SCC Entrepreneurship Center Business Receives Entrepreneurial Spirit Award
Piyush Srivastav is passionate about the environment.
The president of Nebraska Air Quality Specialties LLC, one of the companies in Southeast Community College's Entrepreneurship Center business incubator, is a former groundwater geologist who now devotes his time to providing organizations air quality and climate change services.
[photo: Piyush Srivastav stands next to a poster filled with logos of organizations Nebraska Air Quality Specialties has worked with. ]
On Sept. 2, NAQS received the Entrepreneurial Spirit Award from the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce during its 14th Annual Celebrate Business awards ceremony and lunch. The event celebrates the valuable contributions businesses make to the community and recognizes both business and individual lifetime achievement.
"I am grateful for the recognition from the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce," Srivastav said. "I'd also like to thank Southeast Community College for all of its support."
SCC's business incubator, located on the third floor of the Entrepreneurship Center at 285 S. 68th St. Place in Lincoln, provides a number of services to local and area entrepreneurs, including professional office space, one-on-one business coaching and networking possibilities.
NAQS, also doing business as National Air Quality Specialties, has been in the incubator since November 2007. Srivastav said the company has increased its revenues 10-fold in less than two years.
"We started out with one employee, me, and now have seven," he said. "I firmly believe in surrounding myself with smart people. It's a key to our success. I'm pleased with what we've been able to accomplish in a short time."
Created in 2003, NAQS is the only full-service consulting firm in Nebraska that solely specializes in air quality regulations and provides value-added services that are of a distinctly much higher quality, Srivastav said. The firm provides services and products to a wide spectrum of organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies to small municipalities. Services include permitting; compliance assistance; compliance management and audits; regulatory analysis; emissions inventories; deviation reports; litigation support; training; audits; executive training; greenhouse gas inventories and management; and strategic project planning.
Born and raised in India, Srivastav came to the United States in 1989 with bachelor's (geology/physics and math) and master's (applied geology) degrees.
"I was always intrigued by science, so I was attracted toward practicing science in some shape or form," Srivastav said. "I always had an inclination toward an environmental field."
In 1991, he earned a second master's degree, in hydrogeology with an emphasis on environmental aspects, from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. That same year, he began pursuing a doctorate in hydrogeology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
After teaching a few years at UNL, Srivastav went to work for the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality in 1998 as a groundwater geologist. After just one year, a position in the air quality division came open, and he got the job.
"It sounded interesting, and I was ready to try something new," Srivastav said. "Air issues are most challenging and complex. Air quality regulations are constantly changing."
Steps companies take toward compliance can have huge implications, including financial and environmental.
In 2002, Srivastav left the state agency to work for Nebraska Public Power District as an environmental specialist in air quality. He helped NPPD comply with regulations at its power plants across the state.
He worked at NPPD's Columbus headquarters until 2007, when he moved back to Lincoln. Four years earlier, he had started his business on the side.
"After interpreting environmental regulations for many years, I realized there was so much more that could be offered to industries," Srivastav said. "That's why I decided to start my own consulting firm."
When he meets with organizations, he asks them not to look at his consulting fee as an expense, but rather as an investment. NAQS already has saved one company millions of dollars, Srivastav said.
"We'll keep you away from non-compliance, which violations can run $10,000 to $32,500 per day, per violation, which can add up really quick," he said.
NAQS takes a holistic approach to every project and, in effect, becomes an outside extension of clients' staff.
[Photo: Piyush Srivastav, center, poses with Lincoln Chamber of Commerce President Wendy Birdsall and Lincoln Mayor Chris Beutler. ]
"There are a lot of ways that air quality regulations can impact you now and in the future," he said. "Our level of expertise is of the highest standards. What is unique about us is our understanding of what is required of the projects. We conduct the pertinent research and then advise our clients.
"The level of understanding we have of air regulations is the difference we've made for our clients. Our credibility is at stake."
Srivastav decided to apply for a spot in SCC's incubator to help grow the business.
"I was doing this on nights and on weekends," he said. "It was limiting what I could do. It got to the point where I thought our clients deserved more."
That's when he quit his job at NPPD to devote full time to NAQS.
"When you start a company, it's always difficult to come up with capital to invest in facilities and equipment," Srivastav said. "If you have to invest in those things, they can become distractions. SCC's program provides extraordinary support to start up a business so you can focus on what you're already good at and not have to worry about facilities and equipment until you're established and have a steady stream of income."
Srivastav and his wife, Aradhna, have two daughters, Avni and Annika.
"My wife is a big part of this company," Srivastav said. "She's extremely intelligent and full of ideas." Aradhna holds a Ph.D. from UNL in geology. Her dissertation topic was related to studying the history of Antarctic ice sheets using diatoms.
For a list of businesses in SCC's incubator, go to:
http://www.southeast.edu/discover/entrepreneur/Incubator_Businesses.asp.
Persons interested in more information about the business incubator should call (402) 323-3383.
