In Memory of Konrad Fichtner

Konrad Fichtner left a powerful legacy of knowledge and kindness with the Solid Waste Management sector and at Morrison Hershfield. Although he passed away two years ago today, the lessons he taught have left a lasting impression and we endeavor to carry on the work he started.

An Industry Leader

Known for his knowledge of integrated waste management, Konrad was an unbiased source of waste conversion and waste-to-energy information. He stayed on top of industry trends and was happy to share his perspectives with anyone who wanted to discuss technologies, options, potential costs and alternatives. As an expert on organics management, he was one of the lead authors of a Canadian Government guidance document on managing organic wastes. While he had a strong interest in waste-to-energy he recognized that it was not a good fit for some communities. He earned a reputation for providing excellent technical advice in ways that everyone could understand.

Building a Lasting Legacy

Konrad originally joined Morrison Hershfield as our first solid waste engineer, with a goal to build a great team of like-minded professionals. He helped to attract key individuals that shared his passion and outlook. He often subtly conveyed his values and ideas on things like work-life balance, organizational priorities, building a sense of fun into work and the importance of the work to our communities and the environment. The Morrison Hershfield team of today is now a formidable player in the solid waste consulting market and continues to provide support to broad range of solid waste clients, thanks to Konrad’s knowledge, leadership and mentorship. “Konrad is sincerely missed by everyone. He was always calm and with his quick wit he could always make us smile. As a team, we learned so much from him, which we now incorporate into work and life every day,” says Veronica Bartlett, Solid Waste Planner. His lasting contribution to Morrison Hershfield is the passionate and tightly knit team of solid waste professionals that he helped build.

Continuing His Work Today

Today, the Morrison Hershfield solid waste team has a growing practice, working with clients across western Canada on a variety of solid waste projects including regional planning, landfill planning / design, organics management (including feasibility studies and composting facility design) and transfer station design, which includes two large-scale facilities for Metro Vancouver. If Konrad were here today, we think he would be very proud of the accomplishments of the team he helped build.