When Ned Pottinger and Will Gaherty started PGL in ‘91, they wanted a company that was a little bit different. Their idea was to help clients understand the environmental issues affecting their project, so they could have more influence on process and outcome for best results, and be trusted advisors rather than just sample collectors. On the staff side, they also wanted to build a ‘village’ of smart, helpful, friendly, professional people; a place to enjoy work and grow in their careers.
Fast forward to today, we’re a slightly quirky employee owned environmental project management firm of 80 staff. With literally thousands of projects to our resumé, our work has included everything from collecting scientific baseline data, developing and submitting environmental assessment and permit applications, to site remediation, regulator management, restoration and construction monitoring. And while the starting principles remain part of the culture, one other thing about PGL today is the contrast with our competitors: big expertise in a small firm, where odds are the people on your project have been here for many years and know you and your specific needs.
Serviced from BC (Vancouver, Victoria, and Langley) and Ontario (Whitby), our clientele reflects the diversity of the Canadian geography and economy, with big and small private real estate firms, federal and provincial governments, First Nations, developers, construction firms, financial institutions and a variety of resource and industry sectors.
While much of our work is in urban centres, many of our projects are conducted in remote areas. We have worked in the far north, including the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Our work has extended from Canada to the United States, Mexico, Panama, China, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam.