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PEI Connect: List of Mentors
Much of the learning that contributes to a person’s success happens not through books, but through real-world experience, typically a trial and error process. Choosing to become a mentee and learning from someone else's experiences has the potential to create significant relationships that can shape your future, improve your understanding of the industry and just be fun! Even industry veterans can benefit.
Listed below are all the mentors who have volunteered to participate in PEI Connect. Each mentor has provided the information for their profile, including areas of specialties, and PEI has posted their unaltered online profiles.
If a particular mentor is accepting applications, a link will appear below his or her profile. You will be prompted for your PEI Member login and directed to the application form. If no link is present, the mentor is not currently accepting new applications.
Please only submit your application for one mentor.
Angela Pimental
Cumberland Farms, Inc.
Framingham, MA
Angela Pimental serves as the Cumberland Farms Senior Manager of Environmental Operations. She oversees a staff that is responsible for Underground Storage Tank Compliance (UST) with Federal, State and Local regulations spanning 11 states and approximately 1,000 locations. Ms. Pimental joined Cumberland Farms in 2000 after holding a position with the State of Massachusetts testing for alternative methods to pesticides on cranberry bogs.
During her employment with Cumberland Farms she has been involved with environmental due diligence for property acquisitions and divestments, environmental liability transfers, cost-sharing and contribution claim agreements, remediation and assessment of over 200 sites, emergency response, UST system testing guidelines, development and implementation of the utilization of automatic tank-gauging systems for inventory control measures, development of consultant contracts including lifecycle negotiations, and assisting in complex legal sites. Angela has provided testimony for depositions and given testimony during court cases. Angela is actively involved in regulatory outreach including providing public comment to draft regulations in states such as MA, NH, RI and CT as well as attending stakeholder meetings open to the public. Angela holds several professional certifications.
She graduated from Bridgewater State University in 2000 with a degree in Environmental Geography and is currently pursuing a MBA. Angela is currently a board member of New England Convenience Store and Energy Marketers Association (NECSEMA), the Licensed Site Professionals Association (LSPA) and The Society of Women’s Environmental Professionals (SWEP). She also serves on the PEI RP500 committee and is a member of PEI Women.
During her employment with Cumberland Farms she has been involved with environmental due diligence for property acquisitions and divestments, environmental liability transfers, cost-sharing and contribution claim agreements, remediation and assessment of over 200 sites, emergency response, UST system testing guidelines, development and implementation of the utilization of automatic tank-gauging systems for inventory control measures, development of consultant contracts including lifecycle negotiations, and assisting in complex legal sites. Angela has provided testimony for depositions and given testimony during court cases. Angela is actively involved in regulatory outreach including providing public comment to draft regulations in states such as MA, NH, RI and CT as well as attending stakeholder meetings open to the public. Angela holds several professional certifications.
She graduated from Bridgewater State University in 2000 with a degree in Environmental Geography and is currently pursuing a MBA. Angela is currently a board member of New England Convenience Store and Energy Marketers Association (NECSEMA), the Licensed Site Professionals Association (LSPA) and The Society of Women’s Environmental Professionals (SWEP). She also serves on the PEI RP500 committee and is a member of PEI Women.
Specialties:
- Office Management
- Personal Development
- Regulatory and Code Matters
Dennis Rethmeier
Western Pump, Inc.
San Diego, CA
Graduated from Colorado University in 1962 with degree in Chemistry. After 20 year in Fortune 500 companies in various sales and management positions in chemical businesses, Jan and I acquired Western Pump, Inc., in 1988 when there were fewer than 10 employees. Primary focus of business was tank testing and wholesale distribution at that time. Added service and installation steadily as the years rolled by. Became active in PEI from the beginning including committee assignments, volunteering at Convex, and serving on PEI Board. Western Pump became a "family" business in 1993 when sons Ryan and Derek joined company in entry level positions. Daughter Dana joined company later after graduating from college and working for large wholesale distribution business. Western Pump now has over 75 employees and services both retail petroleum and commercial/governmental clients throughout California, Arizona, and Nevada.
