Oak Ridge Recognizes Unsung Heroes Behind Cleanup Success

Recipients of UCOR’s small business awards this year include representatives from Aleut Demolition Services, Capitol Museum Services, Oliver Springs Portable Toilets, RSI Entech, Street Legal Industries and Turnkey Technical Services.

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) contractor UCOR recently recognized six small businesses at an annual awards program for their critical support to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management cleanup mission.

“This event is a great way to recognize the exceptional work of small businesses and showcase tangible examples of how they are helping advance our mission,” said Erik Olds, OREM manager. “We also want to commend UCOR for their strong and continued commitment to small business partnerships.”

That commitment is evident in the numbers. UCOR has awarded $770 million, or 85%, of its subcontract work to small businesses in the past three years, far exceeding DOE’s goal to award 45% of that work to small businesses. UCOR began its current contract with OREM in 2022.

Each award recipient contributed to cleanup projects by providing outstanding customer service and exceptional responsiveness, according to the small business awards program.

One of the most notable examples is RSI Entech LLC (RSI). The Oak Ridge-based company specializes in environmental cleanup and beneficial site reuse, and has been instrumental in the cleanup and transformation of the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP).

RSI expedited sampling activities to ensure soil remediation at ETTP was completed on schedule. The company also provided crucial support that helped OREM receive approval for the first two groundwater-related records of decision for the site. RSI also contributed to innovative water management practices at the Environmental Management Waste Management Facility (EMWMF), an important onsite disposal facility enabling cleanup in Oak Ridge.

“RSI’s mission can be summed up in our purpose, which is to leave things better than we found them,” said Allison Getsi, RSI president. “We get the opportunity to do that as a partner with UCOR every day.”

RSI Entech LLC employees gather soil samples to support characterization for cleanup projects across Oak Ridge. This is often the first step in fieldwork that helps provide insight to cleanup crews and ensures safe and effective cleanup.

The awards ceremony featured keynote speaker Charlie Smith, director of DOE’s Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, and UCOR President and CEO Ken Rueter, who gave remarks and presented the awards.

Rueter told attendees what they do makes a difference.

“Each and every one of you exemplify our culture of excellence as demonstrated by your performance,” Rueter said. “Thank you for your commitment to excellence, safety and this project. Your partnership is integral to cleanup success.”

Partnerships with other subcontractors supported OREM and UCOR’s cleanup operations at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 National Security Complex.

An RSI Entech LLC employee logs data from soil samples gathered in the field.

In addition to RSI, UCOR’s awards for top performance and the small businesses that received them this year are:

• Aleut Demolition Services LLC: Based in Oak Ridge, Aleut contributed greatly to the success of an Alpha-2 building utility reroute project at Y-12. The company’s efforts to respond to challenges avoided months of delays and millions of dollars in costs for the project.
• Capitol Museum Services (CMS): Based in Manassas, Virginia, CMS fabricated and installed displays at the newly constructed K-25 Interpretive Center. The facility overlooks the footprint of the former K-25 gaseous diffusion building and will help highlight the site’s history to visitors when it opens this August.
• Oliver Springs Portable Toilets LLC (OSP): Based in Oliver Springs, Tennessee, OSP provided swift and timely service after a severe weather incident over a weekend. UCOR needed emergency service on a broken sewage pump. OSP’s response helped minimize damages and prevent the release of sewage water.
• Street Legal Industries Inc. (Street Legal): Based in Oak Ridge, Street Legal provided services for the infrastructure of trailers at EMWMF. Despite challenges with trailer pad construction and delivery, the company worked 12-hour days to complete the trailer pad on schedule, preventing project delays.
• Turnkey Technical Services LLC (Turnkey): Oak Ridge-based Turnkey’s quick turnout and availability provided UCOR with more than 30 trucks and drivers to haul clean soil for the construction of the Environmental Management Disposal Facility. This service allowed UCOR to meet the critical schedule for completion of early site preparation for this new waste disposal facility.

-Contributor: Ryan Getsi