Matthew S. Hammel, Consultant / Professional Researcher

Matt Hammel is a professional researcher who works with Taylor Research Group on a consulting basis since his retirement from research in 2016. He has extensive research experience on environmental, natural resources, toxic tort and product liability litigation cases. Mr. Hammel's expertise combines a detailed understanding of environmental issues with a comprehensive knowledge of records policies and procedures within the National Archives, federal records centers (FRCs) and government agencies. He co-founded the company with John Taylor in 2006 after spending nearly five years as a Project Manager and Historian at a history, archives, and museum company.

Education

  • Knox College, BA in History

Professional Research Experience:

  • Due diligence research project to identify potentially responsible parties (PRP) and track down corporate successors through company research adjacent to a historic waterway in the northeast (Client: Fortune 500 Company)

  • Investigated the site history of a city block in Washington, D.C., through city and federal research, to understand the ownership and operations at that property over time, as well as to identify other PRPs. (Client: Law Firm)

  • Successful research at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in College Park, Maryland for ship histories, deck logs, muster rolls, product lists and other relevant materials for asbestos litigation (Client: Law Firm)

  • Perform military records searches for asbestos-related matters, personnel information, products liability cases, federal specifications, contractor-defense issues or environmental research projects (Clients: Law Firms and Fortune 500 Companies)

  • Thorough research efforts for federal and state records pertaining to several Manufactured Gas Plants (MGPs) throughout the northeastern United States (Clients: Fortune 500 Utility Company and Law Firm)

  • Comprehensive research project to locate all existing federal documentation of a former Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear materials processing facility (Client: Fortune 500 Oil Company)

Accolades

"Taylor Research Group has provided me and my firm with top-notch historical research on a variety of environmental projects. [They] have repeatedly demonstrated the ability to plumb the depths of public and private records repositories to piece together arcane and complex histories. They consistently are able to distill reams of information in concise and easy-to-use reports, making the information both useful and accessible. I value my professional relationship with Taylor Research Group and am grateful for their excellent work on behalf of me and my clients.” - Law Firm

"Thanks for being so professional, prompt and organized." - Law Firm

"Thank you for the great work and professionalism." - Law Firm

"I am confident that without your having found and provided the transcript, we never would have known of the extent of the effort Oklahoma went to in order to use Texas demand for water to justify its reservoir projects. Thank you very much." – Law Firm

"The deck logs that you found for me were very useful in substantiating my claim for the Veterans, without which I don't know where I would have gotten needed information. You and your staff did a great job and I thank you all very much." – Private Client

Everything you have provided us this morning is invaluable….The information you’re finding is a game changer for us.” – Law Firm

"Taylor Research Group has always provided professional customer service and a high quality end result. Additionally, each time they are tasked with a search, we’re provided with options that best fit our budget.” - Law Firm

"The Sierra Club hired TRG in 2014 to research and compile ten years’ worth of data on fossil fuels-related disasters across the United States. We used the data to populate an interactive map showing the breadth of disasters and their impact on communities. TRG provided high quality data and were a great pleasure to work with throughout the process.” - Environmental Organization

“Our surveying firm has used Taylor Research Group to research the National Archives for railroad maps for the last 4 years. The TRG team has been great to work with and saved us a lot of time.” - Law Firm

Taylor Research Group has provided our firm with outstanding research results over the past decade. They often provide research options that we would not have thought of. Their expertise is priceless. We look forward to working with them for another decade — or more.” — Law Firm

“It was a sincere pleasure to work with your team. Those I worked with were extremely knowledgeable and super patient with someone who was trying to get more experience performing historical research. I greatly appreciated the opportunity to observe and learn.” - Fortune 500 Company

Everything you have provided us this morning is invaluable….The information you’re finding is a game changer for us.” – Law Firm

Kelley & Ferraro, LLP has been working with TRG for ten years, during which time we have been provided prompt and detailed research to assist our clients, fair pricing, and great customer service. Our office looks forward to a continued working relationship with TRG.” - Law Firm

"I highly recommend Taylor Research Group to any military vet needing record searches for proof of incident or documentation regarding disability claims. The communication between us was compassionate, and the records were produced in a timely fashion. It can be quite costly to research some records, but Taylor Research Group recognized my military sacrifices and produced what I needed for much less than I expected, and I thank them sincerely." - Veteran