for the webinar was that the EHS&S industry was on solid footing and that a recovery was underway. Now, I recognize that there are some destabilizing factors and some looming threats to the economy such as the presidential election, national debt/spending cuts, Europe’s sovereign debt crisis, and a series of bad options for dealing with Iran, however, it’s time for the bear (at least a timid bear) to come out of hibernation. In won’t be a quick, gangbuster recovery, but it will steadily improve over time.

Now, I just have to hope that I’m not tomorrow’s fool.

Loren Witkin

Principal

BIOGRAPHY

Citadel Owner & Founder Gives 30 Minute Webinar For American City University!

Citadel Owner & Founder Mr. Loren Witkin speaks with American City University about the Environmental Consulting Services Industries. Follow the link to the 30 minute Webinar: 

https://sas.elluminate.com/p.jnlp?psid=2012-03-15.1045.M.EE8ED0C9EE74913536550A20D8664A.vcr&sid=voffice

Thank-You, from the Citadel Family

For the past twenty minutes, I’ve sat at my keyboard looking for inspiration… Looking for that feeling, idea, thought, or topic that would inspire me to write something meaningful for our final 2011 newsletter.  I was really having a hard time connecting to what I was writing.  Would it start with the economy, the state of the industry, politics, or something esoteric and then flow into something really powerful or would I tell an anecdotal story woven with a great moral.
I just couldn’t find it until I looked at the obvious – what did I really want to say and do?  Ta dah! The whole time, I was just trying to find a way to say a sincere, “Thank You”  and recognize those important to us.  Not a half-hearted “thanks” or a barely audible “thank you” said in passing, but a genuine, looking-someone-in-the-eyes, annunciating clearly “Thank You.”  Regardless of our insecurities with the economy, the rancor of politics, or changes within the industry, the commonality is our appreciation for our clients, employee-owners, vendors, community, and the environment in which we thrive.
You all make it possible.  Every day and with every project, you give us opportunities to challenge ourselves, our technical skills, our values, and our sense of commitment.  You provide us opportunities to be successful and purposeful.  For all of those things we are truly thankful.  Have a wonderful holiday season and new year and  “Thank You,”

Loren and the entire Citadel family.      

Navigating Through The Fog - Loren Witkin

A friend asked me the other day about my opinion on tax reforms and which direction I thought that Feds should take.  I responded that the issue of importance to me wasn't if taxes would remain the same, be raised, or even lowered (a guy can hope, right); what was at issue was the need for predictability.  As the president of an employee-owned business, and as an environmental, health, safety and sustainability consultant that clients rely for my advice, it is difficult to create a plan or provide sound advice when the target continues to move.

It doesn't matter if it is health care, taxes, interest rates, or environmental regulations/incentives, all of which are in flux right now. Business leaders need to be able to assess the situation, formulate a game plan, and implement their plans without hesitation and with as much clarity as is possible.  Drastic reforms in health care, a rise in interest rates, and increased regulations, while maybe not preferable, are all manageable when we all know what we are facing and what we have to take into account.

Unfortunately, there is a tremendous amount of "fog" in all of the above right now and clarity does not seem to be on the horizon due to a real or perceived lack of political leadership, partisan fighting, and issues (sovereign debt, Iran, etc.) beyond our control.  Navigating a course through the fog is difficult, but we have no choice to chart some course.

My advice to clients when it comes to managing their environmental, health and safety risks, and implementing their sustainability programs (and business in general) during these uncertain times, is to develop as reasonable of a plan as you can, and follow that course with conviction.  While others are waiting on the sidelines or in safe harbors, take advantage of the fog,  stand out, and lead.  Continue implementing your sustainability programs as others are retracting theirs, garner attention for these projects while no one else is, purchase and remediate brownfields when real estate and clean-up costs are at rock-bottom, and enhance your corporate governance  image with the public and your employees, and minimize liabilities by re-affirming your commitment to your environmental, health and safety programs.  It's just as easy to be recognized right now for doing the right thing as it is the wrong thing as everyone is standing still waiting for the fog to clear.

Citadel Goes Everywhere - Loren Witkin

I frequently tell clients, we'll go anywhere and do anything to assist our valued clients meet their environmental, health, safety, and sustainability needs.  This past month was no different.  In addition to our usual routine of crisscrossing the West providing services, we received calls for support from Guam to the Yellowstone River, to Chicago, and Montana.  And we don't just stay on the ground. As you can see from the below pictures of Citadel Energy Program's representative, Russell Ragsdale, repelling off of a stack, we'll even go to great heights to do our work.  I wonder if the International Space Station has any EHS&S needs?

75 in a 65, by Loren Witkin

Last month I received my first speeding ticket in nearly 30 years of driving.  My 11 year-old son and I were on our annual pilgrimage to opening day of trout season in Aspendell, California, when I was  stopped for apparently going 65 MPH in a 75 MPH zone outside of Independence (AKA - middle of nowhere) on US 395. For those of you that know US 395, there is not a whole lot of anything out there other than miles of scrub brush and desert.   While I know that I was certainly in the wrong, I was surprised to have been ticketed given that I've done the same drive dozens of times without a police escort, and that the normal flow of traffic is usually 80-90 MPH. When I asked the officer about the change in policing practices, namely, are they being more aggressive given the state's fiscal crisis, he smiled and replied, "we're certainly not getting any more money from Sacramento."

I'm not generally a conspiracy theorist, but the increased enforcement is not just limited to the California Highway Patrol.  Recently, Citadel has witnessed a dramatic uptick in the issuance of Notices of Violations (NOV) and the assessment of fines than that of the recent past.  Where we were accustomed to seeing regulatory agencies issue Notices to Comply (NTC) (basically, a warning), we are now observing the issuance of NOVs in their stead. The penalties, particularly those for NPDES violations, have run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.  As I recently mentioned to a client who was on the receiving end of a penalty assessment (merely for a reporting oversight), Citadel is currently engaged in more matters concerning regulatory agency fee negotiations or straight out litigation than in any of our past 18 years combined. 

Again, while I'm not a conspiracy theorist, I don't think that this level of increased NTC issuance is coincidental.  So in a time when businesses have less money to spend on anything let alone regulatory compliance, they are asked to be extra vigilant on compliance. Just as I should have been driving 65 MPH for safety, gas efficiency, and because it's the law, now is the time where we need to look at our operations, assess where we are non-compliant, resolve our risks, and strengthen our companies.