Root-pike Watershed Initiative Network, Inc.

What Root-pike Watershed Initiative Network, Inc. does

Root-Pike Watershed Initiative Network (Root-Pike WIN) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1998 in Kenosha, Wisconsin, that develops and implements EPA-approved Nine-Element Watershed Restoration Plans for the Root-Pike basin in Southeastern Wisconsin. The organization serves five watersheds — Pike River, Root River, Oak Creek, Pike Creek, and Wind Point — covering approximately 327 square miles, more than 200 miles of streams and tributaries, and a population of over 1.6 million residents across Kenosha, Milwaukee, Racine, and Waukesha Counties. Its work centers on stakeholder facilitation, education, project planning, design oversight, permitting support, and monitoring for restoration and stormwater management projects delivered to municipalities, private landowners, government agencies, schools, and other nonprofits. Core programs include the EPA Watershed Restoration Plans, the Pollinator Patch Program (100+ rain gardens and 60+ rain barrels since 2008), the Respect Our Waters public outreach campaign, the Go Native! native plant initiative, the Southeastern Wisconsin Clean Water Network (20 municipalities plus UW-Parkside), the Stormwater Pond Playbook (a $35 paid publication), the Kenosha Regenerative Producers Group, and Lake Michigan coastal improvement communications.

Revenue is generated primarily through grants from foundations and government programs (Fund for Lake Michigan, Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, SC Johnson, Microsoft, WeEnergies Foundation, Greater Milwaukee Foundation, Brico Fund), individual and corporate memberships ($35+ and $350+ tiers respectively plus free student memberships), donations, and a pass-through Small Grants Program that has re-awarded over $545,000 to more than 100 local conservation projects since inception. The go-to-market motion is community-led: Root-Pike WIN functions as an educator, convener, and project catalyst rather than a fee-for-service vendor, and most of its services are delivered without charge. The organization operates with three paid staff — Executive Director Dave Giordano, Program Manager Kristi Heuser, and Bookkeeper Amy Kolb — from an office on the UW-Parkside campus, governed by a board of directors. Its core technology is the EPA Nine-Element Watershed Restoration Planning framework and stormwater best practices; there is no evidence of proprietary software or AI/ML products, and competitive positioning rests on regulatory alignment with EPA specifications, deep municipal adoption (8+ municipalities have adopted plans), and an extensive network of governmental, corporate, and nonprofit partners built over 25+ years.

Name

Root-pike Watershed Initiative Network, Inc.

Legal name

Root-Pike Watershed Initiative Network, Inc.

Website

https://rootpikewin.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Watershed Restoration Services

NAICS

Administration of Conservation Programs (92412), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241)

SIC

Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Resources & Watershed Protection (BPAGAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Riparian & Watershed Reforestation (Streambank Stabilization) (AFAMACAK), Stormwater & Drainage Infrastructure Construction (Sewer, Detention, Outfalls) (IMAFAGAF)

Keywords

• Watershed restoration planning
• Stormwater management
• Environmental education
• Watershed conservation
• Pollinator habitat restoration

Headquarters

HQ city

Kenosha

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Memberships: Individual donations ($35+ annual), corporate donations ($350+ annual), and free student memberships. All members receive invitations to annual events, project updates, volunteer opportunities, optional site surveys, and educational materials.
2. Grants and Foundation Funding: The organization receives significant grant funding from organizations including Fund for Lake Michigan, Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, WeEnergies Foundation, and others for specific restoration projects.
3. Small Grants Program: Root-Pike WIN has awarded over $545,000 in small grants to more than 100 local conservation projects in the Root-Pike Watershed since inception.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Root-Pike Watershed Initiative Network is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that develops and implements EPA-approved Nine-Element Watershed Restoration Plans for the five watersheds (Pike River, Root River, Oak Creek, Pike Creek, Wind Point) covering nearly 327 square miles of Southeastern Wisconsin. The organization provides planning, education, land restoration, stormwater management, and outreach services to municipalities, private landowners, and citizens. It also sells the Stormwater Pond Playbook ($35) as a paid guidebook on pond stewardship.