Specialties:
- Accounting
- Career Planning
- Communications Technology
- Construction
- Entrepreneurship
- Financial Planning
- Government Relations
- Human Resources
- Inventory Management
- Leadership
- Marketing
- Office Management
- Personal Development
- Purchasing
- Regulatory and Code Matters
- Sales
- Service
- Succession Planning
Blair Shwedo
SouthEastern Petroleum Systems, Inc.
Charlotte, NC
A 1979 graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, BS in Business Administration. Prior to entering the petroleum equipment industry in 1992 I worked as a account representative for Union Carbide Corporation in industrial chemical sales. Served on numerous industry boards and committees including positions with PEI as chairman of the Education Committee and the RP400 Committee. Past President of PEI (2009) and currently serving on the board as the representative for District 3. Also served as the president of the North Carolina Petroleum Equipment Contractors Association and am on the board of directors for the NC Petroleum and Convenience Marketers Association. Outside of the industry I have been active a a volunteer for the U.S.Army's NC Recruiting Battalion and was an assistant high school wrestling coach for 15 years. Married with 2 children and 2 grandchildren. Company is a full service PEI distributor with service, installation and warehouse distribution.
Specialties:
- Career Planning
- Construction
- Leadership
- Sales
- Service
Tinamarie Smith
JD2 Environmental, Inc.
West Chester, PA
EDUCATION
B.S., Business Management, 1986
Neumann College
A. S., Business Management, 1977
Peirce College
FIELDS OF COMPETENCE
• Storage Tank Management
• Site Investigation, Remediation, Phase I & II Property Assessments
• Acquisitions/Divestments
• Environmental Compliance
• Safety/Health
• Operator Training
PROFESSIONAL HISTORY
At JD2, Ms. Smith provides technical knowledge of underground storage tank (UST) environmental and regulatory compliance. She also has expertise in remediation, including designing programs for regulatory compliance, emergency response, due diligence, UST and Stage II Vapor Recovery permitting/registration, conducts environmental and compliance training programs, hazardous waste, MSDS, USTs, leak detection, vapor recovery, compliance testing, SARA, environmental and safety/health audits/assessments/inspections, regulatory analysis, as well as Notice of Violation (NOV) resolution.
Prior to joining JD2, Ms. Smith worked in the Environmental, Safety/Health field and held the position of Manager, Environmental Compliance for Sunoco, Inc., where she worked in various environmental areas for 28 years. She developed and conducted training programs geared towards environmental compliance and storage tanks. In addition, she represented the industry on regulatory issues in over 20 states. She served as a main focal point in formulating strategies, policies, procedures and implementation of environmental programs by working directly with State and Federal Regulatory personnel, in addition to other oil companies, American Petroleum Institute (API), ASTM, and various organizations. Ms. Smith also has four (4) years consulting experience with ERM where she was responsible for project management for remediation sites and Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs).
EXPERIENCE SUMMARY
Ms. Smith has managed storage tank programs for various commercial and industrial clients. She has over 33 years experience in environmental, safety and health management from both the petroleum industry and consulting.
Storage Tank Management
Ms. Smith has designed and managed mandated environmental programs for leak/release detection, UST and vapor recovery permitting, facility audits, assessments and compliance inspections; regulatory permit filings and tracking, inventory management solutions, compliance testing, expert witness testimony; custom compliance manuals; environmental and compliance training; tank database design and maintenance; Stage II Vapor Recovery; regulatory reporting and follow-up. Also, Ms. Smith developed, managed and assisted with implementing compliance strategies for maintenance, engineering, remediation services, sales and real estate relative to the mandated regulatory requirements for USTs. She has held leadership roles on directing task forces and committees to enhance compliance at facilities.
