Congratulations to NER’s Tauren Beggs and Annette Weissbach (retired) for receiving a 2018 National Notable Achievement Award for Brownfields and Land Revitalization from the U.S. EPA. The two project managers in the Remediation and Redevelopment (RR) Program were recognized for their work in building strategic approaches among multiple groups and agencies to cleanup and redevelop sites in Green Bay and Manitowoc.

In Green Bay, Annette and Tauren coordinated with EPA, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, and local officials on projects that have leveraged 1,657 jobs and added more than $75 million to the taxable value of the city’s downtown parcels.

The pair was also recognized for their work on the various Mirro Corp. sites in Manitowoc. When the company closed in 2003, the city was left with multiple abandoned and contaminated buildings which were a roadblock to redevelopment. Their efforts have helped state, local and federal agencies leverage millions of dollars to clean up the sites and redevelop much of the property into apartments, and art gallery, and more.

Annette Weissbach and Tauren Beggs

Beggs started his career with the RR Program as an LTE DOT Hydrogeologist. He then worked as the LTE Kewaunee Marsh specialist before joining the RR Program fulltime in 2015. Weissbach was a member of the RR Program and the Northeast Region RR Program staff for 28 years before retiring in 2014.