Category Archives: meet the expert

We are at once delighted and disheartened to announce that Mr. Richard Nelligan, Vice President – Eastern Canada, will be retiring as of January 31, 2018. Richard has been a consummate professional and we truly appreciate his dedication and commitment to making THEM Ottawa in particular, and THEM as a whole a better company. Many successful projects that we recognize as the backbone for T. Harris Environmental Management (THEM) were a reflection of his recognized expertise and experience in large-scale private, historical and government sensitive projects.  He has been involved with some of the largest, most diverse and complex projects in Canada.  Richard has been a tremendous part of our team by sharing this knowledge with all his fellow team members. In addition to his high level of competence and skill, he has achieved great camaraderie with his rare sense of humour.

Richard has provided THEM with over 30 years of devoted service and we treasure his commitment. His industry knowledge and his wide range of expertise have been invaluable. In his projects, he demonstrated expertise in all aspects of asbestos technology, consulting and environmental hazard abatement. His track record of success with large hazardous materials abatement projects and in consulting for a variety of ICI clients underlines his extraordinary professionalism.

Throughout his career, Richard has contributed to every aspect of the industry from policy development to building relationships with clients. He liaised with private clients and government agencies regarding hazard assessments and recommendations on abatement projects. He was involved in every work aspect of environmental consulting services for large-scale construction projects including hazardous materials survey reports, budget estimates, hazmat abatement tender documents and drawings, submittals reviews, inspection, monitoring, progress payments and contract administration.

Richard’s retirement is our loss, but a well-deserved new beginning for him. We wish Mr. Nelligan well as he sets off to enjoy his retirement.

The growth and development of the entire THEM organization is the ultimate goal. Chris Nielsen has been named as Richard Nelligan`s successor in the role of Vice President-Eastern Canada. Chris has been working closely with Richard and he is now excited to continue his efforts with THEM in an expanded role. Chris is committed to furthering our opportunities in Ottawa as well as continuing to support other offices with their environmental challenges and opportunities.

We are very pleased to announce that Mr. Chris Nielsen, B.Sc., P. Geo. (Limited), QP_ESA, is taking over the role of Vice President – Eastern Canada. 

Mr. Nielsen is a senior environmental consultant, geoscientist, project manager and leader with more than 30 years of progressive experience in environmental site assessment, remediation, hazardous materials management and health & safety consulting.  Chris has led environmental groups in two international corporations where he was responsible for day-to-day operations, budgeting, staff retention and mentoring and the overall business operations of the groups.  Mr. Nielsen has managed multiple large projects in a variety of client sectors and has strong expertise in client relations, project budgeting, scheduling, delivery and supporting systems development in residential, commercial, institutional, industrial and public sector settings.

In his work, he demonstrates subject-matter expertise and exhibits strong resource leadership among large projects, including a $2.5 million environmental site assessment on a former military base, asbestos surveys of 1,900 buildings throughout Ontario, a large site assessment and remediation project on the Niagara Escarpment, and many smaller projects involving mould, asbestos, lead and other Designated Substances as well as contaminated properties.

Chris is an active volunteer, mentoring new professional geoscientists through a program organized by the Association of Professional Geoscientists of Ontario, and is currently the President of Muskies Canada Sport Fishing & Research Inc., a not-for-profit volunteer conservation organization.