Erosion Control June 2012 : Page 16
IECA News MEMBER SPOTLIGHT Trading a Saw and Hammer for New Tools and a New Business F aced with an erosion problem on one of his construction sites in the late 1990s, former home-builder Wilson Borden came up with a solution that did more than prevent soil from washing onto streets in the housing development. It changed the course of his career. Also, it led him to join IECA and to play key leader-ship roles in the association’s Southeast Chapter. When he made that career shift, Borden, a native of Atlanta, Georgia, had been operating his own construc-tion company for seven years, building homes in the city and surrounding areas. In fact, his construction business paid his way through college and graduate school. He earned a B.S. degree from the University of Georgia, where he majored in real estate. Following that, he con-tinued his formal education at Georgia Tech, where he graduated with an M.B.A. “Back then, it was extremely difficult to find a local erosion control contrac-tor,” says Borden. “So I decided to jump in with both feet and start an erosion control company to solve both my prob-lems and the significant problems other homebuilders in the area were having in keeping sediment onsite.” Starting Small With three employees, two skid-steer loaders, and a couple of trucks, his new venture, The Erosion Company Inc., was off and running. The company’s first job Wilson Borden involved an 80-home subdivision, where it installed silt fence and construction entrances, grassed and mulched slopes and bare areas, cleaned mud from streets, and performed all of the other services necessary to keep the site in compliance with local regulations. Switching from building homes to controlling erosion and sediment at con-struction sites offered more stimulating opportunities to grow professionally. “The erosion control industry was really start-ing to evolve then,” he says. “There was al-ways something new to learn and do and somebody new to serve. The NPDES rules were just beginning to be implemented, and new erosion con-trol technologies and ideas were advancing quickly. Because of all the changing dynam-ics, it was a lot more exciting than building a house. Plus, it offered a great way for us to do some good for the environment and the community by helping to protect the waters in our area. I enjoy working and playing outdoors, and I could see the tangible benefits of keeping mud out of our creeks and lakes.” Borden joined IECA 11 years ago, later becoming a Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC). After being elected to the board of direc-tors of the Southeast Chapter in 2002, he served as president of the chapter in 2003. The following year, he began looking after the chapter’s finances as treasurer, a posi-tion he held until stepping down last year. Last year, he began serving in his current position as chair of IECA’s Finance Com-mittee. He had served on IECA’s Chapter Advisory Committee in the mid-2000s. Borden and his wife, Marianne, are the parents of four children: son, Bo, 12; daughters Edy, 10, and Robin, 7; and son, Parker, 5. An avid sportsman, he’s been spending more time the past few years put-ting bait on hooks and fixing rods and reels for his kids than he has fishing for bass and catfish. When he’s not doing that or participating in other children’s activities, Borden may try to sneak in a round of golf or spend time in the field hunting quail.
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