Robb Eidemiller

President and CEO

 

As the founder and President & CEO of Sierra Delta Consultants LLC (SDC), Robb has been with the company since 1985, and he provides the day-to-day oversight of the consulting services SDC provides.  Robb was born in San Diego, California, raised in College Station, Texas and after graduating from UCLA in 1971, he joined the U.S. Navy, was commissioned an officer in 1972 and served honorably until 1975 in Attack Squadron Twenty-Five (VA-25), which included two cruises aboard the USS Ranger (CVA-61) in Viet Nam.  Upon leaving the service he continued his education, earning a Master of Science degree from Louisiana State University (LSU) in 1978. 

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While attending LSU, Robb taught lower and upper division courses in geology, geomorphology, remote sensing, physical geography and geophysical surveying.  He also worked for WBRZ-TV an NBC affiliate in Baton Rouge as a TV Meteorologist and anchor for nightly and weekend newscasts.

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From 1975 through 1976, Robb worked for Louisiana Land and Exploration Company (LL&E) as on-scene supervisor for surface geological , hydrologic, environmental, and subsurface geophysical surveys in the Kandik Basin, Alaska.  The purpose of the surveys was to map an area in east-central Alaska for petroleum exploration for the Doyon Tribe. 

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From 1976 through 1979, Robb was a Principal Investigator for the Institute for Environmental Studies at LSU and conducted surface and subsurface geophysical surveys to locate and map salt domes in the Gulf Coast states for the storage of compressed gas and nuclear waste.  Survey techniques utilized included seismic reflection, refraction and electrical resistivity.  He was responsible for the planning and execution of all field surveys and the subsequent data production and quality assurance. Projects covered the region from eastern Texas to Alabama and included both surface and subsurface (in-situ below ground level) geophysical surveys.

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From 1979 through 1983 Robb was a Senior Professional for James M. Montgomery, Consulting Engineers (JMM) in Pasadena, California. Project experience included performing apparent completeness reviews, technical environmental analyses, baseline inventories and environmental impact statements associated with surface and subsurface mining reclamation plans for several mines in the western United States; projects requiring the coordination of several technical disciplines including mining engineering, geology, terrestrial and aquatic ecology, fish and wildlife management, agronomy, socio-economics, recreational / visual resources, meteorology, archaeology and surface and ground water hydrology. Other environmental experience during this period included the preparation of several EIRs and EISs for water and wastewater treatment facilities for municipalities and wastewater reclamation authorities in the western United States, examples include: Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, City of Los Angeles, Department of Water and Power, City of Pasadena, City of Escondido, County of Ventura, Irvine Ranch Water District, Los Angeles County Sanitation District, Chino Basin Municipal Water District, City of San Diego, Coachella Valley Water District, City of Palm Springs, Clark County Sanitation District, City of Boulder City, City of Barstow, City of Thousand Oaks, City of Scottsdale, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and the Department of Defense.  He was also responsible for the design and implementation of numerous studies, many of which included the instrumentation of various environmental parameters. Studies included hydrologic investigations, wetlands delineations, vegetation inventories, rare, threatened and endangered species surveys, shallow geophysics and well logging, soils surveys, geomorphologic studies, permafrost and seasonal thaw layer monitoring and modeling, meteorological analyses and landscape and erosion control programs.

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From 1983 through 1985, Robb became a Supervising Professional with JMM and was responsible for project oversight on several projects.  These included: the feasibility of using high explosives to construct a three-mile-long channel through a highly sensitive wildlife refuge, the design of a hydrocarbon recovery system to remove aviation fuels from a ground water aquifer, the design of a firefighting practice facility, several designs for diesel and gasoline spill and delineation and clean up and several monitoring well sitings and designs.  He was a Principal  Investigator for the Orange and Los Angeles Counties Water Reuse study, the first investigation of its type in the United States which studied water conservation and reuse options for all municipalities, water purveyors and wastewater reclamation authorities in the Orange and Los Angeles counties.

