Meet local market makers who are having a positive impact on the world’s landscape.

W. Thomas Lavender Attorney Nexsen Pruet Columbia, SC	Gail Rawls Jeter South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (Retired) Columbia, SC

Lavender was an environmental engineer before joining Nexsen Pruet, where he’s been practicing environmental law for over 20 years. Earlier this year he was recognized as one of the best environmental lawyers in America by his colleagues. He’s chaired several regulatory committees for both the South Carolina and American Bar Associations. The Clemson University alum has worked on dozens of sites across South Carolina, from textile mills to landfills, and says the best part of his job is getting in the muck. “A bottom of a garbage truck always smells like money to me,” says Lavender. “They’re all fun, and I enjoy it.”

Jeter recently retired from her post after 28 years of handling statewide cleanups as the state’s brownfield coordinator, where she is credited with making its Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP) one of the best in the nation. She is currently Brownfields Specialist at the Columbia, S.C., office of Concurrent Technologies Corp. A graduate of Converse University and the University of South Carolina, Jeter was recently awarded the Order of the Palmetto—South Carolina’s highest honor for public service. “It’s truly a passion for me,” she says. “It makes sense, what we’re doing. The whole concept is right. It’s a great way for state government to work with others to accomplish a great goal, and I want to be involved wherever I can.”