About Us
AVESI, Inc. was initially founded in 2004 as American Veteran Environmental Services, Inc. (AVESI) as a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business headquartered in Springfield, IL that specializes in radiological consulting and procurement services.
In December 2019, our veteran and majority owner, shareholder, and co-founder of American Veteran Environmental Services, Inc. announced his retirement after 15 years of service to the Company. In January 2020, the ownership structure of the Company officially changed. Michele Lyerla purchased all ownership shares (100%) in American Veteran Environmental Services, Inc., making the Company a 100% woman-owned small business applying for economically disadvantaged status under the Small Business Administration.
The Company name officially changed to AVESI, Inc. The AVESI name will not serve as an acronym but rather a stand-alone word. We remain grounded in our veteran principles of service, as stated in our motto. Customer service will continue to be our number one priority setting us all apart from our competition.
Our Leadership Team
Michele Lyerla - CEO, and President
As of January 1, 2020, Michele Lyerla became 100% owner and controller of AVESI, making it a woman-owned Small Business. The business name was then legally changed to AVESI, Inc.
Michele Lyerla has over 27 years of experience as a seasoned, growth-driven, and performance-focused professional, offering wide-ranging experience in operations and human resource management, project administration, and service delivery life cycle. Michele’s technical background includes waste transportation and disposal, radiological contaminant remediation, and regulatory compliance for DOE and the USACE FUSRAP landscapes. Michele holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Illinois and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Findlay.
Michele is armed with a solid background in translating innovative schemes, leading enterprise-wide integrations, and creating scalable procedures that drive the company toward excellence and operational efficiency. She is adept at developing action-centered plans and solutions to support staff and management functions and decision-making initiatives in order to support our growth and better serve our clients.
David Lyerla - Vice President, and Business Development Director
Mr. Lyerla is a co-founder and current Vice President of AVESI, Inc. He assists the CEO in the overall operations with a focus on business development.
David Lyerla has a strong background in field implementation strategies. With over 25 years of direct field experience and oversight, Dave is able to apply his technical knowledge in the innovative approach to project planning and execution. David has a B.S., Environmental Engineering and has served as Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) and Radiation Protection Manager (RPM) on over 25 projects over the years. His expertise includes MARSSIM final status surveys, radiation protection programs, transportation, and disposal radionuclide identification and characterization, IDW dispositioning, and more. He has participated in over 150 Radiological Investigations/Surveys including, Final Status Surveys requiring MARSSIM analysis and release surveys.
Mr. Lyerla can also boast experience in the environmental consulting and environmental remediation fields. Mr. Lyerla has the ability to oversee and manage operations varying from great efforts to the smallest tasks from the initial kickoff through project close-out
We take pride in the service and experience we provide our clients. That’s why we have always searched for the best and brightest to join our team.
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Michele J Lyerla, President, and Owner |
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David C Lyerla, Vice President |
Randy Hansen, CHP, CSP, CPEA Corporate Safety Officer |
![]() Randy Hansen, CHP, CSP, CPEA Corporate Safety Officer |
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David Kirkton, Business Services Manager |
Stephanie Lavinghouse, Project Controls Manager |
![]() Stephanie Lavinghouse, Project Controls Manager |
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David P Cowell, Radiation Safety Officer St. Louis FUSRAP |
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Jamie Bushman, Asst Radiation Safety Officer St. Louis NORCO FUSRAP |