The Idaho Business Review recently named Sylvia Medina one of the 2012 Women of the Year. For seven consecutive years, the magazine has recognized women from public, private, and charitable business sectors in Idaho. According to the Idaho Business Review, this year’s 50 honorees were selected from more than 180 nominations.

Medina is President and CEO of the North Wind Group. Formed in 1997, North Wind is a small business leader in environmental, engineering and construction services for federal and state agencies and private industry. Based in Idaho Falls, North Wind has grown to a group of companies employing more than 300 scientific, engineering, construction and professional personnel in 18 offices located throughout the country.

Medina is a strong supporter of the community and is dedicated to supporting youth and education programs, the arts, and environmental conservation efforts. Furthermore, Medina has worked with local officials leading an effort to raise more than $3 million dollars to build a state-of-the-art animal shelter facility plus a community dog park (which opened this past Fall). In addition to serving as the president of the Snake River Animal Shelter, Medina serves on the boards of directors for the Idaho State University Foundation, Holy Rosary School, Women Impacting Public Policy, Green Kids Inc., and the Institute for the Economic Empowerment of Women. Along with her corporate and community roles, Medina is a wife, mother to three small children, and a published author!

Medina will be honored at an awards event, along with the other Women of the Year recipients, on February 21, 2012, in Boise.

The North Wind Group is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cook Inlet Region, Inc., and is headquartered in Idaho Falls, Idaho.

Press Release (PDF)

Cleanup at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Idaho Site took another big step forward with the recently completed construction of the Pit 10 West Accelerated Retrieval Project (ARP) VII building and ancillary facilities. Construction of these facilities will enable waste retrieval to commence in Pit 10 West, within the Subsurface Disposal Area at the Radioactive Waste Management Complex.

DOE contracted with North Wind Services, LLC, an Idaho Falls-based small business, in July 2010 to construct the ARP-VII facilities. Mechanical and electrical design was performed by CH2M-WG Idaho. The project was funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). North Wind performed building design, fabrication, erection, construction inspection, and quality verification. The entire project was completed with strict conformance to national nuclear quality assurance standards.

North Wind completed construction in September, two weeks ahead of schedule. Much of the 135-ft x 240-ft retrieval enclosure and the 88-ft x 135-ft air lock were erected during the extreme conditions of Idaho winters. Despite weather conditions, the project was successfully completed on schedule while maintaining an excellent safety record; there were no lost-time or recordable injuries or accidents during the course of the project.

According to Jim Cooper, DOE Deputy Manager for the Idaho Cleanup Project, “Completing this construction project will enable the removal of targeted waste to continue. We are committed to meeting the clean up mission at the Site while maintaining excellent safety in the process and fostering the growth of local small businesses.”

With the construction of the retrieval facility complete, waste retrieval from Pit 10 West is expected to begin ahead of schedule.

Press Release (PDF)

Aims to Unite and Inspire Consumers to Shop Small on November 26, 2011

Idaho Falls, ID – November 17, 2011 – The North Wind Group is supporting the second annual Small Business Saturday on November 26, 2011. Small Business Saturday is a day for dedicating a portion of holiday shopping to local, independently-owned small businesses.

American Express, the founding sponsor of Small Business Saturday, created the national program in 2010 in response to small business owners’ most pressing need: more demand for their products and services. The second event will build on last year’s inaugural program that drove millions of dollars to main street merchants.

North Wind recognizes the importance of small businesses, the jobs they create and the culture they instill in local communities. Small businesses have generated 64 percent of net new jobs over the past 15 years and employ just over half of all private sector employees, according to the Small Business Administration.

North Wind President, Sylvia Medina, noted that “small businesses are critical to a healthy economic climate and strong communities. North Wind is proud to support small businesses and to support Small Business Saturday.”

Idaho Falls Mayor Jared D. Fuhriman has proclaimed November 26, 2011 as Small Business Saturday for the City of Idaho Fall, noting that “small businesses are the backbone of our economy and the glue that holds communities together.”

Individuals and businesses can learn more about Small Business Saturday and find ways to get involved at www.smallbusinesssaturday.com.

The North Wind Group is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cook Inlet Region, Inc., an Alaska Native Corporation, and is headquartered in Idaho Falls, Idaho. North Wind is a small business leader in the environmental, engineering and construction service industries, supporting federal and state agencies and private industry throughout the U.S.

Press Release (PDF)

North Wind Group, one of the nation’s leading small businesses, has launched a new subsidiary, North Wind Construction Services, LLC. Based in northern Idaho, the new company provides heavy civil construction services with an emphasis on environmental remediation and reclamation. A primary focus for the company is providing construction services for the environmental cleanup programs within the Coeur d’Alene Basin of Idaho and throughout the U.S. in the lower 48 and Alaska for private sector clients and federal and state agencies.

Kevin Redmond has been appointed as the North Wind Construction Services President. The company is fully operational and expects significant employee growth over the next 9 months.

Redmond noted that "establishing North Wind Construction Services gives us a company focused on the core capability of environmental remediation and reclamation. Our staff are already known for providing excellence and efficiency while making a positive difference in the environment and delivering for our customers. This new company further enhances our ability to do just that." The North Wind Group President, Sylvia Medina, added "North Wind looks forward to the opportunities ahead. I have total confidence in Kevin and his staff who have worked beside me at North Wind during the last 10 years. This is a very tight group that works as a true team."

North Wind Construction Services is headquartered in Kellogg, Idaho, where North Wind Group has operated since 2003. During that time, North Wind has kept the priorities of safety, quality and client satisfaction at the forefront, a practice that continues in the new subsidiary.

