Springfield Environmental Services department names new assistant directors

(From the City of Springfield)

The City’s Environmental Services department has named Wade Drossel and Ron Petering as assistant directors, effective Sept. 17. Previous Assistant Director Errin Kemper was named director in May after Steve Meyer retired.

Wade Drossel, P.E., grew up in Northwest Missouri, where he began his career in production management while attending Missouri Western State University. Upon graduating with a B.S. in Business Administration, he continued his career in production scheduling, shipping, and materials. In 2005 he was drawn to the Ozarks by the beauty and opportunities the area provided, so he moved to Springfield and resumed his career in manufacturing.

The chance to pursue a career in civil engineering presented itself in 2009, and in 2012 Wade graduated with a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology. After graduation he worked for a Rural Electric Cooperative designing transmission lines, inspecting projects, writing contracts, and working on other unique and diverse projects. During that time, he also became a licensed Professional Engineer.

Ron Petering, P.E., is returning to the public sector after nearly three decades in the private sector with Shafer, Kline & Warren (SKW). He joined SKW, a multi-discipline engineering and construction firm headquartered in the Kansas City area, in 1989 to establish a practice area related to traffic and transportation engineering. After a decade, he was selected as president and chief executive officer.

Petering attended Missouri University of Science & Technology where he graduated with honors, receiving a B.S. in Civil Engineering. He began his professional career with the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) working in various operations and design roles in district offices in Joplin, Springfield and Jefferson City. He was inducted into the Academy of Civil Engineers at Missouri S&T in 2008.

Each assistant director will be responsible for leading Environmental Services projects and initiatives and will work together to track and make recommendations to comply with regulations, implement the Sewer Overflow Control Plan, Capital Improvement Plan and the Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan, among other duties.

A growing department

The Department of Environmental Services is one of the City’s largest departments and is the operational umbrella for the sanitary sewer system, wastewater treatment plants, solid waste management and recycling, air quality, sustainability efforts and integrated planning for the environment. The department also works in partnership with the Public Works Department to meet the stormwater management needs of the community and protect water quality of area lakes, streams and rivers.

“Since Environmental Services was established in 2011, the department has grown considerably,” Kemper explains. “It has expanded to meet the demands of evolving environmental regulations and significant community investments, all while continuing to offer a variety of vital services to the Springfield region.”

In the last five years, Environmental Services has entered into a 10-year, $200 million Sanitary Sewer Overflow Control Plan which represents one of the community’s largest public investments. During this timeframe, staffing has grown 34 percent, from 137 to 184 employees.

“We are extremely excited to have these two very qualified professionals join our team,” says Kemper. “Environmental Services collectively has a lot of ideas on how we can best provide services to our community while protecting our environment. These two gentlemen are going to greatly increase our capacity to do just that.”