Robert S. Ruse, PhD., P.E., LEED AP has been named President of TTL Associates, Inc. Robert most recently served as Executive Vice President after moving through the ranks as Project/Department Manager coordinating hundreds of geotechnical, brown field, and environmental remediation projects along the way.  He joined TTL Associates in 1992 while completing his Master of Science Degree through an Ohio Board of Regents Fellowship in Environmental-Geotechnical Engineering. Robert earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree from The University of Toledo and is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Accredited Professional as well as a registered professional engineer in the states of Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Robert was recognized as the 2012 Engineer of the Year by the Toledo Society of Professional Engineers (TSPE) and the Technical Society of Toledo. He is an active community leader, currently serving as a Council Member for the City of Rossford, Ohio. Robert is known for his team building and motivational abilities in helping people achieve a common goal.  

“Robert’s leadership and energy are valued by both TTL Associates and our clients as well,” notes Thomas R. Uhler, P.E., TTL Associates’ Chief Executive Officer. “We are excited to announce the expansion of his role into the Presidency of our firm. As his responsibilities expand to oversee all day-to-day operational and developmental functions of TTL Associates, I will focus on strategic planning and our outreach efforts for business expansion, including working with the  U.S. federal government. Together with our Executive Committee, we will continue to guide TTL Associates into an even more prosperous future helping our communities, our clients and our veterans.”

Of special significance is TTL Associates’ role as the managing member of a joint venture now under contract to perform comprehensive Industrial Hygiene Services (including indoor air quality, asbestos, lead and mold identification/testing) in all of the General Services Administration-(GSA) owned properties in Washington D.C. This includes over 600 facilities throughout our nation’s capital and excludes ONLY the living quarters of the Whitehouse, the Pentagon and the Capital. Robert was instrumental in securing this contract for the firm and is serving as the Executive-in-Charge throughout this project.

Established in 1927 as Toledo Testing Laboratory, TTL Associates, Inc. is a full-service environmental, testing, and geotechnical engineering firm, serving private and public entities throughout the United States as well as providing construction management services for the federal government. Established under the leadership of Thomas R. Uhler, P.E., President, P.E., TTL Associates is a Verified Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.  TTL Associates has a staff of 110, including many U.S. Veterans. The firm has earned multiple national awards and serves clients from their headquarters in Toledo and offices throughout Ohio, Illinois, Michigan and Washington D.C.. TTL Associates’ leadership team includes Tom and Robert as noted above along with Curtis R. Roupe, E.P. who oversees the testing and geotechnical departments; Jeffery S. Elliot, P.E., Manager of the Michigan operations; H. Scott Heisey, Chief Geotechnical Engineer; Melissa Stasko, Controller; and Timothy G. Pedro, Vice President Business Development.

Pictured from left to right:  U.S. Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur; Thomas R. Uhler, P.E., President and CEO of TTL Associates, Inc.; and Gil Goldberg, District Director, SBA Northern Ohio District Office.

“The SBA is proud to honor Thomas Uhler as a true champion of veteran small business ownership,” said Gil Goldberg, District Director of SBA’s Northern Ohio District Office.  “Not only is Tom a service disabled business owner in his own right, but he is dedicated to providing the counseling, advocacy, advice and support to other veterans looking to pursue small business ownership.”

Mr. Goldberg noted that nominees for this award are judged on several criteria, including showing demonstrated success in obtaining support within the community for the establishment of veteran-owned small businesses.  Mr. Uhler has worked with returning veterans from both Afghanistan and Iraq interested in starting their own businesses to obtain assistance in building their business plan.  In addition, Mr. Uhler serves as the Ohio Outreach Coordinator for the Employers Support for the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), where he educates many returning veterans on opportunities for starting their own businesses.  Mr. Uhler was nominated for this award by Scott Deniston, Executive Director of the National Veteran Small Business Coalition.

The President of the United States designates one week each year as National Small Business Week in recognition of the small business community’s contribution to the American economy.  This celebration honors the estimated 27.5 million small businesses in America that employ half of the country’s private work force, create 65 percent of net new jobs annually, and generate a majority of American innovations.  To obtain contact information on Mr. Uhler, or for more information about Small Business Week, please call SBA’s Cleveland District Office at (216) 522-4180, ext. 215.

