Usually, new employees are introduced during company meetings. But, since we’ve moved to virtual meetings this year and have encouraged social distancing and working from home, we haven’t seen or heard very much from some of our newest coworkers.
Because of that, we’re using this newsletter to shine a spotlight on each of the new employees we’ve hired this year. Each have written a short bio to share some fun facts about themselves.
Blake Whitney
I grew up overseas. My dad worked for Unocal and traveled around Europe and Asia. I was born in Aberdeen, Scotland and moved to Indonesia when I was young. I spent most of my childhood in southeast Asia traveling around the different islands there. Finally, after 28 years overseas, my parents came to Houston so we could go to highschool and college here in the US.
I have since spent my time in the outdoors, working on ranches and guiding hunts. I graduated Texas A&M Kingsville with a BS in Range and Wildlife Management. After college, I spent three years working on the Big Easy Ranch just outside of Columbus, Texas. I now live in Pecan Grove, Texas and I’ve been working at BIO-WEST since April, 2020.
I met my wife in high school and we have been married for five years. I have three little girls: My eldest is Cameron, age 2, and Emma & Carter are 2 months old and fraternal twins. I have been guiding hunts for the past 6 years and love being outdoors.
Richard Jess
I am a GIS Technician in the Logan office. I was hired in November of 2019 and have primarily worked on UDOT planning projects. I received a degree in environmental studies and GIS from Utah State University. After college, I worked for Logan City in their GIS office until accepting my current position at BIO-WEST.
I have lived all over the US, ranging from Alaska to Texas, but currently call Utah home. I live here with my wife Heidi and our 1-year-old daughter, Emma. I have lots of hobbies and interests. It’s a bit of a curse really. Overall, I really enjoy being outside hunting, fishing, camping, hiking and exploring.
Fun fact, one time while working on the North Slope of Alaska I got trapped in a small storage shed because a polar bear decided to take a nap outside the door after raiding a trash can. I was by myself in that shed for nine hours with no food or bathroom. It was great.
Kyle Altimore
I joined BIO-WEST, Inc. recently as the GIS Analyst for the Rosenberg, Texas offices. Shortly after joining, I started taking on IT roles and supporting field efforts in diving surveys.
I grew up in a small rural town just south of Houston, Texas and was lucky enough to have a good computer science education in high school where I competed in programming tournaments. When I was attending Wharton County Junior College for a computer science degree, I took a geology course and was immediately captivated.
After graduating, I went to Stephen F. Austin State University and pursued a degree in geology and stumbled upon spatial science, both of which fascinated me. Before long, I was helping others out with their studies and dissertations. I also started doing contract work in oil and gas exploration, utilizing special remote sensing techniques alongside geological interpretations. After getting my BS in geology, I pursued my MS in geoscience with a focus on geospatial science. I always enjoy telling people my thesis was “looking for holes in the ground using airborne lasers and satellites” (aka karst delineation using LiDAR and multispectral imagery).
Carson Vecera
Howdy, my name is Carson Vecera and I am from Needville, Texas. I attended Texas A&M University with a BS in ecological restoration and graduated in May 2020. I am a field technician here at BIO-WEST, so I hop on any project that needs an extra hand and assist the field lead to get the job done both fast and efficiently. I will tackle any project, both big or small.
How did I find out about BIO-WEST? It’s really a small world. I met a good friend of Marty’s at a Texas A&M tailgate, and we got to talking and found out that my house was only about 10 minutes from the Rosenberg office. I then contacted Marty and was eventually hired on!
Besides work, I love the outdoors. Going fishing and hunting are a couple of my favorite things to do. I also taught myself some woodworking skills, so I have been building bed frames, headboards, dining room tables, benches, and even wood walls in my free time.
A weird fact about myself is that I am the same weight as I was in High School, 140 pounds at 15 years old and 140 pounds at 23! BIO-WEST has been fantastic thus far and I look forward to more projects!
Brandon Thomas
My wife, Stephanie, and I grew up in Lehi, Utah and we just had a boy named Jackson this September. My family and I enjoy spending time outdoors hunting, fishing, and camping. My wife and I both moved up to Logan to attend Utah State University. I graduated at the end of this last 2020 fall semester with a degree in management and restoration of aquatic ecosystems. I just started here at BIO-WEST as a wetland technician and we are very excited to be able to stay here in Logan.