Greg Knight, C. Eng, joins Garver as Wastewater Practice Leader

Greg Knight, C. Eng, brings over 25 years of industry experience to his new position as Garver Wastewater Practice Leader. He has specialized expertise in advanced digestion, having led the design of advanced digestion facilities in the United States and abroad, and has worked on a wide variety of wastewater, biosolids, and water treatment projects.

This combination of specialized technical expertise and broad, generalist experience makes him a valuable national resource on Garver’s Water Team. “Having Greg on board expands the ways we can help our clients across the country,” said Garver Director of Water Services Jeff Sober. “His expertise, his passion for helping clients find the right solutions for their needs, and his ability to effectively mentor younger engineers all make him a great fit for Garver - and a great asset.”

Knight’s expertise in advanced digestion facilities brought him to Georgia from the United Kingdom eleven years ago. Since then, he’s had a front row seat to industry changes around biosolids that have made solutions like Class A digestion and thermal drying increasingly attractive.

For clients considering how to handle current and forthcoming nutrient removal requirements, such as anticipated total nitrogen and phosphorus limits, Knight is an ideal resource. He has worked on multiple nutrient removal projects, including those requiring very low nitrogen and phosphorus limits. He is also well versed in treatment options for Class A biosolids and PFAS considerations.

Knight is very experienced in all stages of project development as well, from initial conception to commissioning and operation, and finds helping clients choose the solutions that best fit their needs throughout the process deeply rewarding. Sharing his decades of experience through mentoring with younger engineers is also a strength and point of satisfaction for Knight, who comes from a family of teachers and who, early in his career, spent three years as a volunteer physics teacher with Voluntary Service Overseas in Ghana, West Africa.

That teaching experience, and Knight’s time as a water plant manager - he managed two potable water treatment plants in the UK as part of a work experience program - expanded his perspective. “It was only a limited period of time, but the experience of knowing what it’s like to be in the plant manager’s shoes was incredibly insightful,” Knight said. “I understand what it feels like to worry about things like managing the storage of tons of bulk liquid chlorine right next to one of the UK’s busiest motorways, or for example, to think about the health and safety of the staff, and the quality of the water leaving the plant.”

This experience informs every design. “I consider adequate redundancy and access for maintenance every time,” Knight said. “Being a plant manager gave me a practical, common sense view of design; I’m going with what will work in practice, not just on paper.”

Knight’s operational perspective certainly appealed to Garver: “We place a high value on operational experience and understanding,” Sober said. “We know how it contributes to quality.”

Garver’s people-first culture and emphasis on trusting employees to get the job done appealed to Knight, who saw this as a simple key to success and a philosophy he shared.