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Robb was responsible for business development activities for the company’s southwest region, which included southern California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming and Texas. Responsibilities included the development of a market analysis for the region, and each individual state, to define the market, the demographics and psychology of the target clients, competitor’s products and services, and both business and environmental risks. Follow-up to the market analysis he was responsible for developing a marketing plan which defined the sales strategy, advertising, promotion and public relations and included a financial plan to detail capital requirements and the profit potential of the effort. Once the planning was complete, responsibilities included development of a sales training program, recruiting and training a sales staff, then testing the assumptions produced from the planning stage by going into the field. After the initial market insertion, he was responsible for marketing plan adjustments, continual staff training and monitoring, and complete oversight of the region’s marketing and business development functions. While in this capacity was responsible for marketing the products and services of the company to all municipal water and wastewater agencies throughout the seven-state region.

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In 1985 Robb founded Sierra Delta Corporation (later to become Sierra Delta Consultants LLC) in Las Vegas, Nevada (a family owned business).  During the period 1985 through 1994, he was responsible for the acquisition of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Section 10/404 permits for Harrah’s Del Rio Hotel and Casino, Laughlin, Nevada; the Laughlin Bay Enhancement Project, Laughlin, Nevada; the Boy Scouts of America Scouting Facility, Laughlin, Nevada; and the Lake Las Vegas project, Henderson, Nevada.  For that project he was Project Manager for all development permits, environmental studies and investigations for the $3.2 billion, 2100-acre Lake Las Vegas development located in Henderson, Nevada.  His responsibilities included project feasibility studies, permits acquisition, and environmental investigations. RobbEngineering studies included drainage plans, infrastructure layout and cost estimating, utility interties, site surveys, foundation and soils testing, permeability tests, water quality management plans and water conservation studies. Acquired permits included a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Section 404 permit for the construction of a dam and a 324-acre lake in Las Vegas Wash, Water Quality Certification permit through the State of Nevada, Department of Environmental Protection, Dam Safety and Water Rights permits from the State of Nevada, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, an Exemption for a Small Conduit Hydroelectric Facility permit from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and approval of project financing by the State of Nevada, State Board of Finance.

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He was also Project Manager for Harrah’s Del Rio Boat Dock Design and Construction, Laughlin, Nevada; Zond Systems Inc. Los Angeles Wind Turbine Generation Station EIR; County of Ventura, California, Moorpark WWTP EIR; and numerous Phase I – Environmental Site Assessments and zoning variances.

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From 1990 through 1994 Robb was also Principal-in-Charge / Project Manager for the conceptual design / permitting phase of a $150,000,000 waste-to-fuels cogeneration facility in San Bernardino, California. The project was slated to be one of the nation’s largest cattle manure biomass resource projects. Conversion of the waste to a usable energy form was achieved through anaerobic digestion wherein the biomass was biologically converted to biogas which was to be used to fuel a gas turbine co-generation power plant capable of producing 49.5 MW of net salable energy. Robb was responsible for assembling the design disciplines including structural, electrical, process and mechanical engineering, subcontracting environmental, permits, and licensing specialists. Responsibilities also included conducting market feasibility studies, cattle feeding trials, developing a project proforma based upon front-of-the-plant tipping fees and back-of-the-plant product sales, interfacing with local, state, and federal agencies having jurisdiction over the project and the day-to-day overall technical supervision and administration of the project.

