After working in accounting and finance in the 80’s and 90’s I started in this industry back in 1999 with Wolbert & Master in Edgewood, MD. They were a Finn equipment dealer that specialized in not only equipment but erosion control supplies and materials as well. I was able to learn and eventually share different hydroseeding and erosion control techniques from colleagues, customers and vendors for the last 27 years.
I helped many folks get started in hydroseeding, helping them to understand how important it is to choose good equipment and materials and how to apply them properly. I have always tried to share what I can within the industry, in the effort of ensuring people do things right the first time.
I live in Fallston, MD outside of Baltimore and enjoy boating, fishing and crabbing on the tributaries of the northern portion of the Chesapeake Bay. I am also a fan of baseball and Texas Hold’em and getting together with family.
I started volunteering with EnviroCert International’s HECP steering committee in 2020 and took over as committee chair in 2023. I served on the board of the International Association of Hydroseeding Professionals (IAHP) for 10 years, and its eventual demise provided the impetus to kick-start ECI’s HECP certification programs. I have worked closely with 7 other long-term industry people (20+ years each) to craft the CIHECP and more recently the CPHECP. I am proud of this work for a number of reasons:
- We’ve taken the mystery and guesswork out of inspecting HECP jobs
- We are raising the level of professionalism within the industry through education and references and examples
- This effort helps people understand how to be successful with HECP
- I was able to lead a seasoned group of individuals toward a common goal while meeting the projected timeline of completion
My actual “start” with EnviroCert was back in late 2015. I was in a meeting room at Finn headquarters in Cincinnati with a couple dozen individuals when the CEO laid out a challenge for someone at Finn to become the first CPESC at the company. He then looked right at me and laid it out personally, asking me “how about it Ron?” I met the challenge and became a CPESC in January of 2016. Working with ECI has helped me to network with other folks in overlapping areas, whether it is hydroseeding-related or perhaps other equipment or services. The certifications have helped me first and foremost to gain respect, with many folks making note of the letters and immediately thinking “this guy knows his stuff, he’s probably been doing this for a while.” And they’re right. That’s how I’d like to be remembered- one of the first people to put HECP on the map, so to speak, and helping its application to be better understood and practiced properly.