Our Team
Thom Hess entered the environmental field in 1984, beginning as an Industrial Hygienist performing asbestos surveys, site monitoring, and project compliance oversight of projects in the United States and abroad. In 1990, he founded ACM Services, Inc. as President and Chief Executive Officer and is responsible for the general supervision and control of all business activities. Thom oversees all operational duties and is involved in many phases of each project. His environmental career encompasses over 30 years of asbestos abatement, demolition, construction, and project engineering for private, local, state, and federal agencies.
Thom holds five environmental licenses and certifications, including Management Planner & PLM Microscopy. 
After graduating from Western Maryland College, Kyle began his environmental career with ACM Services in 2001. As an Assistant Project Manager, he was involved in the oversight of all projects and field operations. In 2003, Kyle advanced to Project Manager, responsible for estimating and managing projects. Kyle’s project experience includes lead paint removal, asbestos abatement, mold remediation, demolition, turnkey renovations, and hazardous waste reclamation projects. He has managed large-scale, multidisciplined projects with versatility to accommodate all project aspects.
Kyle holds eight environmental licenses and certifications, including Lead Supervisor & Mold Remediation Supervisor.
Beginning with his service in the United States Air Force (USAF), Dale has been in the environmental/construction industry since 1977. As Vice President for ACM Services, he is responsible for overseeing all operational tasks and is involved in every facet of the project lifecycle, from bidding to closeout. His career encompasses 30 years of environmental/construction supervision for private, local, state, and federal agencies. He is experienced in multiple task order and large-scale projects. Dale holds a degree from the University of Maryland, and is currently working toward his master’s degree. Dale received an honorable discharge from the USAF in 1982. Dale holds 17 environmental licenses and certifications, including Inspector & Management Planner.
Laxman joined ACM in 2019 and currently serves as the Chief Accounting Officer. He brings to the company years of progressive finance and accounting knowledge, with specialization in the construction industry. Laxman has extensive experience with corporate accounting, job costing, financial planning, analysis, and financial reporting. His experience includes ten years as a Business Manager with Balfour Beatty Infrastructure, Inc. and its subsidiary, and three years as Accounting Manager with M.C. Dean, Inc. As the Chief Accounting Officer at ACM Services, Laxman handles all accounting and financial matters, including oversight of the accounting team and regulatory compliance. Laxman has a bachelor’s degree in finance (Mumbai, India) and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Justin grew up in Maryland and recently moved back to the area after spending five years in Bend, Oregon. Prior to joining ACM Services, Justin spent eleven years in the disaster restoration industry. Justin enjoys focusing on the customer experience and providing a gratifying outcome to every project him or his team is involved with. When not working, Justin enjoys playing guitar, fishing, or spending time with his wife Amanda and his dog Boh.
Gary graduated from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Studies. He began his environmental career in 1987 as an Industrial Hygienist, performing a variety of workplace environmental surveys such as asbestos assessments and air sampling, indoor air quality (IAQ) studies, noise dosimetry, water testing, and chemical exposure sampling. In 1989, he moved into the demolition and abatement industry for 24 years, holding positions as Construction Manager, Operations Manager, General Superintendent, and lastly, Branch Health and Safety Officer.
At ACM Services, Gary currently reports directly to the President, Vice President, and Operations Manager. Duties include enforcement of the company’s safety program, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) compliance, safety inspections involving job site visits, training, Activity Hazard Analysis/Job Hazard Analysis (AHA/JHA) preparation, development of job-specific Health and Safety Plans (HASPs), and other duties that would help enhance ACM’s continued effort to provide a safe working environment for all of its employees, customers, and the surrounding public.
Gary holds training certifications in asbestos, lead, Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HASWOPER), OSHA 30, and PCM Microscopy.
Susan joined ACM in 2011, bringing with her 20 years of accounting experience. She has served as a Controller for industries including IT, construction, restaurant, and logistics. This experience has given her an array of accounting knowledge. She received her Accounting degree from Towson University and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). Susan is responsible for day-to-day accounting activities including account receivable, account payable, payroll and human resources.
