Tom Conrad’s solid waste career spanned more than 60 years before his retirement in 2016. He dedicated his career to advancing the solid waste industry, most notably through the founding of SCS Engineers (Stearns, Conrad, and Schmidt Consulting Engineers) more than 51 years ago. As an environmental engineering firm and consultant to the newly created US Environmental Protection Agency, the founders recognized that responsible solid waste management was increasingly important for protecting the environment and the health and safety of the general public. SCS helped the EPA develop the first federal regulations and notes many innovations on its website. Mr. Conrad worked on a wide range of environmental engineering projects touching almost every aspect of solid waste management throughout his career.

Mr. Conrad was also a leader in hiring and mentoring SCS leaders and fostering SCS’s culture that encourages employee participation in industry associations such as SWANA to better the industry. Prior to his retirement, Mr. Conrad held professional engineering licenses in 24 states. He was a member of SWANA, the American Society of Civil Engineers, National Waste and Recycling Association, and Society of American Military Engineers.