Monthly Archives: September 2020

When Torin Snyder isn’t swimming or being dance-dad extraordinaire, he can be found pursuing another lifelong passion – finding effective, creative solutions to complex environmental issues. Snyder is a principal at Rincon Consultants, Inc., a leading California-based environmental consulting firm and valued Land Science client. His career path was no surprise to him, as Snyder recalls his interest in the environmental sciences blossoming during his university days. When he began to explore the field as a potential career path, he soon realized environmental site assessment and mitigation would provide the ideal avenue to satisfy his curiosity.

“I have always been fascinated in environmental sciences, but I found early on, and still find, that environmental mitigation is especially interesting because it is always evolving with emerging chemicals, new clean-up goals, and new technologies,” Snyder says of the field. “This industry offers an opportunity to introduce innovative options to clients, enabling them to achieve their overall project goals and expectations, and it lets me learn and think outside the box.” Snyder joined Rincon in 2010 as a senior hydrogeologist and was promoted to principal in 2018. Prior to joining Rincon, he served as a project manager in the hydrogeology department for an environmental planning company.

To prepare for his career in environmental mitigation, in 1999 Snyder earned his BS in Soil Science, with a Hydrology concentration, from California Polytechnic State University, in San Luis Obispo. “After-graduation, I focused on getting the certifications and licenses relevant to the environmental consulting industry. First, I became a Certified Professional Soil Scientist, then a Registered Environmental Assessor, then a Deputy Methane Building Inspector for the City of Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety. Later, I became a Professional Geologist, Qualified SWPPP Developer/Practitioner, Certified Hydrogeologist, and finally a Trainer of Record for the Qualified SWPPP Developer/Practitioner program. Sometimes people tease me for having so many initials behind my name.”

As a Principal for Rincon’s statewide Environmental Site Assessment and Remediation practice, Snyder is responsible for business development, client management, technical and quality control, and staff mentoring and development. He says of his many roles at the firm, “I provide leadership for the Environmental Site Assessment and Remediation group, and I support the Environmental Sciences and Land Use Planning group and Natural and Cultural Resource team at Rincon. The diverse clients and projects keep me engaged, while giving me new challenges to meet, which I enjoy very much.”

To stay abreast of new technologies and emerging trends, Snyder keeps up with seminars, conferences, and training programs for the field. “Our industry is always evolving,” he says. “So, education and training are critical to remain current with new solutions our clients expect and deserve. It seems there’s always a new or better way to complete a project.” With his diverse background, responsibilities and commitment to staying current in the industry, Snyder does his part to help Rincon achieve its long-term goal of “offering clients the best services, best products, and best people in our field.”

When it comes to working with Land Science, Snyder appreciates the company’s wide range of technologies. “Land Science has done a good job providing alternative products to solve vapor intrusion challenges. There are many solutions available, but few are as effective as those Land Science offers.” He goes on to say that “finding a product that is cost-competitive and that protects the occupants of the building is the most important consideration. Land Science offers multiple products for different applications, which is critical. For example, our clients like the protection that MonoShield™ offers for low-risk vapor intrusion sites and they appreciate that the product is cost-effective compared to most other vapor barriers.” Recently, Snyder has recommended MonoShield™ for a number of projects Rincon has tackled that included low-risk vapor intrusion concerns for low-income housing projects.

Residing in Carlsbad, California with his wife and two daughters, Snyder works out of the Rincon office there. In his free time, he enjoys the outdoors, with mountain biking, open-water swimming, and off-road triathlons (Xterra) topping his list of favorite activities. He likes them so much he participates in mountain bike and open water swim racing. “I’m a fairly competitive guy so I love to sign up for races,” he shares. “One of my favorite race experiences was when I competed in the Xterra Off-Road World Championship in Maui in 2018.” He also finds time to volunteer as an Advisory Council Member for the Natural Resource and Environmental Sciences Department at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

When asked what he enjoys most about his job, he points to the collaborative nature of working with co-workers and clients. “I also take satisfaction in providing a client an out-of-the- box solution for their specific problem.” And the most demanding aspect of his job? “Right now, the COVID-19 pandemic. This has changed our day to day routine and requires us to be nimble and adaptive to the new norm.” He also feels the trend of emerging chemicals, evolving clean-up goals, and discovering new solutions to help solve remedial challenges is here to stay- at least for some time. He continues, “As regulations become tighter, consultants will be forced to reconsider how a project is scoped and completed. For example, as clean up goals become more conservative, it may not be economically feasible to remediate a site the same way we did 10 years ago. Therefore, interim mitigation measures, like vapor barriers, sealing concrete floors, and HVAC modifications, need to be considered to reduce the time a building may sit unoccupied during remedial activities when there are indoor air concerns.”

And how would he encourage others to join his field of study? He concludes, “I would not necessarily use the word “encourage.” Finding your passion is the most important aspect to a rewarding, challenging, and successful career. So, I feel it’s critical for people who might be interested in this field to first understand their own passion- what makes them tick. Once this is understood, the path to a fulfilling and successful career path can be tailored to an individual.”

Land Science is proud to have Torin Snyder, Principal at Rincon Consultants, Inc., as a valued client and partner, and appreciates his highly diverse background and approach in providing successful vapor intrusion mitigation outcomes for Land Science and its clients.