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From 1994 through 1996 Robb took a sabbatical from SDC and he and his family moved to the island of Oahu in Hawaii.  He became Project Manager for the turn-around of an organic waste treatment plant located on the windward side of the island of Oahu, approximately 15 miles from downtown Honolulu. The primary waste streams for the plant were food waste from Honolulu, fish waste from the ports, and animal waste from an adjacent 2000 head dairy.  The plant was a the time, the only fully operational, nongovernment subsidized facility of its type in the United States specializing in food waste disposal. Turn-around responsibilities included the development of company business, marketing and financial plans, the assessment of human resources and the recruiting new staff, the development of job training programs, the downsizing and streamlining of several divisions and departments, and the conducting of internal financial, human resource, environmental and liability audits. Once underway, day-to-day responsibilities included supervision of company operations including trucking, container sanitization, digester performance, power production, waste stream management, plant maintenance and administration, sales and marketing. He was responsible for taking the company from a $300,000 per month negative cash flow to a positive cash flow, designing and building a custom waste hauler, designing modifications to digester mixers to increase performance and reliability, designing and installing new waste receiving conveyors and reduction systems, installing a totally automated 70-foot truck scale, putting into operation for the first time a biogas recovery and power generation system allowing the plant to be totally energy self-sufficient, building sales from 8 tons of food waste to more than 40 tons per day, designing and installing a fully operational aerobic windrow composting facility.  Robb was also  responsible for the passing of legislation to make illegal the dumping of organic waste into the City/County landfill or incinerator. While the Plant Manager, the company received the prestigious “Environmental Company of the Year Award” presented by the Honolulu Star Bulletin in 1995.

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In 1996, Robb and family returned to the mainland and relocated SDC to Paso Robles, California. As President and CEO, he directed the company to adapt to the central coast of California and in so doing, the company ventured into areas it previously hadn’t gone!  Some of the projects included being Principal-in-Charge / Project Manager to market and develop alternative applications for a satellite communication technologies firm. The Mill Valley, California firm specialized in wireless communications systems and service through ownership of direct broadcast satellite licenses and the application of low-earth orbiting (“LEO”) satellites, and was the only company which had successfully demonstrated a global energy metering system to the energy industry. Under contract with a major utility, the firm used LEO satellites to accurately read remote and inaccessible meters, and it was the only company negotiating the first commercial installation of these services. Responsibilities included taking the firm’s “meter reading” technology and finding new applications outside the public utility market. Examples of industries / markets where applications were explored and now realized include heavy off-road equipment, farm equipment, propane and natural gas storage, and government regulatory agencies. Several of the applications required the merging of GIS / GPS technologies to affect delivery routing efficiencies. Robb was also responsible for designing an aviation solution for data acquisition prior to the satellite constellation being put into orbit, and developing a strategic plan for the acquisition of radio licenses through the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”).  A follow-on to this project was his being Principal-in-Charge / Project Manager for the introduction and processing of Daimler-Benz Aerospace AG (“DASA”) through the United States Departments of State, Defense and Commerce to allow DASA to utilize Vandenberg Air Force Base, California (30th Space Wing) and Patrick Air Force Base, Florida (45th Space Wing) facilities for the purpose of developing a long-term launch vehicle program in the United States.

He directed the company to provide services to the newly burgeoning wine-grape industry on the central coast.  Robb planned, developed and staffed a precision agriculture division for the company to serve the viticulture industry.  Responsibilities included the development of custom software  for the development of baseline databases utilizing AUTOCAD / GIS / GPS technologies which were then utilized to make rational decisions regarding project phasing, grape variety, root stock, irrigation plans, farm equipment selection, infield mapping of infrastructure improvements, irrigation system layouts, filtration systems, etc.

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Under Robb’s direction, a division of the company aimed at providing environmental services to the lending industry was founded.  The Banking Services Division, provides environmental due diligence products to lending institutions nation-wide including Record Search and Risk Assessments (RSRAs), Transaction Screen Assessments (TSAs), Phase 1 – Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs), Limited Scope Investigations, Phase 2 – Environmental Site Assessments, Site Remediation and clean up services.  

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Robb still serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of the family owned firm and enjoys the relationships he has with our clients we have served over the years.  To borrow Robb’s expression, “we don’t have any clients, we only have friends!”