Storage Tank Operator Training Certifications
Ms. Smith has developed state-specific training material in order to gain approval from various state regulatory agencies for JD2 and Clients for Class A/B/C Operator Training programs in association with the USEPA Energy Policy Act of 2005. Her work has enabled her to become certified as an approved trainer in the states of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Texas and Hawaii. She also developed Client-specific "company" training programs for the company to become approved in many states to satisfy the Energy Bill requirements. Ms. Smith has conducted numerous training sessions for various clients and students from all aspects of industry, such as private, commercial and Fortune 500 companies, since the Energy Bill went into effect in 2012.
Acquisitions/Divestments and Remediation
Ms. Smith was the primary environmental compliance lead in Acquisitions and Divestments, in addition to Phase I/II ESAs; representing Sunoco on negotiation teams for negotiating and developing environmental legal language for contracts; performing due diligence activities; compliance testing and managing the subsurface environmental assessments. She also identified, defined, and communicated the risk and liability areas to negotiate and address during the due diligence phase.
Ms. Smith held the role of project manager for a consulting firm (ERM) for environmental remediation projects; well installation and/or sampling and evaluation; state cleanup funds and reimbursement coordinator; risk assessment and liability; Brownfield Property Management; and Emergency Response Plans.
IT Projects
Ms. Smith provided project management on development, implementation, and training for extensive IT programs, such as File Net, a UST database Portal for over 2,000 sites, and worked with a core team, and Manager, Safety and Health departments on the roll-out of a $2 million Incident and Investigation Project. She worked with a core team from Marketing business units encompassing Chemicals, Professional Services, Refining and Supply, and Environmental departments to ensure regulatory requirements were met, and internal policies/policies, Best Practices and HES standards were incorporated and budgets were reviewed with the core team.
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS/DEVELOPMENT
• OSHA 40-Hour and 8-Hour Annual Refresher Health and Safety for Hazardous Waste Site Investigations
• National Registry of Environmental Professionals (Certification #4022)
• National Groundwater Association
• ASTM
• National Society of Environmental Consultants
• National Institute of Storage Tank Management
• PADEP Bureau of Walter Quality Management, Division of USTs
• Technical Writer for Petroleum Equipment Institute (PEI) Underground Storage Tank Inspection and Maintenance Committee, and contributing to the release of Recommended Practice (RP) 500, "Recommended Practice for Inspection and Maintenance of Motor Fuel Dispensing Equipment," October 2011
• Consultant to Committee for development of Petroleum Equipment Institute (PEI) Recommended Practice (RP) 1400, "Recommended Practices for the Design and Installation of Fueling Systems for Emergency Generators, Stationary Diesel Engines and Oil Burner Systems," 2014
• 2016 PEI Women Committee Member
B.S., Business Management, 1986
Neumann College
A. S., Business Management, 1977
Peirce College
FIELDS OF COMPETENCE
• Storage Tank Management
• Site Investigation, Remediation, Phase I & II Property Assessments
• Acquisitions/Divestments
• Environmental Compliance
• Safety/Health
• Operator Training
PROFESSIONAL HISTORY
At JD2, Ms. Smith provides technical knowledge of underground storage tank (UST) environmental and regulatory compliance. She also has expertise in remediation, including designing programs for regulatory compliance, emergency response, due diligence, UST and Stage II Vapor Recovery permitting/registration, conducts environmental and compliance training programs, hazardous waste, MSDS, USTs, leak detection, vapor recovery, compliance testing, SARA, environmental and safety/health audits/assessments/inspections, regulatory analysis, as well as Notice of Violation (NOV) resolution.
Prior to joining JD2, Ms. Smith worked in the Environmental, Safety/Health field and held the position of Manager, Environmental Compliance for Sunoco, Inc., where she worked in various environmental areas for 28 years. She developed and conducted training programs geared towards environmental compliance and storage tanks. In addition, she represented the industry on regulatory issues in over 20 states. She served as a main focal point in formulating strategies, policies, procedures and implementation of environmental programs by working directly with State and Federal Regulatory personnel, in addition to other oil companies, American Petroleum Institute (API), ASTM, and various organizations. Ms. Smith also has four (4) years consulting experience with ERM where she was responsible for project management for remediation sites and Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs).
