TEAM
Jerome ryan
Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Ryan is in charge of contracts, financing, and overall business development activities for SWIG. He is a recognized leader in the ecological mitigation industry. He has raised capital and managed the certification and operation of mitigation projects in Washington State, Florida and Alaska. He led the first public/private partnership to create the first commercial wetland mitigation bank in Alaska, where he partnered with the Matanuska Susitna Borough (the fastest developing area of Alaska, adjacent to Anchorage) to utilize their land holdings to create compensatory mitigation credits.
MArk MerkelbacH
Chief Operations Officer
Mr. Merkelbach leads project development and implementation for SWIG. He is a civil designer and professional wetland scientist (PWS) who has managed the design and construction of hundreds of water quality projects, including some of the largest GSI projects in China. He worked with Jerome Ryan in developing the Alaska and Washington State wetland mitigation banks that have a book value of over $250 million dollars. He excels at building the right teams to navigate local politics and address technical challenges to ensure project delivery.
William Lucas, phd
Chief Technology Officer
Dr. Lucas is SWIG’s lead in technology development and facility design. Dr. Lucas has developed innovative green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) designs and engineering approaches, drafting Delaware's Green Technology Manual, verifying Philadelphia's Green Infrastructure modeling, and developing detailed models for one of the largest urban GSI retrofits in the US. Dr. Lucas has designed some of the largest GSI projects in China. He holds two US and ten international patents for his treatment technology, with several other patents pending. Dr. Lucas is internationally recognized for his application of the engineering and science involved in GSI, with over 500 citations of his work in peer reviewed journals.
Vincent Seibold, PE, MBA
Director of Operations
Mr. Seibold is an accomplished engineering professional with over 30 years directing complex water resource design and construction projects, administering environmental regulatory programs, and managing environmental health and safety systems with results-oriented leadership skills. He regularly interacts with elected officials, governmental agencies, customers, consultants, engineers, media, colleagues, and the general public to support ongoing projects and develop new solutions. Over his career he was a dedicated public servant for 25 years working for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, City of Jacksonville, and the St. Johns River Water Management District. In addition, he has private sector experience overseeing environmental health and safety programs with Metal Container Corporation – AB InBev.
OUR ADVISORS
James H. Lenhart, PE, D.WRE
Jim is the owner of Stormwater Northwest in Portland, Oregon. He is the former Chief Technology Officer of Contech Engineered Solutions and was the technical founder of Stormwater Management Inc which developed the StormFilter®. Jim is a named inventor of multiple US patents in the field of stormwater treatment. He has authored over 60 papers on the subject of water quality and stormwater treatment. Jim is a professional Agricultural and Environmental Engineer with over 30 years of experience. He has served as an adjunct instructor of Civil Engineering at Portland State University where he taught hydraulics and water resources engineering. Jim is an active member of the Water Environment Federation Stormwater Institute, ASTM, ASCE EWRI, and serves as a Past Chair of the Urban Water Resources Research Council. Jim holds a BS in Plant Sciences, a BS in Agricultural Engineering and MS in Water Resources Engineering. He is a Diplomate of the American Academy of Water Resources Engineers.
eric Stoermer
Mr. Stoermer is a former SWIG Chief Executive Officer. Prior to SWIG he served as President & CEO of Environmental Operating Solutions, Inc. (EOSi), a provider of specialty chemicals and services to enable point source wastewater treatment facilities to remove nitrogen and phosphorus. During his 14-year tenure as President & CEO, the company grew from ~$0 to an industry-leading business with more than $25 million in recurring revenue, 500 customers and 20 nationwide manufacturing locations. The company was sold to private equity firm XPV Water Partners in 2017. Prior to EOSi, Eric was a consultant at McKinsey & Company.
BOB PITT
Bob Pitt is the Emeritus Cudworth Professor of Urban Water Systems in the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering at the University of Alabama. Prior to his 28 year academic career, Pitt was a senior engineer in industry and government for 16 years. He has conducted research concerning the effects, sources, and control of urban runoff and has written more than 100 publications, including journal articles, book chapters, research reports, and several books. He is a registered Engineer (WI), a Board-Certified Environmental Engineer by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers, and a Diplomate of the American Academy of Water Resources Engineers. He has served on numerous professional committees in the U.S. and abroad. He and his graduate students have conducted research on integrating green infrastructure controls in combined sewer areas; construction site erosion characterization and control, characterization and treatment of emerging contaminants in wet weather flows; stormwater treatment using media filtration; urban PAH sources and fates in marine waters; heavy metal releases from drainage system components; groundwater impacts from stormwater infiltration; beneficial uses of stormwater in times of changing weather; sources and fate of indicator bacteria in urban areas; and continued work on enhancements to the Source Loading and Management Model (WinSLAMM).
