Sonny Thornborrow, Asst. Regional Environmental Engineer

Sonny Thornborrow serves as Assistant Regional Environmental Engineer at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s R1 Regional Office, where he plays a pivotal role in advancing environmental remediation and ecological stewardship across national forest lands. Responsible for evaluating and overseeing technical requirements for site restoration, contaminant mitigation, and habitat rehabilitation projects, Thornborrow ensures that procurement activities align with federal environmental regulations and the Forest Service’s mission of sustainable land management. He primarily handles acquisition packages for environmental remediation services, including soil and water treatment, hazardous material removal, and ecological monitoring systems, often in remote and ecologically sensitive areas. Thornborrow collaborates closely with a network of specialized environmental contractors, particularly those with expertise in hazardous waste remediation, bioremediation, and ecological restoration. His working relationships are characterized by long-term technical partnerships with firms possessing proven experience in federal environmental compliance, including those certified under the Small Business Administration’s socioeconomic programs. He prioritizes vendors with demonstrated field capabilities in complex, low-impact operations within protected forest ecosystems. Thornborrow maintains a strict 100% small business set-aside preference across all remediation procurements, consistently directing opportunities to small disadvantaged businesses, HUBZone firms, and service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses. His contracting patterns reflect a deep institutional commitment to expanding economic opportunity for underserved entrepreneurs while ensuring access to highly specialized environmental services. His procurement focus is exclusively centered on NAICS 562910 (Remediation Services), encompassing soil excavation and treatment, groundwater remediation, asbestos and lead abatement, and ecological site restoration. He possesses technical expertise in evaluating engineering controls, containment systems, and environmental monitoring protocols, ensuring that all contracted work meets rigorous federal standards for safety, sustainability, and regulatory compliance.