About Us
Nutshell Environmental was founded in 1975 by Art Shellhouse to meet the growing demand for environmental consulting to assist governmental agencies, lending institutions, insurance agencies, oil companies, service station owners, marinas, real estate investors, and other commercial businesses comply with ever increasing environmental regulations.
After nearly half a century in business, Nutshell was acquired by Maryland native Bob Ball and his wife Donna DiVenuto-Ball in April 2022. While Nutshell has specialized in Phase I and Phase II ESAs and site cleanup for the past several years, we also have extensive experience in:
- Environmental Regulatory Compliance Testing/Monitoring
- UST System Design
- UST Installation and Abandonment; UST Testing; UST Upgrades; 3rd Party UST Inspections
- SPCC Preparation & Updates
- Groundwater Monitoring
- Soil Sampling; Soil Removal; Soil Vapor Survey
- Site Remediation
- Asbestos & Lead Paint Sampling
- Preparation of Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan
Our community
Nutshell counts among its many clients, several governmental agencies, including:
- City of Baltimore
- City of Havre de Grace
- Harford County Government
- Prince Georges County
- Anne Arundel County
- Maryland Mass Transit Administration
Meet the Owner
Bob Ball, President
Along with his wife Donna, Bob acquired Nutshell Environmental in April of 2022. As president, he is responsible for all day-to-day operations including long- and short-term planning.
Prior to Nutshell, Bob had a 14-year career at Constellation Energy where he served in several roles focused on environmental compliance and regulatory issues, project development, site assessments, and compliance audits. Before that, he spent time at Johnson & Johnson and Morgan Stanley in various finance and leadership roles.
An expert in environmental assessments and remediation techniques, Bob has a particular interest and expertise in industrial and marina operations. Bob has a Masters Degree in Environmental Engineering from the Johns Hopkins University. He is certified as a Certified Professional Environmental Auditor (CPEA) by the Board for Global EHS Credentialing (BEAC). He also maintains STI/SPFA certification as an Aboveground Tank Inspector.
Bob graduated from the United States Naval Academy with a Bachelors Degree in Marine Engineering and received an MBA from Columbia University.
From 1994 through 2000, Bob served in the United States Marine Corps with tours in Asia, North Carolina and Southern California. In his free time, Bob loves spending time with his family (ideally outdoors). He has been very involved in coaching and other roles for local youth programs. He enjoys hiking and dreams of thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail with his family. He has completed 4 Ironman triathlons, and the 4.4 mile Greater Chesapeake Bay Swim.
Standards & Due Diligence
SBA SOP 50 10 6: Lender and Development Company Loan Programs
40 CFR Part 312: Standards and Practices for All Appropriate Inquiries; Final Rule
E1527-21: Environmental Site Assessments: Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Process
E1528-14: Standard Practice for Limited Environmental Due Diligence: Transaction Screen Process
E1903-19: Environmental Site Assessments: Phase II Environmental Site Assessment Process
E2247-16: Environmental Site Assessments: Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Process for Forestland or Rural Property
- SBA SOP 50 10 6: Lender and Development Company Loan Programs
- 40 CFR Part 312: Standards and Practices for All Appropriate Inquiries; Final Rule
- E1527-21: Environmental Site Assessments: Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Process
- E1528-14: Standard Practice for Limited Environmental Due Diligence: Transaction Screen Process
- E1903-19: Environmental Site Assessments: Phase II Environmental Site Assessment Process
- E2247-16: Environmental Site Assessments: Phase I
- Environmental Site Assessment Process for Forestland or Rural Property
