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Family Focus Newsletter August 2026

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AUGUST 2026

August Birthdays

INTEGRITY | SAFETY | CUSTOMER FOCUS | INTENSITY | TRAINING | TEAMWORK

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS C HAMPIONS WE ARE THE

Congrats to the Taplin Enterprises Hockey Team on their League Championship Win!

Milton Fields 8/1 Larry Shudark 8/1 Micheal Naranjo 8/1 Julia Thompson 8/2 Ethan Coghlan 8/4 Richard Pero 8/5 Nicole Plumb 8/6 Jeremiah Judd 8/7 Keith Schillo 8/7 Kyle Gray 8/9 Antonio Lancaster 8/14 Jessie Steele 8/15 Lonnie Miller 8/15 Ontayveon Fry 8/16 Dorian Reed 8/18 Tracy St. John 8/19 Xavier Swick 8/22 James Dixon 8/23 Tim Draft 8/23 Britni Bogarin 8/25 Daniel Butterfield 8/25 Ronald Reed Jr 8/28 Jeremy Pike 8/29 Mike Cooper 8/30 Terresa Pratt 8/30 Kevin Guilliam 8/30 Teng Vang 8/31

September Birthdays Alex Hernandez 9/1 Eriberto Cruz 9/1 Irshad Martin 9/1 Ontarion Fry 9/2 Torrell Patterson 9/3 Kristen Gray 9/6 Sam Pathic 9/10 Logan Edson 9/10 Logan Golimbieski 9/10 Hunter Taplin 9/12 Jamie Braun 9/14 Larry Fannin 9/14 Dustin Ouding 9/15 Leroy Mallory 9/18 Cody Vasparrentak 9/19 Ronald Frost 9/19 Bobby Blackwell 9/21 Alberto Lopez 9/23 Wes Ruthenberg 9/27

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Taplin Questions for Humans Board Some responses from our team answering the question: Does pineapple belong on pizza? If you’re at the Kalamazoo office, be sure to take a peek at the board and share your own answers to the current question: Would you rather be in a rap battle with Eminem or a cook off with Gordon Ramsey?

The Taplin 131 Billboard is now up and running! Just south of 36th street Grand Rapids

Spot

BONUS SHOWCASE

These team members have recently been nominated for a spot bonus due to their hard work and commitment to living our core values.

Lynda Rogers Shoutout to Lynda for her amazing work in recruiting! Candidates tell us how much they appreciate her knowledge of Taplin and the way she shares information about our company and Core Values. Lynda does a great job helping candidates feel informed, welcomed, and excited about the opportunities here. Thank you, Lynda, for being such a great ambassador for Taplin!

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MATTHEW MUSE

BRIAN DALEY

UNDERGORUND INFRASTRUCTURE

INDUSTRIAL SERVICES

COMBO OPERATOR

FIELD TECH

MIKE ROGERS

LYNN KELLEY

EJ SUARDINI

UNDERGORUND INFRASTRUCTURE

TALENT AQUISITION & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

REMEDIATION

OPERATOR

VP OF REMEDIATION

LONNIE MILLER TRANSPORTATION DRIVER

HR

NICOLE PLUMB REMEDIATION

SHEAN WATERBECK

REMEDIATION SUPPORT

INDUSTRIAL SERVICES HAZMAT TECHNICIAN

ROBERT THOMAS UNDERGROUND INFRASTRUCTURE

JAYME SCHWARTZ

FIELD TECH

UNDERGROUND INFRASTRUCTURE

TERRESA PRATT UNDERGROUND INFRASTRUCTURE LOCATOR

KAHLIL LANE

LOCATOR

INDUSTRIAL SERVICES OPERATOR

Komatsu sue AUGUST SAFETY AWARDS N/A - none awared

Sue is a kitten that was rescued from a Kamatsu engine bay and is now part of the construction crew at RiverReach

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Training Academy Videos

Taplin Social Media Are you on Facebook LinkedIn? Instagram? Be sure to click/scan the Taplin social media links below and follow us for all the latest company news and project features!

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Our NC crew cleaning an incinerator

That’s a wrap on the NC Sludge Dewatering Job

BEFORE

DURING MEET KANO OUR NEWEST FOUR LEGGED SHOP SUPERVISOR

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TEAM TAPLIN SPOTLIGHT EJ Suardini VP of Remediation Tell us a little about yourself outside of work. What is important to you personally? What interests and hobbies do you enjoy? I am married to my wife Jenny, and we have two daughters Olivia (10) and Evelyn (8). I was raised in the Upper Peninsula with strong family values and work each day to instill those values in our children. I love getting back to the UP to our hunting cabin and enjoying simple things. What does a strong company culture look and feel like to you? For me it is simple, a strong company culture is doing the right thing when no one is looking. What attracted you to Taplin and this opportunity? The excitement and vision of continued growth supported by the strong culture that exists. In my mind culture is the foundation of sustainable growth and critical for the organization to grow without losing what made it successful. Tell us about your industry experience. Which accomplishments from your career so far are you most proud of? I have 25 years of experience within the environmental industry, all with Arcadis. I started my career as an environmental technician and worked my way up to Vice President of our construction services division. What is one word you hope Taplin employees will eventually use to describe your leadership? Accountable

Favorite way to spend a day off? Time with my family coaching/watching my daughters play basketball and soccer Preferred “fuel” for the day? Coffee

What is something about you that employees might be surprised to learn? I am a die-hard Green Bay Packer fan living in Michigan. Go Pack! Favorite book, movie, podcast, or piece of leadership advice? Earn people’s trust, give them ownership, hold everyone accountable and stand beside them when it matters. What would you like every Taplin employee to know about you as you begin this new role? I don’t pretend to have all the answers or expect to have everyone’s immediate trust. I look forward to learning more about what makes Taplin such a successful organization and gaining that trust as I get to connect with everyone here.

Taplin’s culture is built around hard work, safety, service, accountability, and real people taking care of one another. Which of our core values connects most strongly with you, and why? (Problem Solvers, Can Do Attitude, Customer Focus, Teamwork, Do the Right Thing) Tough question as I connect with all of them but if I had to pick the one that I am most drawn to it would be Teamwork. Coming from a sports background success only happens if you have a strong team pulling in the same direction, holding each other accountable and having each other’s backs through challenges.

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Family Focus Newsletter August 2026 by TaplinGroup - Issuu