Dispatches From Building on Hope Week Three

This is part of an ongoing series highlighting some of the volunteers working on Building on Hope’s latest renovation project at the Nashua Police Athletic League. See the other installments (and more information about Building on Hope and the Nashua Police Athletic League) here.

Scott Knightly, founder and president of EnviroVantage

Scott Knightly started EnviroVantage in 1985 when he was a junior at the Whittemore School of Business and Economics at UNH. The mission was to help clean up some of the most dangerous messes in the country — PCBs, lead, asbestos, mercury and a list of other toxins.

The market was ready for such a company, and it grew from a local environmental firm to a national company with five offices and an impressive dossier of projects working with commercial, industrial and federal customers. Headquartered in Epping, Building On Hope was a great local partnership for the company.  

“We feel very fortunate as a company, and giving back to the community is a way of showing that,” says Knightly. Building on Hope typically needs to organize a gut-to-studs remodel, which is the case at the Nashua Police Athletic League, and part of that large undertaking included environmental needs.

“Our area if assistance is usually a bit tricky for most projects, because you have to make the buildings environmentally safe for other workers and the end users by removing any contaminants along with the demolition needed for the rebuilds,” says Knightly. “Our partners have also stepped up with disposal, such as Waste Management, which is there beside us for every project. We are a small part of these huge projects, and the companies and individuals that give their hearts and souls to this project are all heroes in my eyes. We are proud to be a part of these projects over the decades, and will always encourage our team members to help out whenever possible.”

As construction comes to a close on the Nashua Police Athletic League building, the pieces of blue tape start to materialize on walls and doors, everything needs attention, the sheetrock and plywood scraps give way to paint and furniture, and the folks onsite start to see more clearly the goal toward which they have all been laboring — it becomes apparent how vital every person on this project is. I look forward to introducing you to some more amazing folks next week!