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Soil-Tech, Inc. — Balancing Construction With Nature
Nevada Business Journal Advertorial
January 2006

In the construction industry, one might say Las Vegas native Jerry Stanley is a visionary. In 15 years, his company, Soil-Tech, Inc. (Soil-Tech), has evolved from a start-up business into an industry leader. From offices in Las Vegas and Reno, it offers a full scope of services including dust control, hydroseeding, erosion control, color mitigation and native land restoration.

Soil-Tech, it seems, is always a few years ahead of the curve. In 1990, after securing a few small loans from family members, Stanley founded the company as Southern Nevada Hydroseeding, A business that provides homeowners, apartment complexes and other companies, with a method of planting turf grass to beautify their landscaping.

The hydroseeding process itself is fairly simple: a tanker truck combines grass seed, water, fertilizer and mulch into a mixture that is sprayed onto soil and holds the seed in place, retaining moisture and speeding up the germination process.

At that time, grass was very much a landscape fixture, because drought and water conservation were not yet critical issues in Southern Nevada, so Soil-Tech’s seeding service was in demand for everything from front lawns to golf courses. Although successful, Stanley correctly surmised that Southern Nevada’s rapidly growing population and increasing development would soon result in an unprecedented demand for water, and perhaps even a water shortage — which meant a business offering hydroseeding alone wouldn’t be enough to stay competitive. With that in mind, he looked for ways to diversify. In 1994, he found his niche. Soil Tech was created.

Soil-Tech was hired to provide some dust control for a chili cook-off event, which was being held in a dusty parking lot. Stanley sprayed a mixture similar to that used in hydroseeding (minus the seed) on the surface, and it performed very well. Word spread, and soon Soil-Tech was providing dust control at events and on construction projects and stockpiles throughout the Las Vegas Valley.

“Clark County had no dust control regulations in place at that time, but I knew that would change as development continued,” said Stanley. “Not surprisingly, by the late 1990’s dust control and air quality were big issues both with the county and with the Environmental Protection Agency, and regulations were soon introduced. Since we had already learned what works in this climate and with this soil and had embraced the latest technology, our company was well equipped to help our clients comply with those regulations immediately. It was something we were already doing.”

For dust control, Soil-Tech uses a variety of soil stabilizers, soil binders, and road binders, all of which are environmentally safe for use on detention basins, disturbed land, parking lots, unpaved roads and stockpiles. One of these products, developed in house, is Plas-Tex™, a soil stabilizer comprised of a mix of plaster and natural cellulose fiber mulch. When applied, the mulch forms a crust-like barrier that reduces water and wind erosion. When it dries, it turns a uniform color, which is added to the mix during application.

In 1995, Soil-Tech created yet another market niche for itself when
Stanley became a distributor for Permeon™ Simulated Desert Varnish and Rock Stain, an environmentally safe “varnish” that is used to permanently conceal or blend unsightly “scars” left in the mountains and landscape by development. The mineral-based product, which contains no alkaline or caustic chemicals, is sprayed on the scars and is then oxidized by the sun. With precise application, the scars will turn to earth tones and take on a natural, aged appearance. The result is aesthetically pleasing and blends nicely with the surrounding area’s natural colors, but with no impact to vegetation, wildlife and people. In 2002, Stanley bought the exclusive rights to sell, manufacture, and distribute Permeon™ and currently applies it all over the United States, with an emphasis on the Southwest.

“We’ve applied Permeon™ all around the Valley, from Anthem to Lake Mead, and from Lake Las Vegas to Summerlin,” said Stanley. “I like to think of the process as similar to cosmetic surgery that reconstructs hillsides and mountainsides. Many of our clients have heard about Permeon™ and how effective it is, but they’re still amazed when they see the end result.”

The addition of Permeon™ to Soil-Tech’s emerging color mitigation services proved to be a smart move. Today, the company is using the product on a variety of sites, including the ambitious Hoover Dam Bypass Project. As contractors build the bypass and Colorado River Bridge through the mountains of Nevada and Arizona, Soil-Tech works behind them, applying Permeon™ to blend construction work with the existing environment. The project required more than one million square feet of Permeon™.

“While not true of all owners and projects, 10 years ago mitigation efforts may have been more limited or less widespread in their use,” says Stanley “In contrast, today we’re obligated to balance construction with nature, which is a good thing.”

The Hoover Dam Bypass project started almost three years ago as one of the company’s most challenging projects to date, and now stands as one of the highlights in Soil Tech’s array of Permeon™ jobs.

“Being one of the allowed weathering agents used for mitigating effects near what some call the eighth wonder of the world is no small accomplishment,” said Stanley, recalling that in many areas his crew had to rappel off cliffs to apply the desert varnish. “It’s great that man can build such large and powerful structures. We have the responsibility of making sure that it coordinates with nature and the surrounding environment, to blend in with the colors that have been there for millions of years.”

Native land restoration continues to be a growing component of Sol-Tech’s services. The painstaking three-step process involves first salvaging native plants and boulders from an area prior to development, and then relocating them to an on-site nursery for healing. Next is native contouring or reshaping the area to a natural appearance. This might include making natural washes and swales. Finally, the plants are reintroduced to the area. This is the most important part of the process because vegetation must be replanted in such a way that it will not only thrive, but also look natural.
Boulders are also reintroduced, sometimes with natural colorants so they will better blend into the existing area.

The process not only preserves the natural desert look of the landscape and fragile ecosystems, but also raises the bar in conservation, something that is important to Stanley, an avid outdoorsman.

“I’m passionate about the outdoors,” he said. “Whether it is plants, rocks or lizards and other wildlife, I love it, I’m committed to its preservation, and that’s the cornerstone of Soil-Tech.”

Soil-Tech is so committed to native land restoration that it is preparing to move into a new facility that Stanley expects will take efficiencies to the next level. The facility will include a new shop, warehouse and five-acre in-house nursery, eliminating the need for numerous small plant nurseries on development sites all over the Valley, which can be difficult to monitor and maintain.

“This new facility will enable us to control our environment and heal plants faster and more effectively,” said Stanley. “Our customers will know that every plant we reintroduce will be healthy and vibrant.”

Along with the move to a bigger facility, Soil-Tech will likely expand its service area in the West and Southwest to serve more contractors, builders and government agencies. The company’s expanding roster of clients already includes The Howard Hughes Corporation, Arizona Department of Transportation, Bureau of Land Management, Lake Las Vegas, Southern Nevada Water Authority and dozens more. But future growth will be steady and carefully planned.

Stanley sees this as essential because he expects to see tighter air and water quality regulations, as well as stricter standards on visual pollution, in the years ahead. As a result, the entire construction industry will be impacted.

“We’re a big small company, but we’ve got the knowledge, experience and resources to tackle any project,” said Stanley. “We’ll continue to look for new ways to stay ahead of the curve with evolving technologies and in the way we approach each project.”