Shelly Binsfeld
President
“Impacting the environment and the workplace with quality service in the environmental industry”
Shelly holds a bachelor’s degree in Applied Leadership and over 20 years of organizational leadership. She serves as an elected board member of the Sherburne Soil and Water Conservation District and a member of the MN DNR Aquatic Invasive Species Advisory Committee. Shelly holds certifications in HAZWOPER training, AIS Detector & Management, and ArcGIS Pro Foundation 2101.
Shelly formed Rock Leaf in order to build an environmental company that provides quick responses to businesses and the government. Her mission is to improve hazardous and pollution situations, meeting needs with an environmental community focus and supporting quality local employment with excellent customer service.
Applied Leadership B.S.
Wetland Professional In Training BWSR
Ecological Restoration U of MN
AIS Detector and Management
ArcGIS Pro Foundation 2101
HAZWOPER Supervisor
Association of Women Contractors Member
Tom Binsfeld
Project Manager
Tom has over 24 years of experience in remediation and emergency response services including large incident response and subsequent remedial actions. Tom has been a lead responder for multiple large pipeline incidents and railroad derailments. He has managed and been an integral team member of many other remedial programs including the Hudson River Remediation project in which they removed over 2.6 MM cubic yards of PCB impacted sediments.
Masters of Science (M.S.) - Environmental Engineering
Bachelor of Science - Biology
Qualified Environmental Professional
Asbestos Inspector
HAZWOPER Incident Commander
HazMat Response Specialist
Certified Professional Environmental Auditor (CPEA)
Project Management Professional (PMP)
Advanced Tank Car Specialist
Advanced Highway Emergency Responder
Nicole Schwartz
Business Assistant
Nicole earned her undergraduate degree in Plant Science and has integrated her education and experience into her administrative position with Rock Leaf. She is passionate about the environmental and remediation work that Rock Leaf performs and is eager to support the team on the business end. Nicole acts as a liaison between field staff, environmental professionals, and project managers to ensure that information is communicated throughout the team and presented to clients effectively. Be it project participation, office management, or bookkeeping, Nicole strives to be the glue that helps Rock Leaf grow and thrive.
Steve Pinta
Geological Project Manager
Steve has a B.S. in geology and geophysics, an M.S. in geology and over 14 years of experience in drilling and petroleum geology throughout the US. His experience includes vertical and horizontal wells, conventional and unconventional petroleum wells, and shale source rock, shallow sand, and deep carbonate reservoir formations. He has experience with sample collection/prep and analytical Instruments such as, XRF, XRD, SEM, isotube/isojar, GC-FID, GC-IR, ICP-MS, and pyrolysis/source rock analysis. Past roles included mudlogging training for new field recruits, wet/dry, real-time field sample collection and in-house geochemical analysis, and project manager for well drilling and real-time target/reservoir analysis.
Geology M.S.
Geology B.S., Geophysics B.S.
University Teaching Assistantship (UTA) - Dept. of Geology and Geophysics
WEST Program fellow, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
Certified Well Driller
Brian Jastram
Senior Water Scientist
Brian has an Environmental Science B.S. and a Natural Resources M.S. in progress. He has 18 years of experience working for the Mississippi Watershed performing water quality monitoring and instrumentation. Brian is skilled in building and operating remote telemetry systems, data analysis and management, automated stormwater monitoring, and active monitoring techniques that provide up-to-date water quality information. He also has experience identifying and maintaining BMP effectiveness.
Environmental Science B.S.
Natural Resources M.S. in progress
Inland Waterways Spill Responder
Nate Gillett
Water Resources Scientist
Nathan has a background in water resources and experience as a crew supervisor and field technician with Rock Leaf Water Environmental. His education and experience include field techniques for natural resource management, wetlands, and watershed management.
His experience within the industrial and commercial sector range from hazardous materials spill cleanups to large-scale site remediation projects.
Water Resources B.S.
Watershed Science A.S.
Wetland Professional In Training BWSR
HAZWOPER Supervisor
Pesticide Applicators License
Asbestos Inspector
Construction Site Management
Ellysa Johnson
Ecologist
Ellysa holds a B.S. in Environmental Science and an M.S. in Natural Resources Management. She has experience with vegetation and pollinator surveys, land management (e.g. cattle grazing and prescribed burns), report writing, and outreach. She is happy to work with others to conduct up-to-date research, restoration and conservation projects, and share information via easy-to-understand methods.
Environmental Science B.S.
Natural Resources Management M.S.
Samuel Binsfeld
Crew Supervisor
Sam has over two years of experience in the field as an Haz Mat Responder and Crew Supervisor. He has worked on large remediation projects as well as large initial responses. With specialties in Confined Space, Tank Car, and Highway Response, Sam has become a crucial part of the RLW team. His experience within the industrial and commercial sector range from hazardous materials spill cleanups to large-scale site remediation projects.
HAZWOPER Crew Supervisor
Lead Risk Assessor
Asbestos Inspector
Pesticide Applicator
Construction Site Management and Design
Confined Space Rescue
Tank Car Response Specialist
Highway Response Specialist
Anhydrous Ammonia Response Specialist
Chlorine Response Specialist
Gabe Vasquez
Interim Natural Resource Specialist
Gabe is an environmental technician with education and experience including fieldwork
and projects managing natural resources using a variety of techniques. He is a first-line
responder that is trained to provide countless services to various industries. Gabe is a
responsive team member that is available to respond to emergency/time-critical incidents.
Ecology & Field Biology B.S.
UMN Ecological Restoration Certificate
Pesticide Applicators License
Libby Markham
Natural Resources Technical Writer
Libby owns a bachelor’s degree in Biology & Environmental Science, with a background in native vegetation management. She is an active member of the natural resource field crew as well as an environmental emergency responder. Libby has written a prairie stewardship plan and has completed wetland delineation reports, leading the natural resource team with technical writing skills.
Biology & Environmental Science B.A.
UMN Ecological Restoration Certificate
ArcGIS Technician
Awarded $25,000 Training Grant