Practitioner Spotlight: Ray Nechvatal

Get to Know Ray!

• Name: Ray Nechvatal 
• Office: Greater St. Louis, Chicago 
• Practice Areas: Environmental Remediation, Health and Safety, EHS Auditing and Compliance, TRS 
• Areas of expertise: Portfolio management, domestic and international project management, due diligence, subsurface environmental investigations, and midwestern state regulatory programs. 
• About Me in 140 Characters: My main function nowadays is helping Subject Matter Experts shine across Antea Group by driving projects forward and keeping focus on the fundamentals of scope, schedule, and budget.  

What is Your Favorite Part of Your Role?

What is the most interesting project you’ve ever worked on? 

As part of a site decommissioning project I got to walk through a facility which was built multiple stories underground to camouflage it from Soviet aerial spying, accessed by a decoy residence at the surface. It felt very James Bond! 

What are some of your favorite tools or resources for professional development in this practice area? 

The only “tool” that I’ve found to have guaranteed effectiveness is to identify a good mentor, take on a project for which you aren’t qualified, and grow into the next level. 

If someone at a party asks what you do, how to you respond? 

“I turn dirty dirt into clean dirt.” 

What was your first job? 

I was a golf caddie from age 12 to 22.  My right shoulder is lower and wider than my left for this reason. 

What TV show character do you identify most with? 

Someone once compared me to the Grinch, but after his heart grows three sizes.  I can see where they’re coming from. 

What historical or fictional character would you most like to work with? 

Ernest Shackelton

Sign up for our monthly e-newsletter, The New Leaf. Our goal is to keep you updated, educated, and even a bit entertained as it relates to all things EHS and sustainability.