Dick Fletcher will soon be surrounded by construction — a consequence of his employer, CTEH, being bought by Montrose Environmental Group Inc. last year.
Montrose announced in August that it will move its headquarters office from Irvine, California, into CTEH’s North Little Rock office and add to that footprint. But Fletcher says this growth is welcome because his company has been running out of space.
It’s not his first time seeing growth or a company he works for transition to new ownership. Fletcher spent more than 17 years at Alltel and was there when it was bought by Verizon in 2009.
He earned his accounting degree from Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas in 1985 and then went to work for big accounting firm Arthur Andersen, leaving it for Alltel in 1996.
Fletcher left Alltel in 2011 for CTEH, a scientific consulting firm specializing in emergency preparedness, response and recovery.
He said he wanted to work at the smaller company because he could make things happen and see the results of his efforts almost immediately. CTEH has grown from $20 million in annual revenue to around $200 million during his tenure, Fletcher said.
He’s proud of having been a mentor to people companywide, not just in his department, and of being the quick problem-solver the firm needed.
Fletcher also believes he’s been a good leader by listening then giving good advice gleaned from his own extensive experience.
He lists welding as a hobby and has served on the YMCA’s board for years.
“That ended up being kind of a labor of love, because that organization was in dire straits,” Fletcher said of the YMCA. “I spent virtually my entire time just winding it down to keep it out of going into bankruptcy. … I did that for a long time.”
