Ben Chandler’s Love of Outdoors Inspires Environmental Career

When Ben Chandler, PG, LEED AP decided to pursue a degree in geology, it was an easy choice. With his love for the outdoors and interest in science and math, it was clear that this was the right path for him.

“I knew I wanted to study geology because it involved physics, chemistry, physical sciences, and math. And there was the opportunity to work outside instead of inside all day,” Ben explained.

New Challenges

Since his first day at RS&H, Ben has been impressed with the professionals at RS&H who continuously push him to develop new skills and improve his leadership abilities. Ben is in the Aerospace and Defense Sustainable Solutions Service Group and is based in Jacksonville.

“From day one, I have been impressed with the knowledge and experience of professionals and associates at RS&H,” he explained. “Being involved with unique and complicated projects has strengthened my core competencies and allowed me to develop new skill sets and grow my management skills.”

Of all the projects Ben has lent his expertise to, designing and implementing the Defense Commissary Agency’s (DeCA) environmental management system and effective waste management plan were the most memorable.

“Before implementing DeCA’s effective waste management plan, we had to prove our approach would work through pilot tests at several stores. On the first store that we assessed, I found more than $100,000 in savings and additional revenue,” Ben said. “Not only did we prove the concept at our first store, but the savings and revenue also paid for our services all year and we had 17 more stores to assess! As of today, this has helped DeCA divert more than 1 billion pounds of waste from the nation’s landfills and return more than $70 million in net revenue. This was very satisfying work, and the client was definitely happy.”

A Detail-Oriented Approach

Ben’s methodological approach to his work has helped him spot when an organization is not proactive with its environmental activities. This skill helps Ben apply concepts to project designs that benefit both the client and RS&H – an aspect of Ben’s job that he takes great pride in.

Environmental Specialist Jason DiGuglielmo, LEED AP, CIE admires Ben’s detail-oriented approach that he brings to every project.

“Ben’s technical expertise is a great asset to RS&H. He brings a methodical approach to every project he works on and has an incredible knowledge of many different areas related to those projects,” he said. “Ben has passed on a lot of his knowledge to me and he continually makes me a better associate at RS&H.”

On Par at the Course & At Work

As an avid golfer, Ben enjoys spending time outdoors as much as he enjoys the structure that comes with the sport.

He carries the values he’s learned through golf with him daily and applies them at both work and home.

“The game is based on honor, etiquette, rules, and being on time,” Ben said. “I still have these values today whether at work or at home.”

Ben’s coworkers have witnessed his love for the sport as well.

Jason, who has worked with Ben for over 12 years, described Ben as a lover of “golfing, golfing, golfing, and cooking!”

Ben, wife Gloria, and daughter Abbe, love to visit family and friends, camp, shop, and relax at the beach. They also enjoy fostering puppies for K9s For Warriors, an organization dedicated to training and providing service dogs to veterans in need.