For more information, contact:
Stu Osterthun
Administrative Director of Public Information and Marketing
(402) 323-3401
sosterthun@southeast.edu
The president of Nebraska Air Quality Specialties LLC, one of the companies in Southeast Community College's Entrepreneurship Center business incubator, is a former groundwater geologist who now devotes his time to providing organizations air quality and climate change services.
[photo: Piyush Srivastav stands next to a poster filled with logos of organizations Nebraska Air Quality Specialties has worked with. ]
On Sept. 2, NAQS received the Entrepreneurial Spirit Award from the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce during its 14th Annual Celebrate Business awards ceremony and lunch. The event celebrates the valuable contributions businesses make to the community and recognizes both business and individual lifetime achievement.
"I am grateful for the recognition from the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce," Srivastav said. "I'd also like to thank Southeast Community College for all of its support."
SCC's business incubator, located on the third floor of the Entrepreneurship Center at 285 S. 68th St. Place in Lincoln, provides a number of services to local and area entrepreneurs, including professional office space, one-on-one business coaching and networking possibilities.
NAQS, also doing business as National Air Quality Specialties, has been in the incubator since November 2007. Srivastav said the company has increased its revenues 10-fold in less than two years.
"We started out with one employee, me, and now have seven," he said. "I firmly believe in surrounding myself with smart people. It's a key to our success. I'm pleased with what we've been able to accomplish in a short time."
Created in 2003, NAQS is the only full-service consulting firm in Nebraska that solely specializes in air quality regulations and provides value-added services that are of a distinctly much higher quality, Srivastav said. The firm provides services and products to a wide spectrum of organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies to small municipalities. Services include permitting; compliance assistance; compliance management and audits; regulatory analysis; emissions inventories; deviation reports; litigation support; training; audits; executive training; greenhouse gas inventories and management; and strategic project planning.
Born and raised in India, Srivastav came to the United States in 1989 with bachelor's (geology/physics and math) and master's (applied geology) degrees.
"I was always intrigued by science, so I was attracted toward practicing science in some shape or form," Srivastav said. "I always had an inclination toward an environmental field."
In 1991, he earned a second master's degree, in hydrogeology with an emphasis on environmental aspects, from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. That same year, he began pursuing a doctorate in hydrogeology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
After teaching a few years at UNL, Srivastav went to work for the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality in 1998 as a groundwater geologist. After just one year, a position in the air quality division came open, and he got the job.
"It sounded interesting, and I was ready to try something new," Srivastav said. "Air issues are most challenging and complex. Air quality regulations are constantly changing."
Steps companies take toward compliance can have huge implications, including financial and environmental.
In 2002, Srivastav left the state agency to work for Nebraska Public Power District as an environmental specialist in air quality. He helped NPPD comply with regulations at its power plants across the state.
He worked at NPPD's Columbus headquarters until 2007, when he moved back to Lincoln. Four years earlier, he had started his business on the side.
"After interpreting environmental regulations for many years, I realized there was so much more that could be offered to industries," Srivastav said. "That's why I decided to start my own consulting firm."
When he meets with organizations, he asks them not to look at his consulting fee as an expense, but rather as an investment. NAQS already has saved one company millions of dollars, Srivastav said.
"We'll keep you away from non-compliance, which violations can run $10,000 to $32,500 per day, per violation, which can add up really quick," he said.
NAQS takes a holistic approach to every project and, in effect, becomes an outside extension of clients' staff.
[Photo: Piyush Srivastav, center, poses with Lincoln Chamber of Commerce President Wendy Birdsall and Lincoln Mayor Chris Beutler. ]
"There are a lot of ways that air quality regulations can impact you now and in the future," he said. "Our level of expertise is of the highest standards. What is unique about us is our understanding of what is required of the projects. We conduct the pertinent research and then advise our clients.
"The level of understanding we have of air regulations is the difference we've made for our clients. Our credibility is at stake."
Srivastav decided to apply for a spot in SCC's incubator to help grow the business.
"I was doing this on nights and on weekends," he said. "It was limiting what I could do. It got to the point where I thought our clients deserved more."
That's when he quit his job at NPPD to devote full time to NAQS.
"When you start a company, it's always difficult to come up with capital to invest in facilities and equipment," Srivastav said. "If you have to invest in those things, they can become distractions. SCC's program provides extraordinary support to start up a business so you can focus on what you're already good at and not have to worry about facilities and equipment until you're established and have a steady stream of income."
Srivastav and his wife, Aradhna, have two daughters, Avni and Annika.
"My wife is a big part of this company," Srivastav said. "She's extremely intelligent and full of ideas." Aradhna holds a Ph.D. from UNL in geology. Her dissertation topic was related to studying the history of Antarctic ice sheets using diatoms.
For a list of businesses in SCC's incubator, go to:
http://www.southeast.edu/discover/entrepreneur/Incubator_Businesses.asp.
Persons interested in more information about the business incubator should call (402) 323-3383.
For more information, contact:
Stu Osterthun
Administrative Director of Public Information and Marketing
(402) 323-3401
sosterthun@southeast.edu