Adriana has over 20 years of experience in the environmental remediation industry specializing in human resources, interdepartmental coordination, benefits administration, and staff development. Adriana is passionate about advocating for and bridging gaps between labor forces and management to achieve end goals and objectives; she also excels at building, integrating, and retaining highly effective teams. Adriana is a bilingual translator (English/Spanish) and cross-cultural communicator. She is a big coffee afficionado, and when she’s not working, Adriana enjoys gardening, traveling, and cooking.
Carlos Valenzuela
Estimator
Demolition Division
Joined ACM Services in 2013
Email: carlos@acmservices.com
Chris Carlini
Estimator/Project Manager
Environmental Division
Joined ACM Services in 2021
Email: chris@acmservices.com
Chris joined ACM Services in 2021 as a Project Manager. With five years of experience in the disaster restoration industry, Chris has extensive knowledge and training in water mitigation, mold remediation, and biohazard cleaning. Chris likes interacting with customers and being a creative problem solver. When not working, Chris enjoys spending time with his family and watching his boys play sports.
Dan Gamage
Estimator/Project Manager
Environmental Division
Joined ACM Services in 2021
Email: dan@acmservices.com
Dan began his environmental career as an asbestos and lead inspector in 2005 working in Ohio, Colorado, and Michigan as a lead inspector for the Department of Housing and Urban Development. In 2009, he was assigned to work at the International Monetary Fund headquarters performing mold inspections and air sampling for airborne mold spores. In 2014 and 2015, Dan performed silica testing for the Architect of the Capitol at the capitol building’s complex in, Washington, DC. Before joining ACM Services, Dan worked as an independent consultant for several industrial hygiene companies, performing asbestos and lead inspections as well as asbestos project monitoring and air sampling.
Daniel Zilberman
Assistant Project Manager
Environmental Division
Joined ACM Services in 2020
Email: daniel@acmservices.com
Daniel began his environmental career in 2016 as an Industrial Hygienist where he performed hazardous materials inspections; remediation oversight; and building surveys for hazardous construction materials including lead-based paint, asbestos, and mold. With nearly half a decade of environmental experience, Daniel has gained in-depth regulatory knowledge and experience delivering results for his clients. In 2020, Daniel joined ACM Services as an Assistant Project Manager where he specializes in commercial abatement and is involved in oversight of all projects and field operations from bidding to closeout. Daniel holds environmental licenses and certifications in asbestos, lead, Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER), OSHA 30, and PCM Microscopy.
Ed Metcalfe
Operations Manager
Environmental Division
Joined ACM Services in 2011.
Email: ed@acmservices.com
After graduating from Widener University in 1988 with a degree in Business Management, Ed worked in and around the DC Metro area managing businesses ranging from large hotels to sports and health clubs. The personnel management experience he gained across multiple departments has given Ed the ability to direct a wide range of employees working toward different missions. That vital experience has made Ed an essential team member with ACM Services, where he functions as the center of all field, equipment, and personnel operations, at times directing over 100 of ACM’s employees.
Ed holds three environmental licenses and certifications.
Evelyn began working for ACM Services in 2009 as an Administrative Assistant; where she utilized her degree and previous experience to support and perform a variety of administrative tasks. Through years of experience and dedicated performance, Evelyn was promoted to Office Manager. As Office Manager, Evelyn is responsible for all office procedures and uses her organizational skills to ensure smooth operations in a busy work environment. In addition to the traditional tasks of an Office Manager, Evelyn renews ACM’s company business and environmental licenses, tracks and maintains personnel training certifications and trade licenses, and generates final reports for completed abatement and demolition projects. Since Evelyn joined ACM, she has been instrumental in communicating day-to-day operations between office and field staff. Evelyn is a Certified Spanish-English Interpreter.
