After 27 rewarding years, Kim Kearney will be retiring from North Wind.
Kim grew up in Alaska and at the time she was thinking about what she wanted to be when she grew up, the TransAlaska Pipeline was coming online. It was then that she knew she wanted to be a be a part of that industry. She went on to graduate from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology with a B.S. in Petroleum Engineering. However, the year she graduated, the petroleum industry was in a decline, so she ended up working at the Idaho National Laboratory in the Chemical Engineering Group. Shortly thereafter, that group branched off into an Environmental Engineering group where Kim gained exposure and a passion for the environmental field. After working at INL for 3 years, Kim had the opportunity to move back to Alaska and work for a large environmental consulting firm. Through that company she gained experience working for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the U.S. Navy, the US Air Force, and Bureau of Land Management, to name a few. After working for large consulting firms for a number of years, Kim and a longtime friend decided to create a company of their own and filed with the Small Business Administration to form North Wind Environmental in 1997.
The company grew fast from its humble beginnings with offices only in Eagle River, AK and Idaho Falls, ID. Over the years, Kim’s focus, role and location changed multiple times as the company grew and expanded. In 2004, she relocated back to Idaho Falls to be in the corporate headquarters. When CIRI acquired North Wind in 2010, Kim became the president of the first new 8(a) entity, North Wind Services. After Chris Leichtweis was named a previous President and CEO of North Wind Group, Kim’s role changed to the Western Region Director while dual hatting as the President of North Wind Site Services. When Site Services received its SBA 8(a) certification in 2015, Kim focused on growing the company in revenue and personnel. Since that time, Kim has taken North Wind Site Services from nothing to the flourishing company it is today. Following Kim’s retirement announcement, she assisted in the decision-making process for the replacement of her position with North Wind Site Services, and most importantly, has been an inspiration to many women at North Wind Group.
“I am thankful for the opportunity to work at such a great company and to have the chance to work with so many exceptional and talented professionals,” said Kearney. “I will greatly miss North Wind and all her people as I start my next chapter!”
Kim has been with North Wind from the very beginning and will be greatly missed, but everyone at North Wind wishes her the very best in her MUCH-DESERVED retirement. Congratulations Kim – thank you!