The North Wind Group is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cook Inlet Region, Inc., and is headquartered in Idaho Falls, Idaho. North Wind is a small business leader in the environmental, engineering and construction service industries, supporting federal and state agencies and private industry throughout the U.S.

Press Release (PDF)

Idaho-based North Wind, Inc. was recently selected by the Coeur d’Alene Trust to provide design and engineering services for environmental cleanup actions in the Upper Basin of the Coeur d’Alene River in North Idaho. Three companies – North Wind, CDM and HDR – were selected from a large field of interested companies.

To pursue the work with the Coeur d’Alene Trust, North Wind partnered with Pioneer Technical Services, a Montana-based engineering, environmental services and construction management firm with a proven track record of successful reclamation projects. According to the Trust, the North Wind/Pioneer team was selected based on their proven qualifications, local presence, and long-term commitment to the Silver Valley area. North Wind and Pioneer have worked together on various projects since 2003.

According to North Wind Construction Services Manager, Kevin Redmond, “The North Wind/Pioneer team provided very relevant experience and a history of success together. As the only small business selected to support this project, we are extremely proud of our accomplishments and pleased to be able to support such a significant project in our home state.

The Coeur d’Alene Trust, working in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, was established to implement a variety of environmental cleanup actions in the Upper Basin of the Coeur d’Alene River. This area is part of the Bunker Hill Mining and Metallurgical Complex Superfund Site. Cleanup activities are planned over the next 20 to 30 years.

Press Release (PDF)

North Wind Group was recently recognized in two national publications: Engineering News Record (ENR) and Inc. magazine.

ENR named North Wind as a top environmental firm, ranking the company at Number 90 in its annual list of the 200 top environmental firms. This is the third consecutive year that North Wind has been included on the list. ENR rankings are based on gross revenues reported for the previous year for providing environmental services and products to domestic and international markets. ENR is the national news magazine for the engineering and construction industry. It has been issuing the Top 200 Environmental Firms rankings annually since 1996. 

North Wind was also included on Inc. magazine’s annual list of top 5000 companies. The company was ranked at #3673 out of the top 5000 companies in the nation, and at #55 on the nation’s top environmental services companies. This is the fourth consecutive year that North Wind has been included on the Inc. 5000 list, which is an exclusive ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. It is ranked according to percentage revenue growth over the past three years.

According to North Wind President, Sylvia Medina, “Being recognized on these lists acknowledges the hard work and dedication of North Wind’s employees. They are committed to high standards of professionalism, outstanding customer service, and unparalleled quality and safety in everything they do.”

Press Release (PDF)

Cost efficiencies will help pay for additional work

LOS ALAMOS, New Mexico, October 26, 2010— Los Alamos National Laboratory today announced it has completed installation of 16 new groundwater monitoring wells paid for by funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

Cost efficiencies are allowing the Lab to drill two additional wells. They will join the Lab’s existing network of dozens of wells monitoring water for possible contaminants at various depths underground. Results are posted weekly on RACER [http://racernm.com/], an independently managed Internet database of LANL environmental data.

The Lab uses data from wells as part of the cleanup process for Manhattan Project and Cold War waste, and to monitor effects of ongoing operations.

Subcontractors North Wind, Inc., and TerranearPMC, both small businesses with offices in Los Alamos, performed the drilling work.

Idaho Falls, Idaho – For a 6th consecutive year, North Wind, Inc.  a CIRI Company, was a primary sponsor and participated with a team in the 21st annual Bataan Memorial Death March. The resounding boom of cannon fire broke the sound of thousands of participants talking as they waited in anticipation March 21 for the start of the 2010 Bataan Memorial Death March at the White Sands Missile Range, NM. The event drew a record 5,704 participants and for the fifth year, more than two dozen Wounded Warriors, amputees from the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam, took part, once again demonstrating to the other march participants what is physically possible.  

The Bataan Death March occurred in 1942 after the Japanese attacked the Bataan peninsula in the Philippines, where American and Filipino soldiers were stationed. After three months of fighting the Japanese with insufficient weapons and dwindling supplies, the American and Filipino soldiers were ordered to surrender April 9, 1942.

The Japanese forced the soldiers to march more than 60 miles with nearly no food or water. The prisoners were subjected to heinous acts of torture and many were killed or perished while marching. Some of the soldiers who survived the march spent the next three years in Japanese prisoner of war camps until freed in 1945. 

The opening ceremony for the march included a roll call of the New Mexico National Guard survivors, who were members of the 200th and 515th Coast Artillery units.

One by one, the names of those living and deceased were called out as a reminder of what’s called America’s “Greatest Generation.” Some of the Bataan survivors lined up along the starting line and shook hands with the marchers as a show of gratitude to those who were marching in their honor.

North Wind Senior Vice President Bruce Miller, who participated as the captain of the first North Wind Bataan Team in 2005 said, “it’s an honor each year for the North Wind Team members to be able to meet and thank the surviving veterans of the Bataan Death March at the event for their service to our Country. Each year there are fewer Bataan veterans and there presence at this event is very inspiration to the participants and also reminds everyone why they are there – to pay tribute to the sacrifices of the Bataan veterans - those who survived and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

North Wind 2010 Bataan Memorial Death March Team (from left to right) Don Minnick,  Jace Fahnestock, Brad Nelson, Kevin Edmundson, and Tami Taylor nearing the finish line of the 26.2 mile march.  The 2010 Team was made up from employees from North Wind’s Idaho Falls and Kellogg, Idaho offices as well a our Las Cruces, New Mexico office.

Additional information and photos from the 2010 event is available at the 2010 Bataan Memorial Death March home page http://www.bataanmarch.com.


 

April 15, 2010. North Wind, Inc., an Idaho Falls based environmental services firm, announced that it was one of five companies awarded contracts to perform Environmental Remediation Services for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.