Bill Hall
Bill Hall joined Bioengineering Group as its President in 2010 to manage the day-to-day operations and business development of the firm. Bill is very excited about joining Bioengineering Group during a period of rapid and strategic growth and looks forward to bringing his training and technical know-how, his broad industry relationships, and his extensive management experience to help the company continue to grow and prosper. “Wendi and her team have done a terrific job of creating a unique, interdisciplinary, collaborative work environment. They have done an even more impressive job of assembling an amazing group of very talented scientists and engineers, who are the lifeblood of this organization. I look forward to working with all members of the Bioengineering family in achieving Wendi's goal of being a nationally recognized leader in sustainable design and resource management, and excelling in interactive investigation and engineering services."
Bill has always been fascinated by the impact of soil, rock and water on the environment and civil engineering works. Based on this natural interest, he pursued and obtained a BS in Geology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY and entered the field of environmental consulting during its infancy, experiencing a lot of change and evolution as the industry began to mature. He also observed that while geoscientists were useful for characterizing complex systems, engineers often commanded greater respect in the marketplace. Hence he decided to return to RPI to pursue his MS in Civil Engineering. Bill returned to the workforce equipped with the strength and perspective from training in science and engineering disciplines, able to serve as interpreter and facilitator for increasingly complex projects.
Early in Bill’s career he was responsible for the geotechnical aspects at two hydroelectric dam projects in the Dominican Republic, giving him a chance to simultaneously flex his technical abilities, while challenging him with understanding new geography and cultures. One project was a long zoned earth fill dam with a 10 meter diameter diversion tunnel near Sabaneta. The design issues and methods for construction encompassed a wide variety of engineering issues and expanded his grasp of project details, often demanding learning on the fly. The second project was a relatively short concrete gravity section with abutments that required detailed grouting to increase soil stability, located in an area with complex geological conditions in Rincon near the interior city of La Vega. At the time, Bill worked for a Dominican company called Hanson Rodriquez, SA, and was the only North American associated with the firm. The contractors on both projects were Spanish, and much of the work involved dealing with communications that spanned language barriers, metric units, and two unfamiliar cultures. As you can imagine, Bill had many adventures, and became very comfortable with the nick name of “Rubio. By the time Bill finished a two-year stint in the Dominican Republic, he was confident in his ability to face any type of new engineering, construction, and interpersonal challenges.
After he returned to the US with his wife and new daughter, Bill joined Dunn Corporation (formerly Dunn Geoscience) headquartered in Albany NY. Bill worked for Dunn for 15 years advancing in a number of operational management and business development positions to Chief Operations Officer. His work experience included some of the earliest Superfund projects, as well as a host of smaller projects, and Bill observed some of the challenges faced by private and public entities striving to understand and work within an emerging field of environmental management regulations and solutions. Bill was the Principal-in-Charge on a series of RI/FS, and Remedial design projects for industry and government as well as several PRP sites. During this time he helped grow the firm both organically and through two acquisitions into a premier regional environmental engineering firm with a strong industrial and state clientele.
In 1993 Dunn was sold to Waste Management and consolidated into Rust Environment and Infrastructure, Inc. which became recognized as a national leader in environmental engineering and consulting support services. During Bill’s tenure with REI he progressed through several management and business development positions to eventually become East Region Manager – one of three regional managers in the US. Bill forged lasting relationships with many pioneers in the industry who have gone on to leadership positions in both government and private sector positions. He became known for his humane and collegial management style, balancing success in a highly competitive engineering field while cultivating loyalty and trust from a diverse staff. In 1998 Waste management decided to divest REI. Bill, along with REI’s senior management, interviewed potential acquiring companies. “It was very important to ensure that we found the best fit for the REI organization and culture, and after much analysis we recommended Earthtech.”
After the sale to Earthtech, Bill’s job became redundant and he was tapped to join Severn Trent Services, the US subsidiary of British Severn Trent PLC, where he was responsible for building their budding utility pipeline service business serving the needs of municipal, industrial and agency clients. During this time Bill led the acquisition and integration of several companies, and developed a business development team to grow the company organically. The services offered were water and wastewater inspection, testing and rehabilitation, including line stopping and tapping. Bill became intimately familiar with current issues in water management while fostering strong client relationships. During eight years as VP/General Manager of Severn Trent Pipeline Services, the firm became the second largest provider of these services in the US. Bill led the sale of the firm to Nova Technologies who sought to assemble the largest provider of these services in North America. “It was exhilarating to grow the business and structure the deal, but once again I found myself no longer required after the transaction! That gave me a chance to catch up on personal time while reflecting on my next ideal role. I was very fortunate to learn of the opportunity presented by Bioengineering Group.”
Bill and his wife, Joan Kelly Hall, reside in State College, PA. Joan is the Head of the Applied Linguistics Department in the College of the Liberal Arts at Penn State University. They have two grown daughters who live in Philadelphia. Bill and his wife enjoy playing golf and dingy sailing at the Jersey Shore. He appreciates family time, and enjoys his daughters and their families and friends. On a lucky summer day you might find Bill crewing on his daughter’s J-22 sailboat, followed by grilled little neck clams!