John McGraw
Senior Estimator/Project Manager
Environmental Division
Joined ACM Services in 2010
Email: john@acmservices.com
John graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Sociology from Frostburg State University and a Master of Science Degree in Environmental Policy and Management from American Military University, Mr. McGraw has extensive knowledge and experience in managing day-to-day field activities on environmental/construction projects. Project experience includes lead paint removal, asbestos abatement, mold remediation, demolition, turn-key renovations, and hazardous waste reclamation projects.
From an early age, John has been in the construction industry. In high school, through his sophomore and senior years, John worked his summer and winter breaks, and sometimes weekends framing houses and honing his rough carpentry skills. Into college, he spent a summer learning the finish carpentry trade. John then spent his remaining years at college, and two years out of college as a full-time stone mason for a small family firm in the Towson, MD area. It wasn’t until the subprime housing bubble crisis of 2008 that John decided to go back to school and eventually find his true passion in the environmental field.
John began his environmental career in 2008 as an Industrial Hygienist at Boggs Environmental Consultants, Inc. where he performed hazardous materials inspections, remediation oversight, Phase I, II & III environmental site assessments, and building surveys for hazardous construction materials including lead-based paint, asbestos, mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls, mold, and biological contaminants.
In 2010, John was hired at URS Corporation (Now AECOM) as an Environmental Scientist where he conducted OSHA health and safety oversight, subsurface soil testing and analysis, groundwater sampling and analysis, and river sediment sampling. Additionally, Mr. McGraw was responsible for the hazardous characterization and disposal of soil tailings from geotechnical investigations.
In 2011, Mr. McGraw was hired at ACM Services, Inc. as an Assistant Project Manager.
In 2013, John was promoted to Project Manager for ACM Services where he specializes in both commercial and residential properties. Additional responsibilities include supervision of respiratory protection programs and perchloric fume hood testing and decommissioning. With 8 years of experience in environmental work, managing large-scale, multi-disciplined projects; he has gained in-depth knowledge of NESHAPs, OSHA, AHERA, RCRA, and CRCLA regulations.
In 2023, John was promoted to Senior Project Manager for ACM Services.
Certifications Held:
- District of Columbia Lead Risk Assessor License
- Maryland Asbestos Inspector License
- Maryland Lead Based Paint Inspector License
- Maryland Asbestos Project Designer License
- US EPA AHERA Inspector Certification
- US EPA AHERA Management Planner
- US EPA AHERA Project Designer Certification
- US OSHA 40 HAZWOPER Worker Certification
- Virginia Asbestos Inspector License
- Virginia Lead Risk Assessor License
- West Virginia Asbestos Inspector License
José Palacios
Assistant Project Manager
Environmental Division
Joined ACM in 2012
Email: jose@acmservices.com
Jose joined ACM Services in 2012 as a Supervisor and in 2020 was promoted to our Production Manager.
Kevin Campos
Assistant Project Manager
Environmental Division
Joined ACM Services in 2022
Email: kevin@acmservices.com
Kevin entered the environmental field with ACM Services as a Residential Project Administrator. Prior to joining the company, Kevin had close to a decade of experience with home and property damage claims, helping homeowners recover from losses due to fire, storms, and floods. Kevin’s goal at ACM is to make the remediation process as simple as possible for ACM’s clients, homeowners, and insurance carriers. Outside of work, Kevin enjoys traveling, an aspires to visit every continent at least once.
Michael Heywood
Senior Estimator
Demolition Division
Joined ACM Services in 2013.
Email: mike@acmservices.com
Mike graduated from Virginia Tech with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. He began his career as a lead and asbestos inspector for an environmental remediation firm in Richmond, Virginia. After several years in the field, Mike was promoted to Estimator/Project Manager and temporarily relocated to the Washington, DC, area to manage a four-year renovation project at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s new headquarters. Upon completion of this project, Mike relocated permanently to the DC area and was offered a new position as the Senior Project Manager and Demolition Estimator for a nationwide demolition and environmental remediation firm.
