Raminder Grewal

PRESIDENT, K EYSTONE ENVIRONMENTAL

Burnaby-based Keystone Environmental advises organizations on how to deal with contaminated sites, yet it was started by a company that processes coal tar. Koppers, a global enterprise with headquarters in Pittsburgh, launched Keystone there to deal with environmental liability related to its coal tar refineries. The Canadian office, opened by Bill Donald in 1988 to conduct a risk assessment of the former Expo 86 lands, became independent five years later and now operates from B.C. to Ontario.

Raminder Grewal, president since 2013, grew up in Vancouver and Surrey, graduating from UBC with a BASC in environmental and geotechnical engineering. He joined Keystone in 2000, became the youngest partner and department head in the company's history seven years later and began shifting its focus to federal government clients. Public Services and Procurement Canada is now one of Keystone's top three accounts.

The 95-employee firm also works with sectors from forestry and mining to transportation and property development. Before purchasing a site, developers want to understand their environmental liability. Once they own the property, Keystone advises them on how to remediate it cost-effectively, Grewal explains. “Then we'll help our client tender and get contractors involved.”