Don Hardy, the manager of the Department of Energy’s 222-S Laboratory at the Hanford Site, plans to retire on May 12 after 37 years at the former plutonium production complex in Washington state, the lab contractor said Monday.
Navarro-led Hanford Laboratory Management and Integration (HLMI) said in a press release that Hardy will be succeeded by Ray Geimer who most recently worked as project manager of closure operations in the 100K area of the Hanford Site for Central Plateau Cleanup Co.
Geimer has logged about 40 years working within the DOE Office of Environmental Management complex, with experience ranging from building and operating nuclear facilities to overseeing demolition. Geimer had held the Central Plateau job for more than seven years, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Hardy began his career at the 222-S Laboratory back in 1985. Before becoming lab manager in January 2021, he also worked at Hanford’s tank farms, the Plutonium Uranium Extraction Plant as well as the Plutonium Finishing Plant, according to the release.
“I’ll cherish the memories I’ve shared with so many of my colleagues that I’ve been fortunate to work with over a period of nearly four decades,” Hardy said. “HLMI is being left in great hands with Ray Geimer, who brings a wealth of nuclear operating experience to the position.”
A little more than a year ago, HLMI took over the 70,000 square foot analytical laboratory in Hanford’s 200-West Area from two separate contractors, Veolia and Amentum-led Washington River Protection Solutions. HLMI is made up of Navarro and Advanced Technologies and Laboratories International. Amentum is a critical subcontractor for the team. The contractor’s $394-million deal runs into September 2025.
The facility provides organic, inorganic, and radio-chemistry analysis of highly radioactive samples in order to support tank-to-tank waste transfers and corrosion studies.
