Recent Trend of Decline for Professional Environmental Service Firms in the West Central Region Slows

The Amount of Closures Declined from 23.6% (in 1994-1996) to 4.7% (in 1998-2000)

Contact: Holly Swanson 952/831-2473, ext. 15
Cary Perket 858/488-4760

For Immediate Release - January 18, 2001

Minneapolis, MN – Environmental Information Limited – provider of the nation’s largest database of professional environmental services – has completed its biennial research updating the database on the environmental services providers in the West Central region.

EI found that 4.7 percent of the 791 surveyed environmental service firms listed in the 1998 West Central Directory (EPA Regions 6, 7, and 8) had offices close. The largest portion (47.6%) of the closures were among firms with less than 25 employees, there was only 1 firm (2.4%) with over 100 employees that closed an office in the West Central United States.

"The consistent decline throughout the regions is remarkable and verifies that this is not a regional problem, but indeed a decreasing demand for Environmental Services throughout all of North America," states EI Researcher Holly Swanson. "The decline in the number of Professional Environmental Firms since 1994 has slowed, but this could in part be due to the decline in overall total firms."