President
Industrial Environmental Systems

Steve graduated from the University of Alabama in Birmingham with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree in 1979. That degree is no longer offered but was an excellent education for a “sales engineer”. It included some depth in all areas of engineering which has served Steve’s career path well. He specialized in machine design and applied mechanics.

Steve first worked for Zurn Air Systems Division (formerly the Fly Ash Arrestor Corporation) in Birmingham, Alabama. He worked there as an application engineer while pursuing his MBA degree at The University of Alabama-Birmingham. At ZASD, Steve gained valuable experience in the application and design of air pollution control products for many industrial processes. Steve learned to design wet scrubbers, packed bed scrubbers and heat exchangers, cyclonic dust collectors, pulse jet baghouses, shaker baghouses and dual-alkali SO₂ scrubber systems. Along with these pollution control requirements came the need for all of the associated equipment: stacks, ductwork, expansion joints, dampers and supports. It was common for this “auxiliary equipment” to take up more time than the primary products. As a budding entrepreneur, Steve realized that there could be a market helping others complete their systems.

Steve’s technical expertise soon had him traveling to plants and mills all over the country, helping them to apply and troubleshoot pollution control needs. On many occasions, Steve traveled with ZASD’s best salesman, Ray Warren of Atlanta, Georgia. Ray had begun to experience the need for this auxiliary equipment in his sales efforts. Based on mutual respect and a common work ethic, Steve moved to Atlanta in 1981to become part of Warren Environment, a new stack and duct company.

In 2001, Steve left his position as president of Warren Environment to start Industrial Environmental Systems, Inc. (IES). This name was chosen to emphasize the company's broad range of interest and application. IES wants to allow its customers to save the time and effort of “completing their system” and focus on the details and intricacies of their process and expertise. Under Steve's leadership IES has broadened its range of offerings  to include engineering as a standalone service.