Blog & Recent Projects

As COLUMBIA Technologies marks a significant milestone – our 25th anniversary

Posted by John Sohl on Jan 30, 2024 11:06:04 AM

As COLUMBIA Technologies marks a significant milestone – our 25th anniversary – we take a moment to reflect on our journey and the invaluable partnerships that have shaped our path. For a quarter of a century, we've been at the forefront of environmental technology and site remediation, driven by a passion for innovation and a steadfast commitment to environmental stewardship.

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Tags: COLUMBIA Technologies, News

Quality = Smart People + Training

Posted by John Sohl on Aug 30, 2021 11:15:00 AM

What an exciting two weeks!  

Our OPS team just wrapped up our version of "Boot Camp" with three new team members.   I had the pleasure of observing three really sharp individuals with diverse backgrounds in geology, chemistry, and biology as they participated in two weeks of intense classroom and practical training.  Upon successful completion of their training, they will be ready for the busy end-of-year schedule.

Admiral Hyman Rickover, the father of the nuclear navy, and a distant mentor is credited with saying "you can't supervise a lack of knowledge."  This guiding principle has been one of the foundations of the COLUMBIA team since its inception.  Building on this principle our boot camp emphasizes the principles of operation for all our direct sensing instruments,  proper use of standard operating procedures, maintenance, troubleshooting, and accurate field data recording.  

The team now adds OSHA health and safety and Red Cross first aid certifications.   Then they head to field operations under the watchful eye of our senior geochemist where they each will complete a series of practical factors for each step of site assessment on a variety of sites.  The final step in their qualification is a written exam covering a wide range of topics encountered during their training.  Upon successful completion of the program, we will be proud to welcome them as fellow employee-owners of COLUMBIA Technologies.

If you are fortunate to have these wonderful folks on your site in the near future please wish them well and provide your own piece of training for them.  They are the key to providing the data you can trust!

John

 CALL +1-888-344-2704 or
email: info@columbiatechnologies.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/columbia-technologies

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Tags: COLUMBIA Technologies, News, SmartData Solutions®, Brazil, Africa

Thoughts for Recent Graduates

Posted by John Sohl on Jun 10, 2020 6:01:24 PM

It was my honor and pleasure to participate this morning in the third Kickstarter Program hosted by Clemson University.   Here are my thoughts for the recent graduates and others participating in today's virtual event.

First, Congratulations!  You have demonstrated tremendous drive and persistence to succeed that will carry you far…. whatever your area of expertise or industry.

You enter the industry and the workforce in unprecedented times and will need the drive and persistence that brought you to this point.  You are hopefully facing many options and perhaps wondering how to navigate the decisions in front of you.

My advice to you is to FIRST take an inventory of who you are, who you want to work with, and what kind of company or opportunity is the right match for your passion and ideals. Consider these before focusing on your specific technical skills and don’t compromise.

You asked for some golden nuggets so here are my thoughts to consider in your new endeavors:

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Tags: COLUMBIA Technologies, News, SmartData Solutions®, Brazil, Africa

World Environment Day 05 June 2019

Posted by John Sohl on Jun 5, 2019 7:29:43 AM

Today is World Environment Day which was first held in 1974.  Since then, 143 countries hae taken part in recognizing World Environment Day.  The day focuses on environmental concerns ranging from pollution to global warming and sustainable food production to protection of wildlife.

The team at COLUMBIA Technologies along with our global partners  firmly believe a more sustainable planet requires global collaboration.  We are dedicated to providing our clients smarter, scientific-based, sustainable solutions when it comes to contaminated land.  It's our goal to be constantly changing the course of remediation to reduce the cost & liability of contaminated land for a better tomorrow.

COLUMBIA Technologies LLC (USA)

COLUMBIA Technologies do Brasil Ltda (Brazil)

COLUMBIA Technologies AFRICA (Pty) Ltd 

Learn More

  

 CALL +1-888-344-2704 

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Tags: COLUMBIA Technologies, High Resolution Site Characterization (HRSC), News, SmartData Solutions®, Brazil, Africa

Verifying LNAPL Plume Stability

Posted by John Sohl on May 1, 2019 10:57:45 AM

Spring is here!  In addition to springtime blooms and new wildlife it's also conference season.  It's always a pleasure to hear industry leaders advancing our our level of understanding of the complex biosphere tainted with man-made contamination.  This past month I had the pleasure of attending the Fifth International Symposium on Bioremediation and Sustainable Environmental Technologies close to home in Baltimore 2019.  Dr. John Cherry's presentation on what we know compared to what don't know through ignorance was a real eye-opener!  The symposium was also highlighted with an awesome panel speaking on Contaminant Geology.

