Environmental Science Associates (ESA), a leading environmental science and planning firm headquartered in San Francisco and with offices on the West and Gulf Coasts, is opening a San Jose office to continue to serve the South Bay region. The multidisciplinary office is situated in walking distance of San Jose’s public transportation hub, Diridon Station, and will be led by John Bourgeois, who recently joined ESA as Restoration and Ecology Program Manager in the Bay Area.
“With our range of projects and clients throughout the Greater Bay Area and Northern California, we have envisioned a dedicated team and office in the South Bay for some time. John’s presence in the market and technical background make him the perfect professional to lead this venture,” said ESA’s Northern California Regional Director Brian Boxer. “Our new San Jose office will allow us to deeply engage with and build on ESA’s long-standing South Bay client relationships on a local level. Having an office in San Jose will also improve the lives of our current—and future—Bay Area staff who live in the South Bay, enhancing transit options, reducing commutes and furthering ESA’s commitment to sustainability in our company and our region.”
ESA’s new office is located in a brand-new building on The Alameda, a mixed-use project with convenient access to downtown San Jose and all major public transportation options. The firm spent considerable time finding just the right location to ensure it met the goal of being transit-oriented for its employees and visiting clients. Starting with a staff of a half-dozen, the office has the capacity to support ESA’s expected growth to around 25 employees in the South Bay. ESA has worked in the South Bay for many years, for clients including the City of San Jose, Santa Clara County, San Jose International Airport and the Santa Clara Valley Water District, helping develop sustainable solutions to some of the region’s most important urban development, infrastructure and ecological projects.
John Bourgeois brings to ESA more than two decades of dedicated ecosystem protection and restoration experience. Most recently, he served as executive project manager for the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project, one of the largest wetland restoration projects in the United States. A resident of the South Bay for over 20 years and a former planning commissioner in the town of Los Gatos, he is well-versed in navigating the complexities surrounding the implementation of large-scale land use and restoration projects. He earned his M.S. in biology from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and his B.S. in ecological, evolutionary and organismal biology from Tulane University.
“Having lived and worked in the South Bay for many years, I am deeply familiar with the benefits of having a dedicated office here,” said Bourgeois. “ESA’s new San Jose office shows not only a commitment to better serving its clients and communities, but to its regional employees who will have improved work-life balance with shortened commutes and access to the many amenities offered by this new convenient location. I look forward to continuing my work alongside my colleagues to aid in the region’s smart growth while preserving our resources and treasured ecosystems.”
ESA took possession of the new space in March. A full build-out of the office is now underway and is expected to complete in late spring/early summer.