Mike is currently a Demolition Estimator and Project Manager at ACM Services and is responsible for turnkey estimating and project management of demolition projects in the DC Metro area. His weekly duties include attendance at pre-bid meetings, quantity takeoffs, estimate preparation, submission of bid proposals, and pricing negotiations.
Sean Ghafoor
Project Manager
Environmental Division
Joined ACM Services in 2021
Email: sean@acmservices.com
Sean graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and a minor in Emergency Management from University of Maryland Global Campus. He has five years of estimating and project management experience in the disaster restoration industry and extensive experience and training in water mitigation, mold remediation, crime scene cleanup, biohazard cleaning, fire restoration, repairs, and renovations.
Sean holds dozens of licenses and certificates, including:
- Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) Master Water Restorer
- IICRC Master Fire and Smoke Restorer
- Licensed DC Mold Assessor and Remediator
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Asbestos Supervisor
- Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Renovator
- Construction in Healthcare Certified
- Recognition with Honors by the National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS)
Velckys Canales
Project Manager
Demolition Division
Joined ACM Services in 2022
Email: velckys@acmservices.com
Velckys has nearly a decade of logistics experience from her time served in the U.S. Marine Corps and working at the Department of State. She is beginning her tenure at ACM Services as a Project Administrator for the Demolition Division, where she brings a wealth of knowledge in managing manpower, creating spreadsheets, and exercising organizational skills necessary to maintain proper records for demolition projects. When Velckys isn’t at work, she enjoys hiking, target shooting, and trying out new restaurants around the area.
Michael McLaughlin
Project Administrator
Environmental Division
Joined ACM Services in 2023
Email: michael@acmservices.com
Michael McLaughlin joined ACM in 2023 as a project administrator. His 25 years of experience in customer service and quality management has made him very comfortable performing in high-pressure, fast-paced environments that require careful attention to detail.
His responsibilities at ACM include assisting Project Managers with start ups, kick offs, attending walk-throughs, and setting up IH’s.
In his free time, Michael enjoys Coaching and watching his kids play multiple sports. Spending free time with Family and friends, Cooking, meeting new people.
Certifications
- CPR & First Aid Certified 26 years
- Asbestos Supervisor
- EPA certified Lead Renovator
Born and raised in New Jersey and after graduating from Elon College in North Carolina in 1999, Kevin began his construction career in the field as a commercial Superintendent and gradually moved through the ranks to Senior Regional Operations Manager at his most recent firm. Kevin then transitioned from commercial general contracting to the subcontractor world with ACM Services, Inc. as the Demolition Division Manager in 2023. Kevin’s project experience ranges from small retail construction to large national retail/hospitality construction, performing projects in a multitude of states. Kevin holds several professional certificates including OSHA 10, OSHA 30, and multiple Procore certificates. In his free time, Kevin enjoys spending time with his wife and 2 college-aged children, hunting, fishing, sports, boating, pickleball, and really any outdoor type of activity. Kevin is also a Veteran of the US Army Reserve.
Diana is a seasoned customer service professional with a wealth of experience in commercial and auto insurance. In 2023, she joined ACM Services as the Office Administrator, responsible for greeting clients and visitors, directing phone calls, and maintaining an organized filing system in the front office.
When not at work, Diana loves to shop and spend time with her 9-year-old son. Her passion for customer service and dedication to her work make her a valued asset to the ACM team.
Marcos Freitas
Project Manager
Demolition Division
Joined ACM Services in 2023
Email: marcos@acmservices.com
Marcos is a demolition project manager who infuses every project with passion and positivity, making teamwork a joy.
He grew up in Brazil and spent the last 17 years in the United States.
Being a construction project manager is more than just a job to Marcos; it’s a calling, an opportunity to shape communities while spreading enthusiasm in everything he does.
In his free time, he enjoys playing volleyball, outdoor activities, cooking, and trying new restaurants.
