Environmental Works celebrates 15 years with company cruise

For the company’s 10th anniversary, Melton took her crew – plus one guest each – to Cancun. In October, Melton, her staff of 47 and guests will take to the water on a Royal Caribbean cruise to celebrate 15 years in business.

For Melton, though, the trips are less about wanting to see the world and more about giving credit where it’s due.

“The people make the company,” Melton said. “It’s not me. The associates are the reason for my success. I want to surround myself with talented, smart people (who are) smarter than I am.”

Founded in 1992 with two employees, Environmental Works, 1016 W. Battlefield Road, is a consulting firm for environmental issues, including petroleum storage-tank remediation, hazardous waste management, subsurface investigations and due-diligence assessments.

Not surprisingly, the bonus trips are a big hit with Environmental Works employees, including Senior Project Manager Rita Wiggin, who has been with the company for eight years.

“Actually, it was really very shocking,” Wiggin said of the first trip to Cancun. “Robin made the announcement really fun. We did a scavenger hunt at the office and all looked around for clues. We all ended up outside, put together the clues, and she told us she was taking us to Cancun. I think we all nearly passed out.”

Dan Hoy, director of facilities for Bass Pro Shops and an early customer of Melton and Environmental Works, isn’t surprised by Melton’s humility when it comes to acknowledging her employees’ efforts.

“She’s genuine. Her sincerity is not manufactured,” Hoy said.

Hoy encouraged Melton to start her own company after she left Springfield-based Sunbelt Environmental Services Inc. Hoy said Environmental Works’ employees reflect Melton’s skills and sense of service – which he said have stayed the same despite the company’s growth, including offices in Kansas City in 2003 and Rolla in 2005.

And given Hoy’s 25-year history with mega outdoor retailer Bass Pro, he knows a thing or two about business growth.

“It is very common when business grows to lose touch with the roots of your success. I haven’t seen that with Robin,” he said. “She was always very, very capable of delivering the report to a layperson like myself, explaining the process and leaving us fully satisfied that it was of good substance, good quality, good science.”

According to Greg Bischof, principal scientist and division manager of remediation at Environmental Works, communication at the customer level is a critical skill for everyone at the company, whether they’re explaining an environmental hazard to an elderly couple who owns a single filling station on a country road or talking to a scientist or researcher.

“If you can’t do that, you won’t work here very long,” Bischof said. “Consultants in our industry get a bad rap for trying to talk over people’s heads. That doesn’t get you anywhere. Two or three times a year, Robin takes all of her managers out and we discuss what we are doing well and where we could do better. That, almost always, is one of the first things on the good list – our ability to communicate.”

Melton hasn’t seen any negatives in being a woman in a field dominated by men. In fact, she thinks the effect might be quite the opposite.

“In a male-dominated field, it will help you stand out a little bit more, especially when you do excellent work,” Melton said. “You go to a trade show and it is 90 percent men and 10 percent women. … I think it has been a real benefit in a way.”

Community care

Because the community has been good to her business, giving back is important to Melton, who is a board member of the Southwest Missouri Humane Society, Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, Urban Neighborhoods Alliance and the Jordan Valley Innovation Center Inc. Her company also is a corporate sponsor of the James River Basin Partnership, but her efforts don’t stop there. She encourages her staff to get involved, even if it’s on company time.

“Honestly, I have been really blessed,” Melton said. “Springfield is the perfect niche market for me to get my start. I’ve really flourished, and I think it is important for us to give back to the community. Out in the world today, there is some apathy about public issues and people feel like they can’t make a difference. I believe you can make a difference, but you have to be involved.”

Up next for Melton and company is finishing renovations of an office at 1455 E. Chestnut Expressway, for which Melton is pursuing Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification.

Eye on Environmental Works

1992 – Environmental Works Inc. opens for business in Springfield.

1999 – The company builds a new office at 1016 W. Battlefield Road. That same year, owner Robin Melton is recognized as one of Springfield Business Journal’s 40 Under 40.

2001 – Melton named one of 20 Influential Women In Business by SBJ.

2002 – Environmental Works receives the W. Curtis Strube Small Business of the Year Award by the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce. That same year, Melton was named a Missouri State University Outstanding Young Alumni. The company also celebrated 10 years in business with a company trip to Cancun.

2003 – Environmental Works opens an office in Kansas City.

2005 – Environmental Works opens an office in Rolla.

2007 – Environmental Works celebrates 15-year anniversary with Caribbean cruise; the company begins renovations on an office at 1455 E. Chestnut Expressway, with plans to relocate there. Melton is seeking Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification for the facility.