February 4, 2026

Clients, Friends and Colleagues,

I am retiring in February 2026 and closing AllWest. Yes, retiring and closing AllWest. Never thought I’d utter those words! What a 36 year run it’s been. Our headstone reads: AllWest Environmental, Inc., Dec 18, 1989 – Feb 26, 2026, RIP. Back in 1989 I was 30 years old. Now, I’m a ripening 66 and rapidly approaching my “best used before date”!

I arrived in San Francisco in the summer of 1986 not knowing a soul in the Bay Area on an asbestos testing/monitoring assignment for a Chicago based company. I spent the ensuing months working around town and like many 27 year olds, fell in love with the CITY. I returned to Rhode Island in the fall and found employment with CETCO, an environmental consulting firm. Supported by an 8 page business plan, I convinced them to move me to San Francisco to open a west coast office on their behalf in February 1987. We found success almost immediately but ultimately parted ways in 1989. A couple of months later I teamed up with the two principal structural engineers at Peter Culley & Associates to open AllWest Environmental, a hybrid firm that would offer both environmental and structural due diligence services.

In our first year as a California Corporation the Internet and Taylor Swift were born. Nintendo released Game Boy, the Loma Prieta Earthquake rocked the World Series, the Berlin Wall fell and the Simpsons first episode aired. It was also the year I married and welcomed my first son into the world. I subsequently lost my wife Karen (2006) and oldest child Alexander, married Mary (both in 2021) and joyfully welcomed granddaughter Pheobe (2024).

I toiled through 6 presidents, at least 5 California real estate recessions, a worldwide pandemic and officed in the Financial District in the Flat Iron Building (views directly down Market Street towards the Ferry Building), South of Market before it was SOMA and in the Mission since 2013 (before it was cool). AllWest was named to the SF Biz Journal’s fastest growing companies list in 1992 and 2006.

We opened a southern California office in Tustin in 1992 and employed a small staff there through 2021 when Covid and commodity service providers took their mortal toll. It seems like forever ago, but I used to spend almost a week a month developing business in SoCal and even opened up a Belden Club chapter there. Speaking of real estate organizations, I treasure the friends I developed over the years in both the SF and Silicon Valley NAIOP chapters. AllWest is/was the longest continuing sponsor of the SF NAIOP Golden Shovel challenge which stems from my days as membership director in the early 1990s. Being part of the Silicon Valley NAIOP and most recently their golf tournament committee was a total blast.

Since 1990 AllWest employed well over 150 people and our revenues exceeded $57,500,000. That’s a lot of Phase I and 2s! Looking back, I calculate AllWest completed more than 3000 Phase I Assessments, hundreds of subsurface investigations and asbestos oriented projects. Along the way we added services such as ALTA Surveys via collaboration with Calvada, Seismic Assessments; first completed in house for many years and then with SGH and lastly, Property Condition Assessments which were always internally staffed with licensed professionals.

Employing licensed staff and retaining professional subcontractors has always been the basis of how AllWest conducts real property due diligence. If there is a single reason we did not grow larger it was my decision to not dumb down the assessments by competing on price. We never aspired to be the Walmart of due diligence and that we never became. We endeared ourselves to our many equity oriented clientele because we strove for the highest standard of care in each of our assignments. I am proud about that.

Many of the people I came to know via AllWest became my lifelong friends. I was lucky enough and privileged to work with true commercial real estate all-stars and Hall of Famers. I will continue those bonds long past my retirement date. You can count on that! A special shout out to our bank of 30+ years, Beacon Business Bank of San Francisco.

Going forward I’ll keep our website and phone lines live through the end of 2026. It’s just too hard to go cold turkey from my alter ego. How did I know it was time to hang up my spurs? As spring 2025 began unfolding it was clear the Bay Area commercial real estate transaction market was still on its back. Looking over our long term remediation projects, mostly dry cleaner oriented, all of them were well along to gaining regulatory closure with just mop up work to complete. Our lease was due for renewal in May. Adding chaos and fuel to the fire was our un-American, despotic president declaring unilateral tariffs on our long term economic and political allies just because. If AllWest was to continue it needed to be with a 5 year horizon which was well beyond my interest level.

Although it's time, it’s very hard to say goodbye to AllWest and our many professional relationships. When people hear I am retiring they often ask if I was selling the company. That avenue just didn’t pan out. We’ll be paying it forward by recommending well respected firms that can assist you in your real estate pursuits. Give me a shout and I’ll pass those names and numbers along.

Adios Amigos.

Keep on Rockin’ in the Free World!