Last week I had the opportunity to speak at the Alabama Conference on USTs on the lessons learned through high-resolution investigations, and in particular the value of high-resolution soil sampling to isolate the residual LNAPL mass on our more complex and difficult sites.  Several others emphasized the importance of improved characterization before implementation of expensive and most likely financially unsustainable remediation systems. 

ITRC guidance document LNAPL-3: LNAPL Site Management: LCSM Evolution, Decision Process, and Remedial Technologies refers to several lines of evidence to verify LNAPL plume stability.   Accurately mapping the residual LNAPL and verifying stability are the first steps in building an effective LNAPL conceptual site model.  We were assured by ADEM staff that they hear this message and are supportive of better characterization focused on identifying any residual LNAPL and verifying the LNAPL body is stable. 

At COLUMBIA, our team takes pride in providing industry leading data reports to conduct a remedial optimization study to characterize the problem and identify cost saving alternatives through:

  • High-Resolution LNAPL Assessment
  • Low-Level Diffuse GW Plume Mapping
  • Direct Sensing (MIP, MiHpt, LIF, OIP)
  • Data Management and Visualization
  • Real Time Data & Results on any device

Try our Interactive Project Pricing Calculator!

We'll roll up our sleeves and work alongside you better understand those persistent and complex LNAPL sites.

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Tags: COLUMBIA Technologies, High Resolution Site Characterization (HRSC), News, SmartData Solutions®, Brazil, ITRC, UST, UST Cleanup Funds, Africa, NTC2018

COLUMBIA Technologies Completes 20 Years of Service!

Posted by John Sohl on Feb 4, 2019 12:30:00 PM

Celebrating 20 Years of High-Resolution Site Characterization Services

COLUMBIA Technologies is excited to announce that we just passed our 20 year milestone in providing quality high-resolution site characterization services around the globe.

Working with our partners in Brazil and Africa we have delivered over 2000 individual site characterization projects, providing real data, in real time, reliably  to our consulting firm clients.

THANK YOU  to our clients, partners, and the many COLUMBIA Technologies team members who made achieving this milestone possible.  We look forward to 2019 and beyond to offer a growing range of services to our global customers.

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Tags: COLUMBIA Technologies, High Resolution Site Characterization (HRSC), News, SmartData Solutions®, Brazil, Africa

COLUMBIA Technologies Supports ReLASC-NICOLE Brasil in Lima

Posted by admin on May 29, 2017 12:40:00 PM

International Seminar Relasc-Nicole Management of Sites Contaminated by Hydrocarbons

COLUMBIA Technologies, LLC, a veteran-owned small business provider of high-resolution site characterization services, and our Brazilan subsidiary, COLUMBIA Technologies do Brasil, Ltda. are pleased to support the  International Seminar Relasc-Nicole Management of Sites Contaminated by Hydrocarbons. COLUMBIA's co-founder, Mr. John Sohl, will provide recent lessons learned in LNAPL Mobility, Recoverability, and How to Use High-Resolution.   In addition, John will support a Workshop on Conceptual Site Model Development on Friday, 02 June.   The seminar and workshop will take place in Lima, Peru 31 May through 02 June.  

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Tags: COLUMBIA Technologies, News

High-Resolution LNAPL Assessment at Persistent Former Retail Station

Posted by John Sohl on May 23, 2017 1:11:35 PM

COLLABORATIVE TEAM EFFORT HELPS MONETIZE THE COST OF LNAPL CLEANUP FOR TDEC

COLUMBIA Technologies was selected by PM Environmental to support a high-resolution assessment of a former retail gas station with persistent LNAPL contamination.  The goal of the assessment was to evaluate for the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation the impact of better information on monetizing the cost of long-term correctives action at these types of sites.  The site is one of 246 remaining "difficult to resolve" sites in Tennessee and is typical of the many of over 16,000 remaining Leaking Underground Storage Tank sites in the U.S.  The project involved a careful review of historical documents, cleanup activities, and extended field activities after hours and at night.   

