HISTORY
QRI Through The Decades
Decade 1 occurs from 1986 through 1995. During this time, QRI primarily provided environmental consulting services to remove impoundments and solve groundwater issues by performing Environmental Sequence Stratigraphy (ESS) utilizing technology that QRI developed and invented: HTAS™ (1986) & Pulser™ (1987). QRI also founded our Drilling Section in 1987 when Fonda Lindfors New became the first registered woman driller in the State of LA. QRI clients included Industrial (e.g., Texaco, Chevron, Dow, Ethyl, Gulf Power) and Commercial (e.g., Tetra Tech, Jacobs, Arcadis US, AECOM, WSP, TechLaw, Inc.).
Hurricane Andrew ($56B) in 1992 disrupted both the Texaco and Chevron impoundment closure work and was QRI’s first experience providing services to support recovery from a regional natural disaster. This would prove to be the foundation for QRI’s Emergency Response Section in later years.
Decade 2 (1996 – 2005) begins by the foundation of the Remediation Section in 1996 due to QRI’s overseeing the closure of over 1,000 oilfield sludge impoundments for the oil industry. The Emergency Response Section was founded in 2000 and the Geophysical Section was founded in 2003 to continue supporting the ESS work that QRI was performing for industry. In 1996, QRI began performing ESS in the Florida Panhandle for Gulf Power to solve various groundwater legal issues. By Decade 2 (1996 – 2005), much of the impoundment and ESS work was being performed for industry lawyers due to a surge in lawsuits against industry. The Federal Government had a major policy change in 1999 regarding eligible 8(a) applicants. QRI applied for 8(a) status, which was received on 01/13/04.
QRI was an active responder to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. QRI successfully supported EPA START field teams for sampling, debris collection, segregation, disposal, and recycling for 81 weeks. Oversaw vessel and debris collection, staging pad operation, sampling and disposal. Conducted surveys and sampling for sediments and surface waters to determine extent of contamination Participated as members of the Incident Command System (ICS) responsible for developing schedules and monitoring container/debris collection.
Decade 3 (2006 – 2015) started with QRI fully involved in emergency response work due to Hurricanes Katrina ($160B) and Rita ($11B) and actively proposing on Federal work, which resulted in winning 95 Federal proposals during this decade. QRI developed their “Joint Venture Strategy” (JV) during Decade 3 due to natural disasters greatly impacting our region. The Great Recession (December 2007 – June 2009) was not felt as hard by QRI because we benefited from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) and received many Direct Award contracts from the Federal government. QRI developed a “Merger & Acquisition” Strategy during this time to support our small business stability.
QRI added our Construction Section in 2009 because the ARRA funded many shovel-ready construction projects. By this time, QRI had learned to sustain during natural disasters and economic downturns. When Hurricanes Ike ($30B) and Gustav ($7B) blew into our region in 2008, QRI continued to refine the art of competing and winning recovery work by developing a “Natural Disaster Recovery Strategy” (NDRS). The floods of 2011 throughout the Mississippi River Valley also led to several Federal contracts for recovery work. Then in 2012, Hurricane Sandy ($70B) devastated the New Jersey and New York area and all contractors, such as QRI, who held Federal emergency response and debris contracts were preferred for recovery efforts. Though Hurricane Sandy did not impede QRI to the point of elimination of work in our region, Hurricane Sandy did impact the development of a key JV Strategy with Louis Berger. Additional significant events that occurred in Decade 3 was that Entergy became a repeat client performing Geophysical Section services; Resource Environmental, LLC (RELLC) became an ESS client in 2008; QRI was named the Small Business (SB) Contractor of the Year for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in the Memphis District; and our CEO, Fonda Lindfors New was named the SB Person of the Year in 2013 by the Small Business Administration (SBA).
Decade 4 (2016 – 2024) began with QRI serving as the Subject Matter Expert (SME) on two major legal battles. One case was for a utility company, Gulf Power, over a groundwater issue in Florida and the second case was for an oil company, Gulfport Energy, for one of the many oilfield-related suits in Louisiana. Thus, QRI continues to do the same work that she was founded on – Pit Closures and ESS with the addition in Decade 3 of a robust Federal portfolio that enhances sustainability during recessions and the many natural disasters that occur in the USA. Decade 4 has had an excessive amount of Storm Events à 2016 Flood of Baton Rouge ($10B); 2017 Hurricanes Harvey – Irma – Maria ($265B); 2018 Michael ($25B).