Innovative approaches fuel UCOR’s national safety award streak Oak Ridge, Tennessee, September 15, 2026 – United Cleanup Oak Ridge LLC (UCOR) has earned its seventh consecutive national innovation award, continuing a multi-year record of improving workplace practices while safely advancing environmental cleanup across the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR). UCOR President and Program Manager Jim Blankenhorn…
United Cleanup Oak Ridge LLC’s (UCOR) successful teardown of a massive, Manhattan Project-era facility has earned national recognition for project execution and safety excellence. Alpha-2 in 2025 before it was fully demolished earlier this year. UCOR recently won the “2026 Union Project of the Year Award” from The Association of Union Constructors (TAUC), which represents…
Jim Blankenhorn has been selected as the new president and chief executive officer of UCOR, effective April 1, 2026. He replaces Ken Rueter, who is retiring on March 30, 2026, after a long, distinguished career in the nuclear industry. Rueter’s retirement was announced in November. Blankenhorn is currently senior vice president of Amentum’s Energy &…
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, November 18, 2025 — After more than four decades in the environmental cleanup industry, United Cleanup Oak Ridge’s (UCOR) President and CEO Ken Rueter has announced he will retire at the end of March 2026. Following his retirement, Rueter will continue to serve UCOR and its mission in a part-time capacity as…
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, September 22, 2025 – Steve Manthe has joined United Cleanup Oak Ridge LLC (UCOR) as Labor Relations Director and will lead a team responsible for all labor relations matters for the U.S. Department of Energy’s lead environmental cleanup contractor and the essential modernization work underway at DOE’s 32,000-acre Oak Ridge Reservation. Manthe will…
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, September 18, 2025 – UCOR’s Chief Safety Officer, Jimmy Hughes has been named as one of the nation’s Rising Stars of Safety by the National Safety Council. The award recognizes safety professionals age 40 or younger committed to improving safety within their organization through impactful initiatives. “This year’s Rising Stars of Safety…
From Aug 22, 2025 NuclearNewswire: Guest column by Hash Hashemian and Ken Rueter ANS Executive Director/CEO Craig Piercy’s reflection on the 80th anniversary of the Trinity Test (Nuclear Newswire, July 16) was a thoughtful and fitting remembrance of the achievements and legacy of the World War II generation of nuclear pioneers. We also see legacy environmental cleanup as a…
UCOR’s Wolfley Named TAUC Safety Professional of the Year OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, May 28, 2025 – Clint Wolfley, End State Development Manager for United Cleanup Oak Ridge, LLC (UCOR), has been recognized as Safety Professional of the Year by a national group composed of more than 1,800 contractor companies that use union labor for their…
UCOR helps DOE save taxpayers $59 Million Oak Ridge, Tennessee, May 7, 2025 —Two members of United Cleanup Oak Ridge’s (UCOR) Supply Chain team were recognized for their work to help the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) save $2 billion. The Supply Chain Management Center (SCMC), a DOE sourcing program, has saved more than $2…
USA Today names UCOR a national Top Workplace for a second year Oak Ridge, Tennessee, March 24, 2025 — At a recent ceremony in Las Vegas, USA Today and Energage named United Cleanup Oak Ridge (UCOR) to their list of national Top Workplaces. The award was based solely on feedback provided by the UCOR workforce…
