Fred Rohe

Fred P. Rohe is the former owner of Environmental Protection, Inc., a Michigan based fabricator and installer of PVC geomembranes. A graduate of Ferris State University in Big Rapids, MI., he also attended Michigan Technological University. He was a member of the Elk Rapids Rotary Club, with 23 years of perfect attendance, and is a Rotary Paul Harris Fellow. He was president of EPI from 1985 through 2003.

Mr. Rohe is a charter member of the PVC Geomembrane Institute (PGI) and was instrumental in the formation of this organization. He was active in the NICET PVC Geomembrane Advisory Committee on Testing and Certification of PVC Geomembrane Inspectors, and was a NICET Certified Level II Inspector for PVC, HDPE, Geotextiles, and Hypalon. He was a founding director of the International Association of Geosynthetics Installers (IAGI) and is a Charter Member of the Geo Institute.

He has been a featured speaker at Geosynthetic Seminars for EPI, Filmtex, Oxy Chem, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI), PVC Geomembrane Institute (PGI), and The Vinyl Institute. He has presented lectures in Canada, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Egypt and the Philippines. Technical papers authored by Mr. Rohe have been published in Geotechnical Fabrics Report, Land and Water Magazine, Our California Environment, Fabrics in Architecture and others. He was a member of the EPA's Thermoplastic Task Group that edited the agency's Technical Guidance Document on "The Fabrication of Field Seams for Flexible Membrane Liners."

Mr. Rohe has been a participant on the Joint Committee on Flexible Membrane Liners for the National Sanitation Foundation (Standard 54) and has served as an expert witness in legal proceedings involving geomembranes. In 2001 he launched The Liner Letter published by EPI, providing new information on PVC geomembranes and other industry technical and general interest topics.
Prior to becoming President of EPI in 1985, he was involved in industrial construction, owning and operating Anvil Construction, Inc. He had also formed Groundcover Services, Inc. in 1983 as a full service geosynthetics installation company. He was active in the development of new liner materials and welding techniques for the PVC geomembrane installation industry.

Mr. Rohe previously worked to establish EPI as a leader in developing thermal and hot air dual track welding techniques for field welding and air channel testing of PVC Geomembrane field seams. In 1991 he facilitated EPI joining ASTM as a Corporate Member and EPI has been very active in ASTM specification development since then. He was also responsible for implementing a regimented Statistical Process Control program for EPI's geomembrane factory fabrication. His development of EPI's industry leading Construction Quality Control Manual for PVC and UltraTech geomembrane installation has helped guide EPI from a regional company to an internationally known supplier to the geotechnical industry.