approved environment

What approved environment does

Approved Environment, Inc. is a privately held, bootstrapped online education provider founded in 1998 by Ann Bersbach and headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The company delivers state-approved continuing education, certification review classes, practice exams, and physical textbooks to licensed water and wastewater treatment plant operators across 19 U.S. states (Alabama, Arizona, California, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin), with additional coverage for well driller and pump installer license categories in select states.

The core product is a web-based learning management system that delivers one-hour continuing education courses divided into four timed ~15-minute sections, with each course granting 0.1 CEU of approved credit. The product suite extends beyond individual courses ($20 each) into bundled multi-hour packages ($55-$230), comprehensive certification review classes for municipal, industrial, activated sludge, and laboratory tracks ($75-$288), $10 practice exams (50 multiple-choice questions each), and three practitioner-authored physical textbooks ($45-$75 plus shipping). Content was developed from the founder's direct certification examination experience, and the catalog covers technical topics (activated sludge, disinfection, laboratory analysis, industrial waste treatment, mathematics) as well as general topics (safety, odor control, waste disposal).

Revenue is generated entirely through direct-to-consumer online sales (credit card or electronic check via Authorize.net) on the company's own website, supplemented by a contact-initiated corporate accounts channel for group training of municipal and industrial operator teams. The business operates with no disclosed external investors, parent company, acquisitions, partnerships, or patent filings, and no executive team beyond the founder is identified in the data. The go-to-market is product-led and self-serve, relying on organic search across 19 state-specific landing pages with no paid acquisition, social media presence, or affiliate distribution visible.

Name

approved environment

Legal name

Approved Environment, Inc.

Website

https://approvedce.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Approved Environment, Inc. is a bootstrapped Indianapolis-based online education provider founded in 1998 that delivers state-approved water and wastewater operator continuing education courses, certification review classes, practice exams, and textbooks across 19 U.S. states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water and Wastewater Continuing Education

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (541620)

SIC

Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Pretreatment & Source Control Compliance (trade waste, discharge monitoring, enforcement) (EUANAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Watershed/Source Water & Raw Water Quality Monitoring (intakes, reservoirs, groundwater) (EUANAJAH), Public Health & Consumer Confidence Reporting (CCR, boil-water advisories, notifications) (EUANAJAL)

Keywords

• Wastewater operator training
• Water treatment certification
• Continuing education courses
• Online certification practice
• Wastewater study materials

Headquarters

HQ city

Indianapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Individual Online Courses: Single one-hour online courses sold for $20 each. Customers pay as they go for individual courses. Each course provides one contact hour of continuing education credit.
2. Continuing Education Packages: Multi-course packages bundling related courses for a discounted price compared to individual course purchases. Packages range from 3 to 16 hours. Examples: Non-Industrial Waste Treatment (10 hours, $188), Disinfection (3 hours, $55), Advanced Treatment (7 hours, $130).
3. Certification Review Classes: Comprehensive certification review class packages covering exam preparation topics. Examples: Wastewater Certification Review/Municipal (16 hours, $288), Wastewater Certification Review/ASO (12 hours, $180), Wastewater Mathematics (4 hours, $75).
4. Practice Exams: Online certification practice exams priced at $10 each. Each exam contains 50 multiple-choice questions with immediate scoring and answer review. Includes access to the 'Best Plan to Pass the Certification Exam' strategy guide.
5. Textbooks and Study Materials: Sale of physical textbooks including Wastewater Certification Review ($75 + $10 shipping), Wastewater Treatment Operation ($60 + $10 shipping), and Wastewater Laboratory Procedures ($45 + $10 shipping). Bundle of all three books available for $165 + $14 shipping.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Approved Environment, Inc. provides online continuing education courses, certification review classes, practice exams, and physical textbooks for water and wastewater treatment plant operators. The catalog covers technical and general topics including activated sludge, disinfection, laboratory procedures, industrial waste treatment, and wastewater mathematics, with courses approved for continuing education credit across 19 U.S. states spanning water (W), wastewater (WW), well driller (WD), and pump installer (PI) operator categories.

Product overview

Approved Environment, Inc. provides an online education platform consisting of individual one-hour courses, multi-course continuing education packages, certification review classes, practice exams, and study textbooks for water and wastewater professionals. The core offerings include individual courses (at $20/hour), bundled packages for specific topics (ranging from $55-$230), comprehensive certification review classes for municipal/industrial/ASO certifications ($180-$288), and practice exams ($10 each). The product suite also includes three supplemental textbooks covering certification review, wastewater treatment operations, and laboratory procedures. All courses are delivered online and approved for continuing education credit across multiple states.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• State-approved continuing education provider in 19 U.S. states for water and wastewater operators
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature6 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Water Environment Federation (WEF): WEF is the leading professional association for water quality professionals and offers wastewater operator training, certification resources, and continuing education. It directly competes with Approved Environment for the same wastewater operator audience through its educational programming.
• American Water Works Association (AWWA): AWWA provides training, certification, and continuing education for drinking water operators and water utility professionals. It is the most established counterpart to Approved Environment for water (versus wastewater) operator CE.
• Office of Water Programs, CSU Sacramento: CSU Sacramento's Office of Water Programs publishes widely used operator training textbooks and correspondence courses for water and wastewater operators. It is a textbook- and course-based competitor serving the same certification review market.
• WaterOperator.org: WaterOperator.org is an online training and certification resource for water and wastewater operators offering exam prep, practice tests, and CE courses. It is a direct online-only competitor to Approved Environment's PLG model.
• Texas Water Utilities Association: TWUA provides training, certification review, and continuing education for Texas water and wastewater operators. It is a state-association competitor with overlapping curriculum and exam-prep offerings.
• California Water Environment Association: CWEA is the California state association providing wastewater operator certification, training, and continuing education. It is one of the most relevant state-level peers since California is among Approved Environment's approved jurisdictions.

Broad incumbents

• HACH: HACH, a Danaher subsidiary, manufactures water analysis instruments and offers extensive operator training on laboratory procedures and compliance. While primarily an instrument vendor, its training catalog overlaps with Approved Environment's laboratory and water chemistry courses.

Regional players

• Florida Water Environment Association: FWEA provides training and CE for wastewater operators in Florida, a state not currently in Approved Environment's approved list. It represents a regional peer with comparable offerings but limited geographic overlap.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 approved environment