In January 2020 we opened our second UK office in Manchester. One year later, we reflect on our first year of business, a year that presented the world with unprecedented challenges.
Our office manager, Jonathon Sander, had barely gotten his feet under the desk at our new Brown Street offices when the national lockdown was called. In response to pandemic, the UK government called for national restrictions and like everyone we pivoted to a more agile way of working. Marketing plans were rapidly shelved, and we focused on how we could continue to support our clients in this very different, new and untested landscape.
The move to remote working was relatively painless. We are fortunate that the TRC IT team had already rolled out MS Teams and our physical server had been replaced by cloud-based drives enabling our teams to rapidly access and collaborate on project files, modelling software and data handling tools.
For our site-based work (investigation, monitoring and remediation), we prepared COVID management plans in accordance with UK government guidelines and UK construction sector advice. We implemented COVID safe environments and working practices on all of our sites and were able to progress projects for our Clients without delay.
Throughout the past 12 months, our Manchester office has managed the following projects within this region:
- Due diligence assessments to aid brownfield acquisition and redevelopment in the warehouse and logistics sector across the northwest and Yorkshire regions;
- Geotechnical ground investigation to aid redevelopment of land affected by coal mining risk;
- Transaction advisory services to aid the acquisition of a global pharmaceutical business with manufacturing facilities in Lancashire;
- Assessment of indoor air quality and workplace exposure within operational manufacturing facilities;
- Permitting and compliance support to various clients in the food and beverage sector in the northwest and North Wales.
We have a strong outlook for 2021. The warehouse and logistics sector continue to drive much of our brownfield regeneration sector workload. Beyond industrial, we are seeing activity in the residential sector, particularly where we are supporting land owners looking to package and promote their property for residential development. It is expected that this will continue to rise as Clients seek to generate value from their underperforming assets.
We support our developer clients in site finding, risk review and due diligence. Beyond the bid stage, we provide site investigation services, remediation design and implementation and geotechnical assessment. Our air quality, odor and acoustics teams are seeing an uptick in workload as the acquisition activity of the autumn now moves towards planning and design stages.
Our recruitment plans were delayed in the first half of 2020 due to the pandemic, but the strong performance and positive outlook has meant that we have grown to three Manchester based personnel entering this New Year.
Moving forward into 2021 we are hopeful of a continued recovery from the pandemic and a return to normality. Until then we continue to respond to support our clients in meeting their business needs, supporting them with the same high quality, responsive and commercially focussed advice that we have become known for.
If you want to discuss any of our services please do not hesitate to contact either Jonathon Sander (jsander@trccompanies.com) or Adam Sokolowski (asokolowski@trccompanies.com).
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Sharing Our Perspectives
Our practitioners share their insights and perspectives on the trends and challenges shaping the market.
EPA Signs New Rule Affecting Air Emissions from Stationary Combustion Turbines
September 16, 2024
EPA finalized the residual risk and technology review (RTR) of the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for Stationary Combustion Turbines.
EPA Proposes New Guidance on Air Quality Analysis for Permits
January 5, 2024
On October 23, 2023, the US EPA proposed changes to the Guideline on Air Quality Models and the US EPA model AERMOD
Modeling of Fogging and Icing Events
December 14, 2023
In recent years, various agencies across the country have become committed to understanding the impacts of fog generated by cooling systems. At first glance, fog created by cooling towers may not appear to be a significant problem, however, it can have adverse effects on the public. Fog can impair visibility for people driving on roads and if temperatures are below freezing, fog can cause the formation of rime ice on surfaces. To understand the consequences of fog created by these cooling systems, experts have devised advanced modeling techniques.
EPA Issues Information Collection Request for Plywood and Composite Wood Products Source Operators
March 17, 2022
EPA issued an Information Collection Request (ICR) to develop new emission standards for inclusion in the Plywood and Composite Wood Products (PCWP) National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP).
EPA Lifts Stay of Standards for New Lean Premix and Diffusion Flame Gas-fired Combustion Turbines
March 14, 2022
The EPA Administration signed a notice to finalize amendments to the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for Stationary Combustion Turbines
TRC Acquires United Sciences Testing, Inc., Expanding Air Management Capabilities
February 23, 2022
TRC Companies (“TRC”), announced the expansion of its Air Management capabilities with the acquisition of United Sciences Testing, Inc. (USTI), who provides emissions testing services to utility and industrial clients within the Great Lakes and Midwest regions of the US.
Air Emissions Permitting: What Analytical Laboratories Need to Know About Compliance
December 18, 2021
The independent testing of liquid and solid samples is a critical way that businesses demonstrate regulatory compliance. The laboratories that perform these analyses are also subject to environmental rules and should closely track their operations to ensure they are meeting compliance obligations.
EPA Proposes Changes to Methane Control at Petroleum Operations
November 10, 2021
New Source Performance Standard for Methane Control at Petroleum Operations in 2022
PFAS Air Emissions Standards and Trends for Summer 2021
August 17, 2021
Environmental impacts of PFAS in ambient air leads to states implementing PFAS air-related thresholds.
Managing EHS & ESG Risks Through Integrated Systems Today and Beyond
July 22, 2021
It has been more than 50 years since the development and establishment of the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the federal Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) which were formed to protect our environment and workplaces across the United States. Significant laws, policies and regulations followed to establish the “regulatory programs” that all applicable businesses and entities must address and meet to ensure these compliance-driven legislative programs would create a foundation to protect our society.
EPA Proposes New Emissions Limits for Combustion Turbines
May 22, 2021
After 15 years of legal limbo, combustion turbines could be facing new emissions standards under a proposal introduced by the EPA.
EPA Ramps Up Inspections and Enforcement Actions
May 14, 2021
EPA’s acting enforcement chief, Larry Starfield, directs agents to ramp up inspections in communities known to be afflicted by pollution
South Coast Air Quality Management District Rule 2305: Warehouse Indirect Source Rule
April 7, 2021
The rule is intended to reduce local and regional emissions of NOx and diesel particulate matter (PM).
EPA Finalizes Reversal of “Once In Always In” Air Pollution Policy
November 18, 2020
On October 1, 2020, the EPA finalized a ruling that no longer enforces the “once in, always in” air emissions policy.
TRC Awarded a Yahara WINS Grant
August 28, 2020
TRC was recently awarded a Yahara WINS grant to develop a pilot scale simple aeration method for removing phosphorous from the discharge of manure digesters. The grant application was developed and submitted by: Bob Stanforth, Alyssa Sellwood, Mike Ursin, Ted O’Connell, Ken Quinn, and John Rice, who are members of multiple TRC CORE teams.
New York State Finalizes Emission Limits for Power Generators
January 21, 2020
On January 16, 2020, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) finalized a rulemaking limiting nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from existing simple cycle and regenerative peaking combustion turbines with a nameplate capacity of 15 megawatts (MW) or greater during the ozone season (May 1 – October 31).
New York State Proposes Emissions Limits for Power Generators
March 22, 2019
On February 27, 2019, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) released a proposed rulemaking limiting nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from existing simple cycle and regenerative peaking combustion turbines with a nameplate capacity of 15 megawatts (MW) or greater during the ozone season (May 1 – October 31).
