Over the years, we have had key moments that have shaped the way we innovate and operate. Here are fifteen key moments that have shaped the history of GGS.
Our founder, Simon Talbot’s catalyst for establishing GGS was his collaboration on the innovative research together with the University of Manchester and Intelysis to develop the GasClam® – the world’s first in-borehole continuous monitoring device.
We started with our first fleet of ten GasClams in May 2009, to provide high quality monitoring data to reduce uncertainty for our clients. Although we tend to use more advanced tools on projects now, developing an integrated and bespoke approach using a new technology was a key moment for GGS.
The team at GGS see growth and learning as a core part of our practice and early in 2010 we rolled out a ground gas training programme. In 2011, we teamed up with PAGeotechnical to provide the very successful two-day training programme which covered the cradle to grave of ground gas in a single course – The A-Z of Ground Gas.
This course provided both regulators and consultants a deeper understanding of the properties of ground gas, how to monitor it, risk assess and effectively protect new developments from its impacts. Find out more about the next training date here.
The expansion of any business is a productive time, but in 2011 we recruited Joao Marcos Dyer. He has been a key team member in the development and growth of our business. Here is what he had to say about his time at GGS:
‘I joined GGS 13 years ago as a graduate fresh out of Uni when we were based in a small office unit in Manchester. My career at GGS has grown so much since then, as I now have the pleasure of being an Associate Director. I have had so many opportunities to develop my career and the vast range of projects we deliver means that there are exciting challenges each day. The best parts of GGS are our staff and clients, all of whom strive for innovation and to deliver high quality work. They have all been a joy to work with throughout my career here so far. Here is to the next 15 years!’
In June 2012, Andrew Brunton joined GGS and he brought a breadth of expertise to GGS, and transformed the way we research and produce reports.
Andrew is still with GGS today and he is now Technical Associate Director of the business. Learn more about our team here.
Travelling and expanding across the world is always going to be a memorable moment. In 2012, our team were invited to host a reception in Warsaw at the British Embassy. It was a key moment of celebration and a chance to acknowledge the success and growth of our industry expertise into international territories.
Collaborating with clients is key to our business, but it is particularly exciting when we are given opportunities to explore environmental risk overseas. In 2011, GGS collaborated with a client outside of the United Kingdom. The contract explored ground gas risk in Romania and saw our team learning about a brand-new geographical environment.
From GGS’ early days we have provided monitoring support, advice and training on radon contamination. We have been active in the Radon Council. In 2021 John Naylor, our Technical Director, was appointed vice chair of the Council which is a great achievement and showcases our team’s expertise.
The environmental sector has also taken note of our expertise in the years we have been operating. In 2012, we were consulted by British Standards to offer our advanced knowledge for guidance documents. This resulted in the progression of guidance which explored evidence-based approaches. We helped by referencing the benefits of continuous monitoring, which was the first time continuous monitoring was mentioned by guidance documents.
Our specialisms are expansive which was highlighted by our invite to speak at the inaugural meeting of the Australasian Land and Groundwater Association’s New Zealand conference. This association was set up to explore how industry leaders can align with growing sustainability movements. Simon Talbot, our Managing Director, was a keynote speaker at the event in 2014.
In 2014 we also designed and built the Gas Sentinel® which combines continuous ground gas flow monitoring technology with continuous concentration monitoring. This instrument took ground gas monitoring to the next level and allowed significantly improved risk assessment. With better quality data uncertainty is reduced and gas protection measures can be focused on those sites that needs them, saving our clients time and money. The development of the Gas Sentinel® has been crucial to our business as it is a tool that offers an in-depth understanding of the risks.
A variable and adaptable approach has served our business well. In 2015 we decided to research and develop our technology further by adding flow modules to our existing fleet of GasClams. This substantially increased the flexibility of our service to clients and was a further springboard for our growth. Under the guidance of our Technical Director, John Naylor, our team continues to innovate making GGS a vanguard of ground-gas monitoring and risk assessment.
In 2015, Heather Hodgson joined us as a Graduate Geo-Environmental Specialist. In the picture you can see one of her early days at GGS. Since joining, she has grown in the business and has been a key part of our operations. Now, Heather is our Operations Manager and advises on fundamental aspects of our business. Heather says:
“I will shortly be entering into my 10th year at GGS, safe to say time has flown by. It has been a great achievement for me to join a company that has grown so much in that time, and to have been an integral part of its journey. I am excited to see what the next 5-10 years have in store and to be able to look back at all the progress we will have made.”
Although we always had our roots in the North-West, it was wonderful to find a permanent base of operations in 2018 at our offices in Stockport. Due to the unique nature of our business, it took us almost four years to find a premises as we needed a building with key features. Finding the right office was a key moment for us!
In 2018, Simon Talbot wrote and published Claire TB:18 alongside Geoff Card of GB Card and Partners. This technical bulletin was the accumulation of a decade’s worth of knowledge on using and interpreting continuous ground gas monitoring data and developing multiple lines of evidence for Ground Gas Risk assessment and it was instrumental for future sustainability and land reuse practices.
We were really proud when we were awarded Best LIFE Environment Projects from the European Commission for our work in collaboration with the Environment Agency on the ACUMEN project. This project researched techniques to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from former landfills across Europe. The award recognised the project team’s efforts in making the world a more sustainable place. It also recognises innovation for long-term environmental improvements.
In terms of our business too, we’ve won an award from the Investors in People Awards which recognises the value we’ve placed on team growth and investment. The GGS team are at the center of what we do. Our workplace is inclusive, responsible and we care about employee wellbeing.
More recently, GGS was also awarded platinum status for sustainability by EcoVadis.
From day one GGS has worked across the whole of the UK including Scotland and in 2021 we set up our Falkirk office which keeps on growing and expanding. More recently we have appointed Freddy Renoize as our Senior Consultant in Scotland.
As a testament to our continued growth, we are also expanding our operations further down South with a base of operations in Stevenage. GGS Stevenage will play a crucial role in our further expansion and is a key milestone for our continued growth.
It is wonderful to look back and see these key moments, but we will always look for ways to innovate and have exciting things planned for the future of our company.
Through the continuation of our R&D program, GGS will continue to innovate and improve data quality, reliability, and professional advice on all ground gas contamination issues.
Fifteen years on we are a specialist in our field, and we want to keep growing our company with more offices and international contracts, so do stay tuned for what is to come at GGS!
The following pages include news articles, videos, guidance notes and white papers on a range of ground gas related topics which we hope you will find of interest. Please browse through but if you can’t find something on your particular issue of interest, we’d be very pleased to hear from you so we can put that right.
What are worst case conditions and how do you use this key metric in ground gas risk assessment? Measuring and understanding atmospheric pressure as a variable can broaden your understanding of the site model. Find out more by watching our webinar here.
