Infrastructure Alternatives

What Infrastructure Alternatives does

Infrastructure Alternatives, Inc. (IAI) is a privately held, Michigan-based water and wastewater utility services firm founded in 2000 by Bill Cretens and Dana Trierweiler, P.E. The company operates from its Rockford, Michigan headquarters and provides services to drinking water and wastewater utilities across Michigan and Wisconsin. Its offering is organized around three integrated service pillars: (1) Contract Operations, Maintenance & Management delivered on either short-term technical assistance or long-term contract basis; (2) Engineering & Technical Services covering permit applications, design, specifications, construction management, and funding assistance; and (3) Mechanical & Electrical Services for pump stations, lift stations, SCADA installation and calibration, clarifier maintenance, and equipment rehabilitation. Service delivery is staffed by state-certified licensed operators and professional engineers licensed in both Michigan and Wisconsin.

IAI serves three primary customer segments: municipalities (cities, villages, townships); private community water systems (mobile home communities, housing developments, lakeside communities, apartment complexes, campgrounds, RV resorts); and industrial and commercial facilities (food packing and processing, meat and poultry processing, fruit and vegetable processors, dairy processing, correctional facilities, healthcare facilities, school systems, restaurants, and big box retail). The business model is sales-led and direct, combining recurring managed-services revenue from long-term contract operations with project-based revenue from engineering and mechanical/electrical work; pricing is not publicly disclosed and contracts are quoted per project. Marketing is conducted primarily through a professional website, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, alongside Indeed.com job postings, and the company maintains no parent organization, no institutional investors, and no public listing. In February 2023 IAI divested its dredging and dewatering division to J.F. Brennan Company, narrowing focus to its core three-pillar service model, and in 2022 the company established the IAI H2O Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization fully funded by IAI and directed by John Barthels.

Name

Infrastructure Alternatives

Legal name

Infrastructure Alternatives, Inc.

Website

https://iaiwater.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Infrastructure Alternatives provides contract operations, engineering, and mechanical/electrical services for drinking water and wastewater utilities in Michigan and Wisconsin, serving municipalities, private communities, and industrial clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water and Wastewater Utility Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Sewage Treatment Facilities (22132), Water and Sewer Line and Related Structures Construction (23711), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Sanitary Services (4950), Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Design & Engineering for Renewal/Expansion (Pipelines, Pump Stations, Treatment Plants) (EUANALAD), SCADA, Instrumentation & Controls Integration for Water/Wastewater Projects (IMAFAGAK), Storage & Conveyance Structures (Reservoirs, Tanks, Culverts, Tunnels) (IMAFAGAE)

Keywords

• Water treatment services
• Wastewater management
• Contract operations
• Utility engineering services
• Mechanical electrical maintenance

Headquarters

HQ city

Rockford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Contract Operations Services: IAI provides integrated contract operations, maintenance, and management services for drinking water and wastewater treatment utilities. Services are delivered on either short-term technical assistance basis or long-term contract basis, providing recurring revenue from facility management relationships.
2. Mechanical and Electrical Services: Maintenance, troubleshooting, construction, and electrical services for water and wastewater utilities needing to rehabilitate, replace, or upgrade existing equipment, or install new water infrastructure. Typically project-based work.
3. Engineering and Technical Services: Professional engineering services including permit applications, funding assistance, design drawings, specifications development, and construction management for water and wastewater infrastructure projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Infrastructure Alternatives provides contract operations, maintenance, and management services for drinking water and wastewater treatment utilities, delivered on short-term technical assistance or long-term contract basis. The company also offers licensed professional engineering services (permit applications, design, construction management) and mechanical/electrical contractor services (pump stations, lift stations, SCADA installation, equipment rehabilitation) for water and wastewater infrastructure across Michigan and Wisconsin.

