The Team
Our team is built to meet our unique vision and mission. Our principals and senior management team have extensive experience in various, yet critical industries, including real estate and redevelopment; environmental remediation, planning, due diligence, and permitting; natural resources; energy and construction; and civil and environmental engineering.
Our team includes engineers, environmental scientists and technicians, construction managers, logistics specialists, land planners, realtors, financiers and attorneys. We bring these resources to bear on projects as dictated by the needs of our clients. Over the years, our principals have provided these services to owners, investors, builders, manufacturers, logistics providers, other end users and regulatory agencies.
Steve Radel, President
Steve Radel has over 30 years of diverse experience in the environmental industry, energy and private sectors. His extensive project management experience includes managing the cleanup of hazardous wastes associated with a large portfolio of sites in the United States. He began his career in western PA and worked managing environmental liabilities for Beazer East (former Koppers Company) that included working on a number of properties in western PA and throughout the US. He has worked with the EPA and with regulators in over 15 states managing complex environmental issues and redevelopments. Steve has extensive permitting experience and PA experience focused on waste disposal clean-up, industrial clean-up and brownfield redevelopment and site reuse. He has extensive materials management experience, including managing dredging and beneficial reuse of contaminated sediments, as well as wetlands permitting and reclamation activities and extensive site assessment and land development experience with an emphasis on brownfield development, repositioning former industrial sites for new uses, managing site environmental liabilities, and remediation. Steve received his BS in Environmental Studies from Allegheny College in 1985, his MBA from the University of Pittsburgh in 1991 and his JD from Duquesne University School of Law in 1996. He is admitted to practice law in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.
Brett Hickman, Chief Executive Officer
Brett has over 30 years of experience in the construction, logistics, environmental and energy sectors working with, and for, public and private companies. His experience includes acting in a number of capacities (General Counsel, Chief Administrative Officer, Chief Operating Officer and President and CEO) for companies within those sectors. He was one of the founders of ISG Resources, Inc. (then Headwaters, Boral and now EcoMaterials) and was responsible for the consolidation of the fly ash industry and coal combustion product industry in the US by acquiring over 50 companies. He has represented public and private companies in administrative, compliance and licensing efforts before local, state (SC, GA, TN, FL, MS, NY, NJ, PA, TX, CA, UT, AZ), federal (NTSB, EPA, NRC, DOE, DOD) and international (Canada, UK and Mexico) regulatory agencies in several industries. He was responsible for the construction, operation and/or closure of hundreds of landfills and impoundments (ponds). Brett received his BA from The Citadel in 1983 and his JD from The University of South Carolina School of Law in 1986. He is admitted to practice law in South Carolina and before the US District Court for the State of South Carolina, the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and the US Supreme Court.
Jared Hadley, Chief Investment Officer
Jared has 14 years of management, finance and accounting experience. Mr. Hadley has worked as a controller and chief financial officer in the industries of finance, fabrication and manufacturing, real estate, and private equity investments. He is experienced in financial controls, budgets, financial reporting, tax preparation, forecasting, and ensuring compliance with financial accounting standards. He has managed a commercial/industrial real estate portfolio of approximately $100M in value for 10 years. He has been involved with the financing, acquisition, construction and disposition of commercial, industrial, residential and agricultural real estate. He has been responsible for the financial modeling of these projects, the real estate contracts and leases, securing financing and tax planning. He received his B.S. Degree in Accounting from Weber State University in 2010 and his Masters in Taxation and Accounting from Weber State University in 2013.
Michael Clark, Senior VP of Environmental
Mike has over 20 years of experience in the environmental industry, with a focus on in environmental remediation, permitting, and planning; wetlands/water management, and brownfields redevelopment. Mike is responsible for developing and managing project teams comprised of attorneys, engineers, and consultants, and acting as a liaison with regulatory agencies and other external stakeholders. He has extensive experience in permitting brownfield remediation and redevelopment and utility scale energy projects, including gas, geothermal, ground-mounted solar, and offshore wind. He also has extensive experience in project and program management, including project budgeting,scheduling, and scope; and development and management of project teams comprised of engineers, consultants, attorneys, etc. Mike was responsible for the management of the largest remedial capping project in New York City that entailed placement of 5m cys of fill material. He was also responsible for managing, remediating, entitling, and permitting the second largest brownfield redevelopment site in New York City and for permitting the largest ground-mounted solar array in the US at the time (Ivanpah Solar) and the first offshore wind farm (Block Island Wind Farm). Mike is a professional planner (AICP) and a LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP) and he holds a MA in Environmental Studies from Brown University and a BS in Environmental Design from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Patrick Pusey, VP Engineering and Business Development
Patrick has over 25 years of business development and consulting experience within the civil, environmental, land development, and heavy construction markets both domestically and internationally. As Vice President of Engineering and Business Development, Patrick works closely with the utility and power generation communities seeking creative solutions to address their retired or decommissioned legacy sites and manage their ongoing environmental responsibilities. With significant experience in the design, development, and construction of various engineered infrastructure systems, he engages IDA’s engineering and contracting partners in order to provide innovative uses for our clients distressed assets including beneficial reuse of CCR materials, land redevelopment, and renewable energy options including solar and battery storage potential. Previously, Patrick has held positions in Project Management and Business Development with Key Environmental, Inc. where he was responsible for expanding Key’s market share for civil and environmental engineering services within the industrial and utility sectors. During his tenure he was particularly focused on identifying liability transfer opportunities and developing engineered solutions related to CCR landfills and impoundments at retired coal fired power stations across the US. Additionally Patrick has held positions at several engineering and manufacturing companies focused on the design and installation of engineered systems including: geosynthetic stabilization and lining systems, mechanically stabilized earth retaining walls, stormwater management and erosion control systems, long-span culverts and prestressed and post-tensioned bridges. Patrick holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from West Virginia University – Morgantown, WV
Jay Clayton, Senior VP, Engineering and Business Development
Jay Clayton has over 30 years of environmental consulting experience specializing in environmental remediation, hydrogeology and waste disposal facility design, operations and closure. Jay has originated and closed over $900 million in power plant liability transfers with large utility companies including AES, AEP, Duke, GenOn, NRG and Vistra. Experiences in the Power Plant sector include developing site-specific remediation, closure and post-closure plans for CCR landfills/impoundments, managing construction/monitoring of over 2,000 acres of CCR unit capping and closure by removal of over 3 million tons of CCR, and the inventing and patenting of a sustainable CCR impoundment capping system. As Senior Vice President of Engineering for IDA Power, Jay is responsible for the development of business relationships with prospective clients and vendors in the electric utility sector. In addition, Jay provides engineering support for the design and execution of environmental remediation and site development plans. Jay holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from The Ohio State University and B.S. in Geology from Allegheny College.
