Laura Ernst Gains Recognition as an Expert In the Engineering and Consulting Community

Laura Ernst Field Shot

Any individual who founded or owns and operates a microenterprise which received SBA assistance either through loan guarantees or technical assistance providers may be nominated for the Mircoenterprise of the Year Award. A microenterprise is defined as any small business with five or fewer employees, including the owner.

Land & Coastal Services was established in 2008 by Laura M. Ernst as an environmental consulting company specializing in ecological services and water resources management. Laura has over 17 years of experience in coastal and freshwater resource management, with expertise in managing environmental and regulatory requirements for upland, coastal and marine projects.

The company works with clients in the public and private sectors and has expertise and project experience in permitting commercial and residential property development, project management, energy transmission, transportation, vegetation management, freshwater and coastal habitat restoration, storm water and erosion control management, and watershed planning.

Ernst has a Masters of Arts in Marine Affairs from the University of Rhode Island and previously worked for the URI Coastal Resources Center; the National Marine Fisheries Service Headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland; and the State of Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council. She has spent the past 12 years working as an environmental consultant.

Land & Coastal is based in East Greenwich, R.I. and has five employees supporting administrative, marketing and technical areas of the company. The company’s clients are located in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New York. Land & Coastal is a certified woman-owned and disadvantaged business enterprise in the states of Rhode Island and Massachusetts and is a federally certified woman-owned small business, as well as a federally certified disadvantaged woman-owned small business. The company has received financial assistance through an SBA-guaranteed loan from Coastway Community Bank.

Laura started her business during adverse economic conditions, particularly within the hard-hit Rhode Island economy. Despite the challenges of the economic downturn, Ernst made her business a success.

Land & Coastal’s client base includes private clients, municipalities, and state and federal agencies. Most notably, Land & Coastal’s been proud to work with the City of Providence Parks and Recreation, Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration, U.S. Army Natick Soldiers Systems Center, Narragansett Bay Estuary Program, private developers and engineering consulting firms.

The fact that these projects are distributed among three states—Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New York—reflects Laura’s business acumen. She understands that for her business to succeed, she must endure the hardship of pursuing clients and projects beyond Rhode Island. Her success to date comes from extraordinary internal strength and determination.

Land & Coastal Services provides professional services that assist commercial clients and the government in better managing land and coastal resources in the climate adaptation. An era of both enhanced social awareness and regulatory focus.

For her demonstrated success and potential for future growth, the U.S. Small Business Administration is pleased to honor Laura M. Ernst, president of Land & Coastal Services, LLC, as the 2014 Rhode Island Microenterprise of the Year.

 

 

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Avatar About the Author: The Rhode Island Small Business Journal is a printed monthly magazine and an online resource for the aspiring and start-up entrepreneur and small business owner.

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