Alan Stine

Andrew Hess

After 15 years at the helm, Alan Stine has stepped down from his position as president of Olympus Technical Services, Inc. (OTS), an employee-owned environmental services company headquartered in Helena, Montana. The move was part of a planned succession at the company. Andrew Hess, formerly the branch manager for the Helena office, assumed the role of president in March 2021 after an election by the board of directors.

OTS owes its existence to Stine, along with Curt Serviss (retired) and current vice-president, Mike Backe. The three were managers of Washington-based Olympus Environmental Inc. (OE) in 1998 when it became clear that ownership wanted to take the company in a different direction. After meeting in Stine’s living room to explore their options, they made the bold decision to buy the Montana and Idaho branches and start their own company. OTS was born on January 1, 1999.

Stine, a professional geologist with degrees in geology and earth sciences from the University of Montana and Montana State University, had managed the Helena branch of OE since 1986. After the buy-out he served as vice-president of OTS, then took over as president in August 2005 and remained in that role until this past March.

OTS saw steady growth under Stine’s leadership and became a stable small business providing superior service throughout the Rocky Mountain region. The company also developed a reputation for tackling difficult projects. Stine himself was personally involved in cleaning up some of the region’s largest and most challenging environmental sites.

While Stine’s reputation in the world of environmental remediation is well-earned, within OTS he is recognized for being a phenomenal mentor.

Said Hess, “Alan’s patience, knowledge, and honesty helped nurture many growing scientists, myself included. Under his leadership, employees experienced immense personal and professional growth and learned from Alan’s example what it means to have ethical expression in your work.”

Stine will continue to perform his duties as principal hydrogeologist with Olympus. After 35 years in the industry, he remains passionate about the earth sciences and solving problems related to hazardous material spills on land and water. Stepping back from his leadership role will enable him to focus more on the technical side of the business and mentor junior scientists at OTS.

The future of OTS is now in the hands of Hess, who started his career with Olympus in 2014 as a geologist and has served as branch manager for the Helena office since August 2017. Hess has a BA in geology from Whitman College and recently earned his MBA from the University of Montana.

“Moving forward,” Hess said, “Olympus will continue to focus on providing a quality service to our various customers, tackling challenging projects, and fostering the personal and professional growth of our employees.”