Product overview

Root-Pike Watershed Initiative Network is a 501(c)(3) non-profit environmental organization offering a portfolio of watershed restoration programs and educational resources. The core offerings include watershed restoration planning services (EPA-approved Nine-Element Plans), the Stormwater Pond Playbook (a paid guidebook at $35), the Pollinator Patch Program, the Respect Our Waters public outreach campaign, the Go Native! native plant education program, and the Southeastern Wisconsin Clean Water Network. These programs work together to restore, protect, and sustain the Root-Pike basin's five watersheds through education, implementation, and monitoring.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Stormwater Pond Playbook A published guidebook sold for $35.00 to pond owners, HOAs, and municipalities, providing techniques to address excessive algae, nuisance geese, poor water quality, and costly dredging of stormwater ponds.
• Pollinator Patch Program A program that helps schools, municipalities, businesses, organizations, places of worship, and individuals convert turf to native prairie, providing benefits such as pollinator habitat, stormwater infiltration, cost savings on fuel and fertilizer, curriculum connections, and community engagement.
• Respect Our Waters Campaign A public outreach campaign including community events, targeted outreach to pollution hotspot areas, e-newsletters, news stories and interviews, rain barrel giveaways, and school presentations to promote behaviors that improve water quality.
• Go Native! Program An educational program providing lists of native plants, planning resources, local plant sources, and guidance on converting residential and commercial turf areas to native plantings.
• Southeastern Wisconsin Clean Water Network (SWCWN) A network of 20 municipalities plus UW-Parkside that work to meet public outreach and education requirements and fund the Respect Our Waters campaign through quarterly meetings and shared stormwater management initiatives.
• Watershed Restoration Plans EPA-approved, nine-element watershed restoration plans for Pike River, Root River, Wind Point, and Oak Creek watersheds, providing specific recommendations to improve water quality, recreational access, habitat conditions, and reduce flooding.
• Membership Program Annual membership program offering Individual ($35+), Corporate ($350+), and free Student tiers with benefits including event invitations, project updates, volunteer opportunities, educational materials, and optional site surveys.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 100 conservation projects funded through $545,000+ in grants
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• MicrosoftcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMicrosoft has teamed up with Root-Pike WIN to restore the Lamparek Creek corridor, completing 1.5 miles/100+ acres of planned restoration in Mount Pleasant and Racine County. Microsoft is also funding ecological restoration projects across Racine and Kenosha counties in partnership with Root-Pike WIN, including restoration at Cliffside Park.
• Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWDNR co-founded Root-Pike WIN in 1998 and continues to work collaboratively on watershed goals, best practices implementation, and connecting stakeholders with solutions and funding. WDNR reviews and approves watershed restoration plans.
• Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEWRPC develops watershed restoration plans in partnership with Root-Pike WIN. They have developed plans for Root River, Pike River, Wind Point, and Oak Creek watersheds.
• Kenosha CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKenosha County is a lead municipality in watershed restoration, having adopted the Pike River Watershed Restoration Plan and serving as fiscal sponsor for the South Branch planning with US Army Corps of Engineers.
• Racine CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRacine County partners with Root-Pike WIN on multiple restoration projects including Cliffside Park wetlands restoration and Pritchard Park improvements.
• University of Wisconsin-ParksidecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUW-Parkside partners on the Pollinator Patch Program (210-acre cross-country course enhancement), regenerative stormwater conveyance systems, and hosts Root-Pike WIN's office on campus.
• Village of Mount PleasantcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVillage of Mount Pleasant has adopted the Pike River Watershed Restoration Plan and partners on North Branch restoration, Lamparek Creek restoration, and Path to Wisconn Valley environmental corridor.
• KCI TechnologiesmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEngineering partner working with Root-Pike WIN on stormwater projects including Meachem Preserve pond re-engineering and drone surveys of restoration sites.
• Kenosha Sport Fishing & Conservation AssociationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on Pike Creek fish hatchery building and Pike River mouth salmon/trout rearing pond improvements.
• City of RacinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Racine Health Department Laboratory partners on Lake Michigan coastal improvements including Samuel Myers Park and North Beach monitoring.
• River Bend Nature CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in watershed education and community engagement, hosting planning meetings and educational programs.
• Johnson ControlsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner supporting watershed restoration initiatives.
• ATC (American Transmission Company)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerATC partnered to help restore a portion of the Lamparek Ditch tributary of the Pike River.
• Wild OnesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNative plant organization that offers plant sales and supports rain garden and native plant education efforts.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• River Bend Nature Center: Regional peer: a Racine/Kenosha-area nature education center that is an active Root-Pike WIN partner for hosting planning meetings and education programs — comparable SE Wisconsin footprint and community-led education delivery model.

Emerging players

• Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever: Emerging player: a national habitat nonprofit with Wisconsin chapters funding prairie/pollinator restoration, streambank stabilization, and working-lands conservation — directly overlapping with Root-Pike WIN's Go Native!, Pollinator Patch, and riparian replanting programs.

Direct peers

• Groundwork Milwaukee (Groundwork USA): Direct peer: an environmental justice nonprofit operating in the same SE Wisconsin region on green infrastructure, brownfield remediation, and stormwater retrofits — closely comparable mission, municipal partnership model, and grant-funded delivery.
• Milwaukee Riverkeeper: Direct peer: a Southeast Wisconsin watershed nonprofit focused on water quality, river restoration, and stormwater advocacy across the Milwaukee, Menomonee, and Kinnickinnic Rivers — overlapping geography, mission, and municipal-facing model with Root-Pike WIN.
• Trout Unlimited (Wisconsin Council): Direct peer: a national coldwater-fisheries conservation nonprofit with active Wisconsin chapters doing streambank restoration, dam removal, and riparian habitat work — Executive Director Dave Giordano has prior involvement, and the operating model (chapter-led restoration projects) is highly analogous.

Others

• Fund for Lake Michigan: Adjacent peer / funder: a regional foundation that has provided multiple grants to Root-Pike WIN ($70K for UW-Parkside regenerative conveyance, $45K for Pike River mouth improvements, $35K for shoreline work) — not a competitor, but a critical repeat-funder relationship that anchors their restoration project pipeline.

Broad incumbents

• Alliance for the Great Lakes: Broad incumbent: a larger regional nonprofit focused on Great Lakes protection, including Adopt-a-Beach, stormwater, and coastal restoration — overlapping on coastal Lake Michigan work (Samuel Myers Park, North Beach) with Root-Pike WIN but operating at much greater scale and geography.
• Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR): Broad incumbent: state agency that co-founded Root-Pike WIN in 1998 and approves all nine-element watershed restoration plans — a primary regulatory counterpart and the ultimate enabler of the nonprofit's plan-adoption framework.
• The Nature Conservancy (Wisconsin Chapter): Broad incumbent: a much larger national conservation organization with a Wisconsin chapter doing land protection, freshwater, and watershed work — comparable mission but operates with a vastly larger endowment, staff, and project scope than Root-Pike WIN.
• Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC): Broad incumbent: a regional planning body that Root-Pike WIN explicitly partners with to develop watershed restoration plans (Root River, Pike River, Wind Point, Oak Creek) — close operating overlap on plan production and municipal engagement, though SEWRPC is governmental and regional in scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Root-Pike-Watershed-Initiative-Network-194686813886149

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 Root-pike Watershed Initiative Network, Inc.