Thomas Bieker recently joined Environmental Works Inc. as a project manager, bringing with him 10 years as sergeant in the Missouri Army National Guard and eight years of local industrial environmental compliance work. Most recently working as an environmental scientist with Midwest Environmental Consultants, Bieker served on Springfield City Council for nearly two years before resigning in November 2012 when he bought a house just outside city limits. Bieker, a new father of twins, also is a member of the city of Springfield-Greene County Environmental Advisory Board and president of the Greater Ozarks Chapter of Certified Hazardous Materials Managers.
Career Progression “I came from [Jefferson City-based] Midwest Environmental, where there was two of us in the local office, so it was a bit of a culture shock going to an office of 30 to 40 here. … This was an opportunity to be with a Springfield company, and the corporate culture at Environmental Works is just amazing. I’ve had a lot of colleagues migrate over here, and they’ve had nothing but great things to say. When the opportunity came in the project management position, that was a step up in the career progression. It was a natural fit.”
Job Choice “We went through a professional service. Some of the recruiters I worked with, they were growing in Kansas City, and I was reached about that. But we were expecting twins at that point. Our family is in Springfield, and Springfield is where we have our roots. I said, ‘As much as I’d like to pursue that, let me know if something changes in Springfield,’ because there wasn’t anything available at that time. Then, (one representative) reached out to EWI and arranged a meeting. They weren’t filling shoes that were open, but they saw my skills set, and said, ‘We can develop this.’”
Double Duty “They say, ‘You make plans to break them.’ We had planned as a family this career change, and then we’d have a couple of months of adjustment before we had the twins. Well, the twins got here about two months early, which had me leaving a career and welcoming twins in (a two-week) period. It was hectic, to say the least, but everything worked out well. They came home about two weeks ago. They were in the (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) for a while at Mercy, but they are healthy and doing well now — one girl and one boy.”
Compliance Side “I work a lot on the compliance side working with clients. We have industrial clients (such as) Bass Pro Shops and SRC, as well as many other organizations in the area. And with the regulatory environment in the area – I’m talking (Department of Natural Resources) and the Environmental Protection Agency – there are always new issues in maintaining compliance in these organizations: air compliance, stormwater, (hazardous) waste, those kinds of things. My specialty has been in compliance, and helping the clients navigate through that.”
Council Exit “Half of (the house) was within city limits and half was outside, so it was a bit of a point of contention. … The city boundary goes through our backyard, so essentially the backyard is in the city and the front yard was outside the city. My understanding of it is that it comes down to where your mailbox is. Our mailbox was on the county side of the line. … We maintained our property in the Rountree neighborhood – we just recently sold it – and I had debated using that as a temporary residence or going down the legal route and annexing the other half of the property because it is pretty unprecedented that half of a property would be in and the other half out. We were maintaining both of the houses and then … a personal, family matter unfolded, and it was at that point that I felt I really needed to focus on family. I think there could have been a work around, but I really needed to focus on family.”[[In-content Ad]]