ESGR Award 03-26-12

The following summarizes recent amendments to the Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) Rule; however, it is not intended to be comprehensive.

Applicability: SPCC Plans are required for certain facilities that have an aggregate aboveground oil storage capacity greater than 1,320 gallons (not including containers less than 55-gallons in capacity), and/or a completely buried underground storage capacity greater than 42,000 gallons.

Deadline: After several years of SPCC Rule amendments, and deadline postponements, all regulated facilities were required to have SPCC Plans in place, amended and/or implemented by November 10, 2011 (except farms; May 10, 2013).

Applicability:  SPCC Plans are required for certain facilities that have an aggregate aboveground oil storage capacity greater than 1,320 gallons (not including containers less than 55-gallons in capacity), and/or a completely buried underground storage capacity greater than 42,000 gallons.

Deadline:  After several years of SPCC Rule amendments, and deadline postponements, all regulated facilities will be required to have SPCC Plans in place, amended and/or implemented by November 10, 2011.

• The SPCC Plan facility diagram must include all fixed, regulated containers.  For mobile or portable containers, the diagram must show the area of the facility where the containers are stored; the number of containers, and the contents and capacities of the containers, unless a separate description is provided in the Plan.

• Various aspects of the facility building may be considered in Plan development, such as the ability of building walls or drainage systems to serve as secondary containment for a container stored indoors.  Freeboard for precipitation does not necessarily need to be considered for containers stored indoors.  Indoor conditions that reduce external corrosion and potential for discharges may be considered when developing a site-specific integrity testing and inspection program.

• Facility security requirements were streamlined, and can be performance-based, based on location and facility characteristics.  The Plan must describe how the facility will secure/control access to all oil handling, processing and storage areas; secure master flow and drain valves; prevent unauthorized access to start controls on oil pumps; secure out-of–service and loading/unloading connections of oil pipelines; and address the appropriateness of security lighting in preventing acts of vandalism, and for assisting in the discovery of oil discharges.

• Exemptions from SPCC Rules provided in the amendments include hot mix asphalt/containers, certain vehicle fuel tanks and other on-board bulk oil storage containers, pesticide application equipment and heating oil containers at single-family residences, including farms.

• Milk and milk product containers, piping and appurtenances, formerly regulated under the SPCC Rules, have been exempted from SPCC applicability and requirements.

• Mobile refuelers have been exempted from secondary containment requirements applicable to bulk storage.  This exemption has been extended to non-transportation related tank trucks at facilities regulated under SPCC rules.  This does not include mobile or portable containers that generally operate at fixed locations at a facility.

• General secondary containment requirements were amended such that the o/o must consider the typical failure mode and most likely quantity of oil that would be discharged, and address the most likely oil discharge from any part of the facility.  The amendments permit both active and passive secondary containment, and expand the list of example prevention systems to include drip pans, sumps and collection systems.

• Bulk storage container inspection and integrity testing requirements have been streamlined.  Containers must be tested/inspected for integrity on a regular schedule or when material repairs are made.  Facilities must determine (per industry standards) the applicable qualifications of personnel performing tests/inspections and the frequency and type of testing and inspection.  No longer are visual and non-destructive testing required regardless of container size and configuration; integrity testing is permitted as outlined in industry standards.

• In determining if a facility must report a discharge to the US EPA Regional Administrator, it is the quantity of oil that reaches the navigable water shorelines that counts (greater than 1,000 gallons, or more than 42 gallons twice in a 12-month period).

• The facility owner/operator has more discretion in identifying which contiguous or non-contiguous buildings, properties, parcels, leases, or structures define the facility itself.

• Facilities can self-certify SPCC Plans if they are considered “Qualified” facilities, with an aggregate aboveground oil storage capacity of 10,000 gallons or less, if certain other requirements are met, including the lack of discharges to navigable water shorelines (greater than 1,000 gallons within the last three years and no more than one discharge over 42 gallons within a 12-month period).  In addition, Tier I Qualified facilities, without a single container greater than 5,000 gallons in capacity, may complete/implement a simplified, self-certified SPCC Plan from a provided template.