Environmental Business Journal Honors SWCA Founder with Lifetime Achievement and Earth Science Pioneer Awards

These two awards recognize Dr. Steven W. Carothers’ contributions to the environmental industry. 

The Environmental Business Journal has named SWCA founder, Dr. Steven W. Carothers, as a 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award and Earth Science Pioneer Award recipient.

Dr. Steven W. Carothers gathering data on vermilion flycatchers for the Verde River avian study, early 1970s.

After nearly 14 years at the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff, Arizona, Carothers started a small ecological consulting firm in 1981. Steven W. Carothers & Associates (SWCA) was born.

Initially set as a sole proprietorship, SWCA became incorporated in 1984. Carothers assembled and empowered a key team of entrepreneurial-minded specialists to help lead the organization. By the end of 1998, SWCA had grown to nine offices in five states, and Dr. Carothers began shifting the company to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). SWCA became 100% employee-owned in 2000.

“As a mentor, colleague, and friend, Dr. Steve Carothers has made an immeasurable impact, from connecting with thousands of people throughout his career and outdoors lifestyle, to protecting our environment through his scientific research,” said Joseph J. Fluder, III, current CEO and President of SWCA. “SWCA is truly based on the values that Steve encompasses and I wouldn’t be leading SWCA today without Steve’s leadership and support.”

Carothers stepped down from the top management role in 1999 but has since stayed on as a senior scientist and board director. Now headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, SWCA has grown to 39 offices, stretching from Portland, Maine, to Honolulu, Hawaii.

The EBJ Lifetime Achievement Award honors leaders for their decades of service and contributions to the environmental industry. The EBJ Earth Science Pioneer Award was inaugurated for the 2021 class of EBJ Business Achievement Awards to recognize lifetime contributions of leaders and innovators across the earth sciences, not necessarily in business domains. Read the EBJ announcement for more details.