Happy 38th, ASTI Environmental!

A warm thank you to our 7,600+ clients and staff, boosters, contractors, and suppliers. ASTI Environmental just turned 38! We have had the privilege of providing environmental assessment, compliance, remediation, restoration, and incentive services in all four corners of Michigan, coast-to-coast, and overseas since 1985.

Since its creation by Tom Wackerman and Peter Collins on February 1, 1985 in Ann Arbor, ASTI Environmental has grown significantly completing 15,000+ projects nationally and has diversified into multiple service lines, adding the following to the core services mix: Threatened and Endangered Species Surveys, Sub-Slab Depressurization System Design and Installation, Redevelopment Incentives (having obtained more than $300 million in gap financing), PFAS Investigations, Habitat Management, Hazard Mitigation Plans, Stormwater and Shoreline Management, and Property Condition Assessments. We continued to provide Phase I ESAs, Phase II Investigations, Asbestos and Lead Assessments and Management, Compliance Assistance, Due Care Plans, Remediation, and Restoration.

For information on any of the services you see here on our website, please contact Doug Brown at dbrown@asti-env.com 810.599.8131.

STAFF SPOTLIGHT: Welcome, Kate Young

One of ASTI’s many new additions this year is Kate Young, who will be working on Phase Is with our Property Services Group. Although she has recently been teaching, Kate has over 10 years of environmental consulting experience, particularly in Phase I ESAs. She has a BS in Rangeland Ecology and Management from Texas A&M University. When she is not hard at work, Kate enjoys hiking, reading, gaming, and spending time with her two kids.

Summertime Celebrations at ASTI

Employees enjoyed an afternoon of laughter, food, drinks, and fowling this August at the annual ASTI Summer Party! Whether attending a baseball game, trying their hand at axe throwing, or just sitting down to a meal together – the ASTI team loves to get together and have fun!

15,000 and Counting!

ASTI Environmental recently completed our 15,000th project. Since we were established in 1985, ASTI has learned that each client wants to be treated as if they are the only one we serve and it has been our pleasure to oblige them 15,000 times and counting. ASTI President Tom Wackerman recalls the beginning, “To think that we were scrambling to welcome our first client to our makeshift office in 1985 and here we are 37 years later still mitigating our client’s risk and expense one project at a time is remarkable.”

We are only as good as our last project, so if you have yet to engage ASTI for Environmental, Ecological, and Restoration Services, please consider giving us a call at 810.599.8131.

The 2022 Tour de Troit Takes Off from Riverview Park!

Tour de Troit is a bike ride of approximately 20 to 25.6 miles immersing riders in the City of Detroit’s historic neighborhoods, street art projects, impressive architecture and more! Lunch, beer/wine for the 21+ crowd, and Faygo are provided after the ride alone with a big celebratory party. This year the Tour de Troit began and ended at a site that ASTI worked on along with many other contractors all managed by the City of Detroit. The redevelopment and expansion of Riverside Park was a true team effort that ASTI is proud to have been a part of.

The City of Detroit first began renovating Riverside Park in 2018 after drafting a new master plan earlier that year. The first phase targeted six acres in the northeastern portion of the park along Jefferson Avenue with renovations that included a new softball diamond, picnic shelter, playground, basketball court, and restroom area.

The park will serve as the western terminus of the Detroit International Riverwalk, which connects recreational and economic hubs along the Detroit River. Plans are now underway to connect the Southwest Detroit recreation area with two greenways.

The City is in the last phase of impressive renovations to Riverside Park.  Within the expanded 29-acre park, enhancements include a splash pad, playground area, outdoor gym, a series of new shelters including a large shelter, sledding hill, amphitheater, and a comfort station with its own concession area. Southwest Detroiters have long desired a sledding hill close to their homes. Additionally, the City transformed a three-acre area that had once housed a dog pound facility into Detroit's largest dog park and a 20,000-square-foot skate park. Last year, the southeastern portion of the park was upgraded with a revamped picnic area, new section of riverwalk, boat launch, horseshoe and table tennis area, and new parking zone.

Ultimately, Riverside Park renovations will restore the recreational opportunities to citizens of Detroit and provide better access to the Detroit River for the surrounding neighborhoods and all visitors to the park.