Product overview

Infrastructure Alternatives, Inc. (IAI) offers integrated water and wastewater utility services through three main service pillars: Contract Operations, Maintenance & Management; Engineering & Technical Services; and Mechanical & Electrical Services. The company operates and maintains drinking water and wastewater treatment facilities for municipal, commercial-industrial, and privately-owned community clients throughout Michigan and Wisconsin. Services are delivered through certified operators, licensed engineers, and skilled technicians, with capabilities spanning treatment plant operations, infrastructure rehabilitation, permit applications, and construction management. IAI also operates the IAI H2O Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable initiative established in 2022.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Contract Operations, Maintenance & Management Integrated operations, maintenance, and management services for drinking water and wastewater treatment utilities, offered on short-term technical assistance or long-term contract basis, with in-house engineering and mechanical maintenance support. Targeted at municipal, private-community, and industrial clients in Michigan and Wisconsin.
• Engineering & Technical Services Licensed Professional Engineering services for water and wastewater utilities in Michigan and Wisconsin, including Michigan Part 41 permit application development, grant/loan funding application assistance, hydraulic modeling, drinking water system reliability studies, design drawings and specifications, permitting of system upgrades, commissioning/decommissioning, and construction oversight.
• Mechanical & Electrical Services Maintenance, troubleshooting, construction, and electrical contractor services for water and wastewater utilities, covering pump stations, lift stations, membrane filters, clarifier maintenance, SCADA installation and calibration, electrical systems, instrumentation, and equipment rehabilitation or replacement.
• Drinking Water Treatment Operation and maintenance of drinking water treatment plants for municipal and commercial-industrial clients, including treatment plant operations and maintenance, emergency call-outs, preventative maintenance programs, laboratory analysis, certified operators, monthly reporting, meter reading, customer billing, and distribution system operations and maintenance.
• Wastewater Treatment Operation and maintenance of wastewater treatment plants for municipal and industrial clients, including NPDES permit applications, biosolids management, and collection system operations and maintenance.

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• J.F. Brennan CompanyminorOthers · 1 February 2023In February 2023, J.F. Brennan Company acquired the dredging and dewatering division of Infrastructure Alternatives. This represents a divestiture of a business unit rather than an active partnership arrangement.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Severn Trent Services: Provides contract operations, maintenance, and management services for water and wastewater utilities, including municipal and industrial clients. Closely comparable to IAI in operating model, customer base (utilities and industrial), and integrated service offering.
• Brown and Caldwell: Engineering, consulting, and construction management firm focused exclusively on water and wastewater infrastructure for municipalities and industry. Comparable to IAI's engineering and technical services line and municipal customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Aqua America (Essential Utilities): Regulated water and wastewater utility serving municipalities, residential, and commercial customers across multiple states. Comparable in end-market focus on water/wastewater service delivery to municipalities and communities.
• Black & Veatch: Engineering, procurement, and construction firm with a major water business delivering treatment plant design, construction, and asset management to utilities worldwide. Comparable to IAI in the design and capital project work it performs for municipal water clients.
• Veolia North America: Large national operator of water and wastewater treatment facilities for municipal and industrial clients, including contract O&M. Comparable in service categories to IAI but operates at far greater scale across many states.
• Suez Water Technologies & Solutions (now part of Veolia): Global water services and technology provider offering operations, treatment, and infrastructure solutions to utilities and industrial customers. Overlaps with IAI in wastewater operations and treatment plant services but at significantly larger scale.
• Burns & McDonnell: Engineering, architecture, and construction firm with a significant water practice serving utilities on treatment plant design, construction, and program management. Overlaps with IAI's engineering and mechanical/electrical service pillars.
• American Water Works Company: Largest publicly traded US water and wastewater utility, providing regulated water and wastewater services including contract operations for municipalities. Comparable to IAI in core services but vastly larger and investor-owned.
• Jacobs Solutions: Global professional services firm with a significant water and wastewater practice covering planning, design, and program management for municipal utilities. Comparable to IAI in the engineering and technical services it delivers to water/wastewater clients.
• HDR Inc. Global engineering, architecture, and consulting firm with a large water/wastewater practice serving municipalities on treatment, conveyance, and program management. Comparable to IAI in engineering services to municipal water clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC8I6TG8TAK3IlfFLELDCdDQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/IAIWater
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/infrastructure-alternatives-inc-
• Instagraminstagram.com/iaiwater

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Infrastructure Alternatives