Environmental Business Review: Specials Magazine

Jennifer Olson-Morzenti serves as vice president of environmental, health and safety (EHS) at J.B. Poindexter & Co. Guided by the belief that EHS is most effective when regulations become part of everyday manufacturing rather than existing as a separate compliance function, she works to integrate safety, environmental stewardship and compliance into daily operations across the company’s approximately 70 manufacturing locations in the U.S. and Canada. Her leadership in embedding EHS into business operations while strengthening collaboration across a decentralized manufacturing organization has earned Jennifer Olson-Morzenti recognition as EHS Leader of the Year 2026 by Environmental Business Review. Turning Operational Experience into Better EHS Leadership My career began in the U.S. Air Force in military public health, where I worked in communicable disease control. Prevention became the foundation of my thinking because I saw how well-designed systems could protect people before problems occurred. After leaving the Air Force, I moved into pharmaceutical manufacturing, taking on responsibilities across safety, quality, facilities, laboratory support, manufacturing and operations. Every role expanded my perspective, but it also confirmed that EHS was where my passion belonged. Manufacturing and operations became the final piece of the puzzle. For the first time, I experienced the competing priorities operations leaders manage every day, from productivity and quality to customer commitments and financial performance. That perspective changed how I approached EHS. Regulations made far more sense when they fit the realities of manufacturing rather than expecting manufacturing to adapt to them. Today, I still draw on those lessons. Rather than asking operations to work around compliance requirements, I focus on operationalizing them by building EHS directly into production workflows. Compliance is far more effective when it becomes part of the way work is perfo

Mold rarely stays where it first appears. By the time growth becomes visible on a wall, windowsill or other surface, microscopic spores may already have traveled through the building via HVAC systems and natural airflow. What looks like a localized problem can extend well beyond the visible growth, with spores reaching other areas where moisture can support further growth. Pure Maintenance treats remediation from that whole-building perspective. Its VaPURE™ process takes a whole-building approach by evaluating conditions beyond the area of visible mold and applying products only to eligible sites and surfaces in accordance with their EPA-approved labeling. The first step is a mold treatment that reduces the number of mold spores. The second step may include application of an EPA-registered antimicrobial product to eligible surfaces. When applied according to its EPA-approved label, the treatment forms an invisible microbiostatic coating that helps inhibit the growth of mold and mildew on treated surfaces..