History
EMR emerged as a small startup company in 1988 with three employees to a company with more than 200 employees worldwide. From its inception, EMR’s story is one of leadership, and our history continues to be characterized by the imprint of outstanding individuals — beginning with two of the firm’s founders, Mike and Connie Cook.
EMR began 24 years ago as a Washington-based environmental firm providing asbestos management services, environmental consulting and industrial wastewater treatment plant operation and management services to the railroad industry. As the service needs of our customers continued to expand, so did our company. Today, headquartered in Lawrence, Kansas, EMR has grown into an award winning globally recognized company that provides expanded services for environment, facilities and infrastructure, emergency management, and natural/cultural resources.
Along the way, EMR received awards for the SBA National Small Business of the Year, SBA Region 7 Office 8(a) Graduate of the Year, BNSF Distinguished Supplier Award, Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Top 10 Small Business and, most recently, the SAME National Small Business of the Year.
- 1988:
- Environmental Management Resources, Inc. established in Washington
- 1989:
- EMR’s corporate headquarters were moved to Lawrence, Kansas to better serve our railroad customers; office locations included Washington, Kansas and Nebraska
- 1990:
- EMR completed the first bioremediation project in Kansas for a COOP in Garden City, Kansas
- 1991:
- EMR added UST removal and hazardous waste disposal options for our railroad customers
- 1992:
- EMR opened an office in Duluth, Minnesota to meet demand for services per customer request
- 1993:
- EMR implemented two years of research and development activity when we opened a large waste minimization project in Superior, Wisconsin
- 1997:
- EMR opened an office in Fort Worth, Texas to support its railroad customers
- 1998:
- EMR opened offices in Chicago, Illinois and Minneapolis, Minnesota to provide environmental and emergency response services to its customers
- 2002:
- EMR named SBA Small Business of the Year
- 2003:
- Changed our name from Environmental Management Resources, Inc. to EMR, Inc.
- 2005:
- EMR was awarded a $12 million emergency response contract to cleanup some of the hardest hit areas of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina
- 2007:
- EMR opened an office in the Florida Panhandle to better serve government and railroad customers
- 2008:
- EMR was awarded the $100 million joint total acquisition value (JTAV) AFRC Command Wide Operations and Maintenance Project Execution contract; awarded Distinguished Supplier Award from BNSF Railway
- 2009:
- EMR was awarded the $3 billion JTAV AFCEE Worldwide Environmental Restoration and Construction Contract; named a Top 10 Small Business by the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce
- 2010:
- EMR completed a $20 million contract in response to the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico (EMR’s largest single project to-date)
- 2011:
- EMR received the SAME National Small Business of the Year Award; named a Top 10 Small Business by the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce