“The new office reflects the exponential growth we have had as a result of delivering innovative and cost-effective solutions to a wide array of environmental challenges in the U.S. and abroad,” CEO Stephen Henshaw told CARIBBEAN NEWS.

Located at 1302 Ponce de Leon Ave. in Hato Rey, the office will serve the Caribbean region for Indianapolis-based parent company EnviroForensics® . The company has offices in Los Angeles; San Francisco; Portland, OR; Chicago; and Indianapolis.

The trends in Puerto Rico toward regulatory compliance, such as those related to wastewater and hazardous waste, have convinced EnviroForensics® that the island is a growth market for the company, said Henshaw. He explained that EnviroForensics® resolves challenging environmental problems involving political, technical, regulatory, legal, and financial aspects.

“The company will focus on environmental, legal and resource management for municipalities, pharmaceutical companies, industry and environmental attorneys,” said Henshaw. “What sets us apart from our competition is our ability to provide a unique and multi-faceted approach to a client's situation.”

Henshaw said EnviroForensics® is managed and staffed by a mix of professional and technical personnel: environmental engineers, geologists, hydrogeologists, chemists, environmental scientists, database specialists, investigators, legal analysts, insurance archeologists, and property transaction specialists.

He named Joel Morales-Visbal and Karem Mieses regional manager and business manager, respectively, of EnviroForensics®-Caribe. Morales-Visbal is a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez and holds a Masters Degree in Environmental Science and Engineering from Oregon Graduate Institute. He was formerly a a project manager at the firm’s office in Portland. Mieses is a principal of KEMM Consulting and a former chief financial officer of Maxon Engineering.

“For the first time in Puerto Rico, a U.S. mainland firm specialized in finding funding sources to pay for site investigations will be able to deliver remediation, litigation support, waste water and hazardous-waste management services under one roof,” said Morales-Visbal.