News
Palouse Producers Brownfield Site Wins Phoenix Award
Congratulations to the City of Palouse on receiving the 2023 Small Community & Impact Phoenix Award! The Phoenix Awards are prestigious national accolades that are given to both individuals and projects that highlight the best practices…
Matt HoffmanFacility Odor Issues, Complaints, and Tools to Predict Them
Facility odor issues are very subjective and strangely regulated. For facility property developers looking to build a project, anticipated odors can be a stumbling block to regulatory approval. Additionally, odors can lead to a contentious…
Chad DarbyMeet Elliot Frank, GIS Analyst
Where are you from and where do you live now? I grew up about an hour east of Portland, near Mt. Hood, in Welches, Oregon. Now I live in Edmonds, Washington. What do you do at MFA? I assist local governments, mostly as part of my work…
Sabrina TurnerUpdated PSM and RMP Rules Are Coming Soon. Maybe.
PSM/RMP for the Uninitiated: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) enforce similar requirements for facilities that have more than the threshold quantity of listed highly…
Bill Beadie, CIHResults for "2021"
Growth at MFA continues in support of our diverse services. Our team has welcomed eight new professionals that strongly demonstrate MFA’s values of innovation, collaboration, agility, respect, and excellence. Welcome to the team! Ryan…
Pam GraterWhere are you from and where do you live now? I’m originally from Bellingham, Washington, and now live in Broadview, a neighborhood in northwest Seattle. What do you do at MFA? My job title is Project Communications and Outreach…
Kate ElliottThe Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) recently published a new model remedy that provides guidance for cleanup of historical orchards in central and eastern Washington. While the new requirements may seem daunting, once you are…
Sidney CountsEarlier this year, Tom Foster, one of MFA’s co-founders, passed away. In reflecting on our 25 years of business, I’ve been thinking a lot about Tom and his legacy on our employees and the work we do. We shared this message with our…
Steven P. Taylor, PEWhere are you from and where do you live now? I am from Encinitas, CA, in north San Diego County. Now I live in Portland, OR. What do you do at MFA? I currently work on a wide variety of projects including greenhouse gas accounting,…
Joshua Elliott, PEMaul Foster & Alongi has been awarded a Top Workplaces 2021 honor by Oregonian Top Workplaces. MFA strives to build an inclusive and fostering work environment where employees feel empowered to spend most of their day supporting our…
Alistaire Clary, PEA recurring theme in GIS is utilizing technology to prevent crucial data from being lost to time. Recording data, managing it, and exchanging it from hand to hand over time leads to vulnerabilities. Cemetery data is one such example. Imagine…
Gavin JaravataThere’s a new modeling requirement in Oregon not found in the Oregon Administrative Rules or permitting guidance? Yes! On September 1, 2021, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) issued an internal management directive…
Chad DarbyWhere are you from and where do you live now? I am from central Idaho, and now I own a small farm in Northern Idaho. What do you do at MFA? I am a chemist and manage projects out of the MFA Kellogg office. Most of the projects…
Sidney CountsThis post was originally written by Tessa Shabram, former MFA Staff Engineer. At MFA, our core purpose is strengthening communities. For many of our projects, strengthening communities involves cleaning up contaminated sites and developing…
Sidney CountsIn Washington State, a recently passed bill provides local governments with a new tool to help spur revitalization in areas where private investment is lacking. Engrossed Substitute House Bill (ESHB) 1189 (also called the TIF for Jobs bill)…
Matt HoffmanWhere are you from and where do you live now? I was born and raised in Northfield, Minnesota—the town that defeated the Jesse James Gang! I moved to Bellingham, Washington, to attend Western Washington University and have lived here now…
Phil Wiescher, PhDIf you’ve driven across SR 520 (the world’s longest floating bridge) or through the SR 99 tunnel or on one of the other tolled highways in Washington State, you likely paid your toll bill online or by calling a customer service…
Kathryn MurdockWhere are you from and where do you live now? I have been in the Pacific Northwest since 2012, and I live in Washington. I previously hailed from the Rockies (New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming) and spent much of my childhood in…
Alan R. Hughes, RG, LG, PGMFA is proud to announce the promotion of Grant Herbert, GISP, to principal. Grant serves as the Director of Technology at FLO Analytics (MFA’s sub-brand focused on GIS and data analytics) where he is responsible for research and…
Kathy J. Lombardi, PEThe renewed 1200-Z Industrial Stormwater Discharge Permit (Permit) has been issued, and there are quite a few changes that Oregon industries must wrap their heads around before the Permit becomes effective on July 1, 2021. We’ve summed up…
Ada H. Banasik, PEEvery year on June 23, we celebrate outstanding women for their accomplishments in the engineering industry. In 2014, the Women’s Engineering Society established an international awareness campaign to encourage career opportunities and…
Alistaire Clary, PEMFA is proud to announce the promotion of Merideth D’Andrea to principal geologist, recognizing her outstanding commitment to delivering excellence to MFA’s clients and colleagues. For 20 years, Ms. D’Andrea has provided geologic…
Kathy J. Lombardi, PEHappiness is an easy commute, but finding affordable housing near employment centers or near high-capacity transit is becoming more difficult every year. Many factors contribute to the record pace of increasing housing prices, especially…
Matt HoffmanWhat do you do at MFA? I’m a communications specialist at MFA. In short, that means I specialize in effectively sharing information, whether that’s providing community members with information on a project that may affect them or…
Kate ElliottIn recognition of National Maritime Day, Maul Foster & Alongi salutes our ports and maritime sector! MFA is fortunate to work with public ports and other maritime sector clients across the Pacific Northwest to help them achieve their…
Abbi RussellThis blog was originally written by former MFA Principal Communications Specialist, Charla Skaggs. Recognizing the Service of Our Public Partners Since 1985, Public Service Recognition Week has been observed during the first week of…
Abbi RussellOn Friday, April 16, 2021, I had the opportunity to work as an administrative teammate. I was told to be on-site in our Portland office at 8:00 a.m., bring a mask, and remember social distancing requirements. I decided to get to the office a…
Steven P. Taylor, PEWhere are you from and where do you live now? I would call myself a California transplant, with deep roots in Vancouver, Washington. I call Idaho home now. What do you do at MFA? I mostly contribute to the Coeur d’Alene Trust…
David G. Weatherby, RG, LGIn 2019, MFA launched a diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative. Three core values guide DEI at MFA: Everyone deserves a safe, equitable, and inclusive workplace. We can better serve the communities where we work by increasing…
Pam GraterEphrata is an eastern Washington town of fewer than 9,000 people. Born at the turn of the twentieth century, Ephrata, like many nearby communities, was first a hub for workers who were supporting the federal government’s rural…
Abbi RussellWhere are you from and where do you live now? I was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska. I made a five-year stop in Moscow, Idaho, for university and then migrated west and have called Portland home for the past 13 years. What do…
Phil Wiescher, PhDWhere are you from and where do you live now? Tricky question. Born in Wisconsin, but my dad was in the army, so we moved. I lived in 15 places in my first 18 years. I have lived in in Oregon since attending Oregon State…
Alistaire Clary, PE