Jim Wagner P.E., Sr. Vice President of Operations
Jim has over 25 years of combined experience in the civil and structural engineering, construction and remediation fields. He has also been responsible for a multitude of environmental projects in New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Delaware, Maryland and New York City of varying size and scope including, conducting Structural, Phase I/Phase II Environmental Site Assessments and Property Condition Assessments for residential and commercial real estate to managing major Brownfield’s redevelopment cleanup projects and design/build contracts with costs ranging from $130 million to $400 million. Jim has provided construction management and consulting services to developers, private parties, the regulated community and municipalities. He has been responsible for numerous design/build opportunities involving pre-construction planning, structural analysis, cost and scheduling start-up field operations, staffing resources and tracking performance for the demolition and decommissioning of buildings and the execution of soil and groundwater designs, treatment system installations and multiple landfill closures throughout the NY/NJ Metro area. Jim is a Registered Professional Engineer in New York, New Jersey and Maryland. He received his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the Newark College of Engineering at the New Jersey Institute of technology in 1989.
Jake Petersen, Chief Operations Officer
Jake has over 15 years of management experience in heavy fabrication, machining, and logistics in the nuclear, aerospace, and industrial industries. Mr. Petersen has worked as a Project Manager in fabrication and manufacturing industries as well as chief operating officer in the industrial real estate industry. He has also served on the Board of Directors for a large Fabrication firm as well as a private equity investment firm. He has helped form and manage multiple companies and partnerships with other firms. He was responsible for the implementation of a new ERP system that replaced all of the company’s complex legacy systems. He has had the responsibility for procuring and maintaining large industrial equipment for multiple firms and industries. He received a Bachelor of Science and a Masters of Business Administration Degree from Weber State University in 2013.
Xavier Lobo, PE, Senior Project Manager
Xavier has over 10 years of combined experience in the heavy civil construction and geotechnical engineering fields. As a project engineer, he has been involved in the construction of storm and sanitary sewers, watermains, and various other related work during the early phases of new developments throughout New Jersey and New York. As a staff engineer, construction inspector, and project manager, Xavier worked in the capacity of a geotechnical engineering consultant on projects throughout New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut involving construction of deep pile foundations, shallow foundations, retaining walls, underpinned foundations, slope stability analyses, deep dynamic compaction, surcharge design and settlement monitoring, and various geotechnical investigations. Xavier is a certified special inspector in the State of New Jersey, an FAA certified Part 107 Drone Pilot, and a Registered Professional Engineer in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. He received his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the Newark College of Engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in 2012.
Jay K. Bellingham, PE, Strategic Consultant
Jay began his career in the energy industry in 1980 as a corporate engineer with the Potomac Electric Power Company in Washington, DC. In 2000, he started a distinguished career working with several Independent Power Producers such as Mirant, GenOn and NRG Energy, where he retired in 2017 as Regional Vice President of Operations for their western region. Jay worked as a consultant in the power industry prior to joining Energy Harbor as their Senior Vice President – Fossil Division Company. He left Energy Harbor in 2023 and returned to consulting where he is now focusing on redeveloping retired fossil generating sites.
Jay graduated from Worcester Polytechnic Institute with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. He is a registered Professional Engineer in the Commonwealth of Virginia
Braxton Buckway, Chief Financial Officer
Braxton Buckway has 10 years of management, finance, and accounting experience. He graduated from Weber State University with his B.S. Degree in Accounting and a Masters in Taxation and Accounting. Braxton has worked as an assistant controller and controller in the industries of finance, real estate, private equity investments, tax, commercial construction, and property management. Braxton has operated his own businesses for years, with a successful sale of one of his businesses in 2021. He is experienced in budgets, financial reporting, tax preparation, tax planning, forecasting, and ensuring compliance with financial accounting standards.