Water Strategies

What Water Strategies does

Water Strategies is a privately held government relations, publishing, marketing, and executive search firm headquartered on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., specializing in water, power, and agricultural issues. Founded in 2009 by Kris Polly—who remains President, CEO, and founder—the firm has grown from a solo practice to a double-digit staff and operates without disclosed external institutional capital, signaling a bootstrapped and founder-owned business.

The firm's product portfolio centers on three specialized trade magazines—Irrigation Leader, Municipal Water Leader, and Hydro Leader—with combined circulation exceeding 20,000 readers, complemented by a free Jobs Board that functions as a clearinghouse for RFPs and listings from water agencies and irrigation districts nationwide, and an online training platform called Leader's Training targeting irrigation district and water agency professionals.

Water Strategies generates revenue through a mix of subscription and advertising revenue from its publishing portfolio, project- and retainer-based professional services engagements in government relations, marketing, and executive search, and ancillary advertising/listing revenue from its Jobs Board clearinghouse. The company markets through its own publications as the primary channel, supported by its website and direct sales outreach, primarily serving government water agencies, irrigation districts, and municipal water providers across the western United States with national reach through its municipal water publication.

Name

Water Strategies

Legal name

Water Strategies

Website

https://waterstrategies.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Water Strategies is a Capitol Hill-based government relations, publishing, and executive search firm serving U.S. water agencies, irrigation districts, and municipal water providers through three trade magazines, a Jobs Board clearinghouse, and an online training platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Sector Professional Services & Publishing

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Water, Wastewater & Stormwater Compliance (BPAHAJAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water Resources Administration (Watersheds, Rivers, Groundwater) (BPAIAMAE), Water Resources & Watershed Protection (BPAGAGAK)

Keywords

• Government Relations Services
• Water Sector Publishing
• Executive Search Services
• Industry Trade Magazines
• Water Policy Advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Publishing and Magazine Circulation: The company publishes three magazines (Irrigation Leader, Municipal Water Leader, and Hydro Leader) circulated to over 20,000 people, generating revenue through subscriptions and advertising from water agencies, irrigation districts, and industry professionals.
2. Professional Services (Government Relations, Marketing, Executive Search): The firm provides government relations, marketing, and executive search services to clients specializing in water, power, and agricultural issues, likely on a project or retainer basis.
3. Jobs Board and Clearinghouse Services: The website serves as a clearinghouse for requests for proposals, job listings, and proposals published by water agencies and irrigation districts, potentially generating revenue through job postings and listing fees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Water Strategies is a Washington, D.C.-based professional services firm providing government relations, publishing, marketing, and executive search services focused on the water, power, and agricultural sectors. It publishes trade magazines (Irrigation Leader, Municipal Water Leader, Hydro Leader), operates an online training program and jobs board, and offers lobbying, marketing, and headhunting engagements to public agencies and private organizations in the water industry.

Product overview

Water Strategies is a government relations, publishing, marketing, and executive search firm based on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., specializing in water, power, and agricultural issues. The company operates a multi-brand portfolio consisting of three publication magazines (Irrigation Leader Magazine, Municipal Water Leader Magazine, and Hydro Leader Magazine) circulated to over 20,000 readers combined, an online Jobs Board serving as a clearinghouse for water agencies and irrigation districts, and a training platform called Leader's Training. The company was established in 2009 and has grown to a double-digit staff serving clients across the nation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Irrigation Leader Magazine: Magazine highlighting Western Water Leaders, providing a forum for Irrigators and Engineers to discuss solutions and technology.
• Municipal Water Leader Magazine
• Hydro Leader Magazine
• Leader's Training

Products and services

• Irrigation Leader Magazine Trade magazine covering irrigation districts and the leaders of irrigation infrastructure projects across the United States; targeted at general managers, board members, and senior staff of irrigation districts.
• Municipal Water Leader Magazine Trade magazine covering municipal water utilities and their leadership, aimed at executives, managers, and policymakers at city and regional water agencies.
• Hydro Leader Magazine Trade magazine covering hydroelectric power and the water-power sector, targeted at operators, developers, and senior leaders of hydroelectric projects.
• Leader's Training Online professional training offering delivering water-sector education and skills development to water industry professionals.
• Jobs Board Online employment clearinghouse listing job openings in the water industry, connecting water-sector employers with prospective candidates.
• Government Relations Services Lobbying and government relations practice representing water, power, and agricultural clients before the U.S. federal government from the firm's Capitol Hill base.
• Marketing Services Marketing services tailored to water-sector clients, leveraging Water Strategies' trade publications and industry network to deliver targeted communications and promotional campaigns.
• Executive Search Services Executive search and recruitment practice placing senior leaders and specialized professionals within the water industry, drawing on the firm's sector relationships cultivated through its publications and government relations work.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• WaterWorld: Trade media outlet covering municipal water and wastewater treatment. Comparable to Municipal Water Leader as a sector publication targeting utility professionals, and a more generalist alternative to Water Strategies' vertical focus.
• Stormwater Magazine: Trade publication covering stormwater management. Comparable to Water Strategies' publishing-led approach in adjacent water subsectors and indicative of the same niche trade-media business model.
• Van Scoyoc Associates: Washington, D.C.-based government relations firm with a longstanding federal water and natural resources practice. Closely comparable to Water Strategies' core lobbying business for federal water, power, and agricultural clients, though operating at significantly larger scale.
• Hydro Review: Trade publication focused on the hydroelectric power industry. Directly comparable to Hydro Leader Magazine's audience and content niche, and indicative of a similar publishing-plus-services play in the hydro subsector.

Broad incumbents

• Water Environment Federation: A larger, established water-sector trade organization that publishes content, runs training, and advocates on water quality and policy issues. Comparable to Water Strategies' multi-pillar (publishing + training + advocacy) model at meaningfully greater scale.
• POWER Magazine: Long-established trade publication for the power generation industry. Comparable as a publishing-led franchise serving adjacent hydro and power-generation audiences, but at significantly larger scale and broader scope than Hydro Leader.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search firm with a dedicated infrastructure and natural resources practice. Comparable to Water Strategies' executive search offering, but operating across industries and at much greater scale and brand recognition.
• WateReuse Association: National trade association advancing water recycling policy. Comparable to Water Strategies as a sector advocacy and member-services organization focused on water, though operating as a nonprofit membership body rather than a for-profit firm.
• American Water Works Association: The largest U.S. water utility trade association, publishing authoritative content and running conferences and training for municipal water professionals. Directly comparable to Municipal Water Leader's audience and to Water Strategies' combined publishing/training/executive search offerings.
• Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck: Major national lobbying and law firm with a substantial water resources practice. Comparable to Water Strategies in providing federal government relations for water clients, but operating as part of a much broader, multi-disciplinary platform.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/water-strategies-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Water Strategies