RECON Looks Forward with New Management Team
Management Realigned to Enhance Services and Maintain Leadership in Changing Environmental Consulting Field

San Diego, CA (August 11, 2008) – RECON Environmental, Inc. (RECON), a leading environmental consulting firm based in San Diego, CA, has announced the appointment of Robert MacAller as its new president and the realignment of its senior management team. Mac Aller’s appointment as president is the cornerstone of a management realignment at RECON that will focus the company on future growth and expansion to serve clients in California and the Southwest.

Charly Bull, who has served as RECON president since 1981, will continue to serve as chairman of the board for the company. Under Bull’s leadership; RECON has grown to a company of 120 employees with FY 2008 sales of $9 million. He was recently recognized for his many achievements in the field of environmental consulting with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Environmental Professionals.

“During the last 35 years, RECON has grown into a dynamic and innovative company in the environmental consulting field,” said Bull.  “As our company president, Robert will bring a new vision and energy to guide RECON in the years ahead and help us maintain our leadership position in the ever changing environmental consulting field.”

Prior to his selection as RECON president, MacAller managed the firm’s Agency Team and has been a leader in habitat restoration programs for clients throughout the Southwest for more than 15 years.  In his new role as president, MacAller will guide the growth of RECON’s teams of environmental specialists serving clients in the private sector and public agencies at the local to federal level.

“I am excited about this new challenge and the opportunity to lead our team of professionals as we continue to excel for our clients in the months and years ahead,” said MacAller. “We see environmental consulting as a changing field that will continue to evolve in response to major issues like climate change, resource protection, and the role of public involvement in the review process. With our expertise and specialist approach, RECON will be positioned to continue to serve the needs of our clients in this changing environment.”

The realigned senior management team includes leaders of RECON’s functional service teams that focus on specific client sectors.

Lee Sherwood, vice president and RECON principal for more than 25 years, will lead the company’s strategic expansion in the California market. With his extensive CEQA and land use policy background, Sherwood will seek to offer RECON’s expertise to meet the growing demand for environmental services throughout California. His extensive experience working with private clients and with city governments to help refine their CEQA processing procedures, will be valuable assets to new clients throughout the state.

RECON’s Tucson, Arizona and Austin, Texas offices serve clients in the Southwest region of Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Texas. Leading Southwest regional efforts is Lori Woods, ASLA, vice president. Lori has worked in environmental resource planning for more than 29 years and is a licensed landscape architect in Arizona and California. Woods has received numerous awards for her conservation planning work focused on the unique environments of the arid southwest.

Leading RECON's Agency Team will be Paul Fromer, vice president and a principal of the company for 20 years. Fromer is a nationally recognized expert in habitat conservation planning. His innovative work on Pima County’s Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan won the National American Planning Association “Outstanding Plan of the Year” Award.

The RECON Federal Team will be led by David Gottfredson, vice president.  He has more than 13 years experience managing the preparation of NEPA and CEQA environmental documents. Gottfredson has managed projects for numerous Federal agencies including the National Park Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Land Management, and the U. S. Navy. His technical expertise includes his work as a acoustician and air quality specialist.

The RECON Private Team will be led by Bobbi Herdes, vice president.  Herdes has extensive experience as a senior project manager for CEQA documents for large residential and mixed use projects. Herdes has managed large teams of technical experts to complete environmental assessments for projects throughout southern California.

Rounding out RECON’s senior management team is Peter Tomsovic, vice president, who will continue to lead RECON's Restoration Team. Tomsovic leads the company’s innovative team of professionals who provide habitat assessments and restoration services for project mitigation requirements. As an experienced restoration biologist, Tomsovic has developed and implemented numerous successful restoration programs in a variety of habitat zones. He has also published several informative articles on the management of invasive weeds in restored habitat areas.

In his new role as chairmain of the board, Charly Bull will work closely with Robert to maintain RECON’s position as a leader in the changing field of environmental consulting. Bull has teamed with other professionals in the field to form PROTIERRA, an educational organization that will provide a forum for open discussion about issues in environmental analysis and project mitigation. Recently, PROTIERRA launched a survey of environmental professionals and decision makers about future trends in environmental consulting. A majority of the respondents to the survey, which is still ongoing, believe that there is a need for major revisions to environmental protection laws during the next five years in the areas of mitigation requirements, and endangered species classifications. Bull will help the company respond to these changes and will continue to post his insights on the field and more survey results on the PROTIERRA blog site at www.protierraforum.blogspot.com.

RECON will also continue its successful operation of RECON Native Plants, Inc. This subsidiary, managed by Ryan West, offers a 15-acre nursery with a full range of native plants used in restoration projects and native landscaping. 

Diane Pearson continues as chief financial officer, providing stable and reliable financial direction for the company for over 30 years.

About RECON
RECON is a company of specialists with over 35 years of experience providing superior environmental consulting services to private developers, local and regional public agencies and the Federal government for projects throughout the Southwestern U.S. RECON was founded in 1972 by Rick Engineering in San Diego and transitioned to an independent management-owned company in 1982. RECON currently has offices in San Diego, CA, Tucson, AZ, and Austin, TX. Major clients include: Pardee Homes, Sempra Energy, PSOMAS, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Land Management, County of San Diego, Pima County Arizona, Town of Marana Arizona, and the City of Chula Vista. For more information about RECON and RECON Native Plants visit www.recon-us.com and www.reconnativeplants.com.