EXPERIENCE SUMMARY
Ms. Smith has managed storage tank programs for various commercial and industrial clients. She has over 33 years experience in environmental, safety and health management from both the petroleum industry and consulting.
Storage Tank Management
Ms. Smith has designed and managed mandated environmental programs for leak/release detection, UST and vapor recovery permitting, facility audits, assessments and compliance inspections; regulatory permit filings and tracking, inventory management solutions, compliance testing, expert witness testimony; custom compliance manuals; environmental and compliance training; tank database design and maintenance; Stage II Vapor Recovery; regulatory reporting and follow-up. Also, Ms. Smith developed, managed and assisted with implementing compliance strategies for maintenance, engineering, remediation services, sales and real estate relative to the mandated regulatory requirements for USTs. She has held leadership roles on directing task forces and committees to enhance compliance at facilities.
Storage Tank Operator Training Certifications
Ms. Smith has developed state-specific training material in order to gain approval from various state regulatory agencies for JD2 and Clients for Class A/B/C Operator Training programs in association with the USEPA Energy Policy Act of 2005. Her work has enabled her to become certified as an approved trainer in the states of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Texas and Hawaii. She also developed Client-specific "company" training programs for the company to become approved in many states to satisfy the Energy Bill requirements. Ms. Smith has conducted numerous training sessions for various clients and students from all aspects of industry, such as private, commercial and Fortune 500 companies, since the Energy Bill went into effect in 2012.
Acquisitions/Divestments and Remediation
Ms. Smith was the primary environmental compliance lead in Acquisitions and Divestments, in addition to Phase I/II ESAs; representing Sunoco on negotiation teams for negotiating and developing environmental legal language for contracts; performing due diligence activities; compliance testing and managing the subsurface environmental assessments. She also identified, defined, and communicated the risk and liability areas to negotiate and address during the due diligence phase.
Ms. Smith held the role of project manager for a consulting firm (ERM) for environmental remediation projects; well installation and/or sampling and evaluation; state cleanup funds and reimbursement coordinator; risk assessment and liability; Brownfield Property Management; and Emergency Response Plans.
IT Projects
Ms. Smith provided project management on development, implementation, and training for extensive IT programs, such as File Net, a UST database Portal for over 2,000 sites, and worked with a core team, and Manager, Safety and Health departments on the roll-out of a $2 million Incident and Investigation Project. She worked with a core team from Marketing business units encompassing Chemicals, Professional Services, Refining and Supply, and Environmental departments to ensure regulatory requirements were met, and internal policies/policies, Best Practices and HES standards were incorporated and budgets were reviewed with the core team.
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS/DEVELOPMENT
• OSHA 40-Hour and 8-Hour Annual Refresher Health and Safety for Hazardous Waste Site Investigations
• National Registry of Environmental Professionals (Certification #4022)
• National Groundwater Association
• ASTM
• National Society of Environmental Consultants
• National Institute of Storage Tank Management
• PADEP Bureau of Walter Quality Management, Division of USTs
• Technical Writer for Petroleum Equipment Institute (PEI) Underground Storage Tank Inspection and Maintenance Committee, and contributing to the release of Recommended Practice (RP) 500, "Recommended Practice for Inspection and Maintenance of Motor Fuel Dispensing Equipment," October 2011
• Consultant to Committee for development of Petroleum Equipment Institute (PEI) Recommended Practice (RP) 1400, "Recommended Practices for the Design and Installation of Fueling Systems for Emergency Generators, Stationary Diesel Engines and Oil Burner Systems," 2014
• 2016 PEI Women Committee Member
Specialties:
- Career Planning
- Construction
- Government Relations
- Leadership
- Marketing
- Personal Development
- Regulatory and Code Matters
Environmental