From left: Peter Jaran, Robert Jackson and Kevin Williams
By Joshua Burd
GZA GeoEnvironmental Inc. has announced three principal-level additions to its New Jersey leadership team after its recent acquisition of Equity Environmental Engineering LLC.
In a news release, GZA said Equity staff has joined its Manhattan and Fairfield offices as part of a transaction that bolstered its platform of geotechnical, environmental, ecological, water and construction management services. As part of the integration, the firm has officially welcomed Peter Jaran as principal and Robert Jackson and Kevin Williams as associate principals.
Jaran, who founded Equity in 2003, is a seasoned environmental engineer with extensive experience in site characterization and remediation, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act closure and remedial design of soil, sediment and groundwater remediation, among other fields, according to a news release. He has a deep understanding of federal and state environmental regulations and guidance in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut, having spearheaded Equity’s growth from a two-person environmental practice to a midsize operation serving with teams in New Jersey and Manhattan.
The firm added that Jaran holds a bachelor’s in biology from the State University of New York at Oneonta and a master’s in sanitary engineering from Syracuse University. He is a registered professional engineer in Alabama, New Jersey and New York State and is a licensed site remediation professional in New Jersey.
Additionally, he is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and is the immediate past president of the Society of American Military Engineers New Jersey post.
Jackson joins GZA as an associate principal after more than 17 years at Equity, where he most recently served as one of the firm’s managing directors, the news release said. His career spans more than 35 years in areas such as program and project management, site characterization and remediation, due diligence, discharge and spill prevention and vapor intrusion mitigation.
With a bachelor’s in civil and environmental engineering from Cornell University, Jackson is a registered professional engineer in Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. He is also the secretary of the Society of American Military Engineers New Jersey post and is active in the Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey.
Williams, for his part, will lead GZA’s planning practice after joining as an associate principal, the news release said. He had been a managing director with Equity and has more than 20 years of experience, providing problem solving and project management for environmental and regulatory processes, urban and regional scale plans and transportation system enhancements for public and private clients.
GZA added that Williams’ projects have ranged from small- and large-scale private development to area rezoning to infrastructure mega projects. His expertise in planning extends to urban design for downtowns and public spaces, economic and project feasibility and land-use, transportation and development master planning for places, communities and regions.
Williams earned bachelor’s degrees in biological neuroscience and history from the University of Florida in Gainesville, a master’s in urban and regional planning degree from Florida Atlantic University and a juris doctor from Rutgers Law School. He is certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners and is a certified licensed professional planner in the State of New Jersey, while also a member of the Urban Land Institute and the American Planning Association of New York and New Jersey.
