The EarthBalance Effect

As Chairman of EarthBalance, Don Ross is a resource to the CEO and Leadership team providing guidance and expertise for future growth. Don founded EarthBalance (originally Florida Environmental, Inc.), and has served as Chairman of the Board since 2009.

Don is a Professional Wetland Scientist, Emeritus with a master’s degree in Ecology from the University of Tennessee Knoxville and has been a leader in environmental issues and ecosystem services in the state of Florida for three decades, serving as Chairman of the Charlotte County Board of Commissioners, Chairman of the Peace River/Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority, Chairman of the Florida Environmental Regulation Commission, President of the Florida Association of Mitigation Bankers, and President of the Ecological Restoration Business Association.

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Sarah Laroque is President and CEO of EarthBalance and has 30+ years of experience working in Florida’s natural areas. She has been with EarthBalance since 1993 and is a member of the Board. Sarah’s strength is her service-oriented leadership style and her enthusiasm in leading the Company’s senior management team to meet future company goals. Sarah has the insight to understand the importance of supporting our company’s culture, encourages business development and opportunities for growth, and guides operational priorities. As the public face of the company, Sarah articulates its values, culture, and social benefit.

Sarah holds a MBA from Western Governor’s University, BA in Environmental Science from State University of New York at Plattsburgh, has an Executive Business Certificate through the University of Florida, and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).

Wade Waltimyer provides financial oversight for operations and investments. As Senior Scientist with over 20 years of experience in wetland jurisdiction, permitting, monitoring, and compliance; mitigation design and implementation; and wildlife surveying, permitting, and relocation. Wade oversees the Mitigation Bank Division including identification of potential bank properties, performing initial evaluations to develop a prospectus, and negotiating UMAM scores and credit generation.

Wade holds a BS degree in Biology from Florida State University and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).

Erik Sandsmark joined the EarthBalance team in 2006 and has 17+ years expert knowledge of Florida’s upland and wetland ecosystems. As a key member of EarthBalance leadership, he oversees the management of all EarthBalance ecosystem restoration projects and client relations. Projects include work for private, local, state, and the federal sector. As Vice President of Operations, Erik is responsible for estimating, managing equipment needs, and overseeing projects to ensure they are executed safely and profitability. He provides supervision of field crews, field managers, and Project Managers.

Erik holds a BA degree in Environmental Science from Florida Gulf Coast University.

Cris Borowski has worked in the environmental field for over 20 years. As Vice President, she is responsible for the company’s technology, which includes quality control of the Deltek Vision ERP system and data analysis. Cris provides training to new administrative and operations staff in use of Deltek Vision and monitors quality control of data entry.

She is a resource for all staff regarding standard operating procedures for operations and creating financial reports with information related to project profitability. She provides company-wide leadership through Open Book Management Training and manages financial reporting of the mitigation banking service line.

Cris holds a BS degree in Business Management from Western Governor’s University.

Amy Provencal joined the EarthBalance team in 2019. Amy has over 16 years of experience in public accounting and private industry. Amy manages our accounting department and works closely with our team to implement conscious spending while maximizing profitability.

She holds a MS in Accounting from the University of Phoenix and a BS in Business Management from Hodges University.

Gray Stevens is the Managing Partner of Sandy Creek Partners, LLC, an investment company focused on developing mitigation banks and similar conservation offset projects. He is a former Board Member of the Florida Association of Mitigation Bankers and is a Florida licensed real estate broker. Gray is a guest instructor at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, WV and speaks frequently on the business of mitigation banking.

He graduated with a BA in Philosophy from Rhodes College and received his MBA in finance from Northwestern University (Kellogg). After graduating from Kellogg, Gray spent 15 years as an investment banker with Merrill Lynch & Co. in Chicago, where he led the firm’s Midwest Private Equity effort. His favorite pastimes are being outside doing just about anything and traveling with his three (almost) adult children.