Detailed information gained through this effort delineated an extensive amount of residual gasoline within difficult soil conditions highlighting the need for careful consideration of remedial alternatives.  The team employed the guidelines of the ITRC Technical and Regulatory Guidance for Evaluating LNAPL Remedial Technologies for Achieving Project Goals.  

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Tags: COLUMBIA Technologies, High Resolution Site Characterization (HRSC), LNAPL, News

COLUMBIA Technologies Presenting at the Second International Symposium on Bioremediation and Sustainable Environmental Technologies

Posted by admin on May 15, 2013 9:22:17 PM

 On Wednesday, June 12, 2013, our CEO, John Sohl will present Leveraging Advanced High-Resolution Site Characterization Best Practices to Plan, Target, and Enhance Bioremediation Efforts during the Innovative and Developing Processes and Protocols platform session of the Methodologies for Planning and Evaluating Bioremediation track. This year, the Second International Symposium on Bioremediation and Sustainable Environmental Technologies will be conducted June 10-13, at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront Hotel in Jacksonville, FL. The Symposium is organized and presented by Battelle, and conference sponsors are other organizations active in site investigation and remediation.

Attending John's presentation,   Leveraging Advanced High-Resolution Site Characterization Best Practices to Plan, Target, and Enhance Bioremediation Efforts,  you'll learn about:
  • The effectiveness of leveraging high resolution site characterization (HRSC) approaches which permit involved stakeholders to significantly reduce the risk, cost, and uncertainty in support of in-situ bioremediation (ISB) efforts
  • Case examples where high resolution data mapping contaminant distribution has effectively supported targeted bioremediation efforts
  • Weighted lines of evidence to measure mass contaminant distribution, identify transport and permeability zones, and establish water quality parameters for improved ISB efforts while significantly reducing the cost of remediation activities

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Tags: COLUMBIA Technologies, High Resolution Site Characterization (HRSC), John Sohl, News

Resurgent Petrochemical and Manufacturing Industries Spur Solid Growth for COLUMBIA Technologies

Posted by admin on Jan 24, 2013 2:47:52 PM

Article originally featured in the Environmental Business Journal (EBJ) Executive Review 2013 Issue, Volume XXVI, Number 1, 2013

 Columbia Technologies, LLC (Baltimore, MD), is a global provider of high-resolution direct sensing and mapping technologies, such as the membrane interface probe (MIP), laser-induced fluorescence (LIF), and the hydraulic profiling tool (HPT), for application in contaminated site characterization. Founded in 1999, the 17-employee company has successfully completed approximately 1,000 high-resolution site characterization surveys throughout Mexico, Canada, and 45 of the 50 states, including Hawaii, serving oil companies, government agencies, commercial real estate owners, developers, and architectural and engineering firms. John Sohl is the company’s CEO.

EBJ: What kind of year was 2012 in terms of revenue growth and profitability for your firm?

John Sohl: It was a good year. We had 20% revenue growth, and roughly 30% growth on the profit line. We had a good, solid set of projects that contributed to growth and profits.

EBJ: What client sectors and regions provided the best opportunities, and what factors were driving those opportunities? Any shifts in the sectors you’re serving?

J.S.: For what we do, the clients that are engaging in more complex projects, where the site characterization and remediation challenges are significant, that’s where we get our best match in terms of value proposition. They often tend to be petrochemical clients and manufacturers.

We did see a good amount of work in the Midwest, which has offered good growth through the resurgence in the economy. General Motors, Ford, and other manufacturers are trying to resolve issues with the assets on their books. I think we’ll see more and more positive impacts when cheap natural gas affects the petrochemical and manufacturers. These clients did do well.

There were no dramatic shifts in our client base. We maintain a fairly broad base, and we’re active in both the industrial sector and the Department of Defense (DOD) market. In the commercial market, if there has been any kind of shift, it’s been by reaching out beyond our traditional borders. In 2012, we’ve done a couple of projects in Hawaii. We have a partner in Mexico, and we’ve done some work in Canada, so we’re exporting our work on a regular basis.

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Tags: COLUMBIA Technologies, High Resolution Site Characterization (HRSC), John Sohl, News