It's a ThreePeat! ASTI Named One of Metro Detroit’s Best and Brightest Companies to Work For

ASTI is proud to be recognized as a 2022 Best and Brightest Company to Work For in Metro Detroit! The Best and Brightest Companies to Work® for competition identifies and honors companies that display a commitment to excellence in their human resources practices and employee enrichment. Companies are assessed in areas such as communication, work-life balance, employee education, diversity, recognition, retention, and more. We are so proud to be awarded this designation for a third year in a row! 

Detroit Welcomes Back Brownfields in 2023

For unmatched education, development tours, and networking to perfect Brownfield Redevelopment, please save August 8-11, 2023 for Brownfields 2023 at Huntington Place Convention Center, Detroit, MI (a short walk from ASTI’s Detroit office).

For more information please contact ASTI’s Doug Brown. Mr. Brown served as Brownfields 2008 Chair of the Brownfields Transaction Forum that attracted 6,000 guests from around the globe to Detroit and generated numerous real estate transactions being completed for distressed and surplus real estate throughout the State of Michigan. He can be reached at dbrown@asti-env.com or 810.599.8131.

Because You Never Know What You Don't Know...

The key to understanding the wide-ranging and constantly changing regulations and latest environmental and ecological trends is effective education. Accordingly, we have conducted hundreds of Brown Bag presentations (like the pictured Environmental Master Class) for clients and prospects alike throughout the years at no charge. The content is centered on technical guidance and tips for working with various agencies. We’ve even been known to buy lunch or coffee and donuts!

Please contact Doug Brown 810.599.8131 or dbrown@asti-env.com if your team is interested in this offer.

15,000 and Counting!!

ASTI Environmental recently completed our 15,000th project. Since we were established in 1985, ASTI has learned that each client wants to be treated as if they are the only one we serve and it has been our pleasure to oblige them 15,000 times and counting.  ASTI President Tom Wackerman recalls the beginning; “To think that we were scrambling to welcome our first client to our makeshift office in 1985 and here we are 37 years later still mitigating our client's risk and expense one project at a time is remarkable.”

We are only as good as our last project, so if you have yet to engage ASTI for Environmental, Ecological, and Restoration Services, please consider giving us a call 810/599-8131 for your next project.

ASTI Works With Six Rivers on Land Conservation Project

In 2020, ASTI was retained by Six Rivers Regional Land Conservancy to conduct a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) of four parcels of land on Lake George Road in Oakland Township, Michigan for purchase with funding from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund (MNRTF). These parcels contain three residences, span 244 acres, and were formerly used as farmland and orchard areas. This 244-acre property stood out as a desirable property to acquire for conservation due to its one-of-a-kind natural features, proximity to an existing park (Lost Lakes Nature Park), proximity to a school (Oakview Middle School), its accessibility by local residents and school children, and the potential for amenities for park visitors.

The Oakland Township Lost Lake Nature Park Expansion property was found to have natural features considered “rare” and “irreplaceable” by DNR standards. These features include 281 observed plant species, black spruce bog, prairie fen, oak woodland, rich tamarack swamp, forested wetlands, and open fields. The plan is to create a park with a four-mile trail system connecting to Lost Lake with access to Stony Creek and multiple other lakes. Access to Clam Lake, Green Lake, Tamarack Lake, the West Branch of Stony Creek, and Black Spruce Bog is also planned. The project will offer many environmental benefits and amenities for Oakland Township residents to enjoy. There will be ecological links to the existing Lost Lake Nature Park, Addison Oaks Park, and Bald Mountain State Recreation Area. This project will also help to protect the West Branch of Stony Creek, Clam Lake, water resources, and sensitive habitats. Hiking, wildlife observation, hunting, and nature programs will also be offered.

Six River Regional Land Conservancy’s Conservation Vision is dynamic and multifaceted. Not only do they work to conserve natural areas, rivers, lakes, and wetlands, but they work to conserve lands that support local heritages as well. This Phase I ESA is one of several that ASTI Environmental has worked with Six Rivers Regional Land Conservancy to complete over the years as we not only support new development and brownfield redevelopment through our Phase I ESAs, but also assist with land preservation initiatives throughout Southeast Michigan.