Aquascape, Inc.

Infobox Company
name = Aquascape, Inc.
type = Private
foundation = 1991
location_city = St. Charles, Illinois
location_country = USA
location =
locations =
key_people = Founded by Greg Wittstock a.ka. The Pond Guy
area_served =
industry = Water Gardening, Ecosystem Ponds
products =
services =
revenue = $60 Million
operating_income =
net_income =
num_employees = 175
parent =
divisions =
subsid =
slogan = Ponds Done Right. Customers Served Right
homepage = http://www.aquascapeinc.com
dissolved =
footnotes =
intl =

Description

Aquascape, Inc. is an American manufacturer specializing in water features for use in water garden and ecosystem pond applications. The company is based in St. Charles, IL, which was recently named "The Water Garden Capital of The World" and is home to "Aqualand," the corporate headquarters of Aquascape, Inc. Aqualand is a 250,000 square foot LEED certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) eco-friendly building [http://www.usgbc.org/LEED/Project/RegisteredProjectListDetail.aspx?ID=10002565] that houses office and warehouse space. The roof is the largest sloping green roof in North America, planted with native prairie grass and flowers, and a complete irrigation system.

History

Growth

Aquascape Designs, Inc. was founded in 1991 by Greg Wittstock a.k.a The Pond Guy as a part-time college job. Aquascape has since grown to be a multi-million dollar corporation and educational resource for the water gardening industry. After purchasing Water Creations, Inc. in 2003, Aquascape shifted its focus to the retail sector of the water gardening industry. As the company continued to grow, Wittstock developed the distributor program “ [http://www.aquascapeinc.com/wholesale/aapd_finder/index.php Authorized AquascapePRO Distributors] .” At the end of 2007 Aquascape Designs, Inc. underwent a branding change to Aquascape, Inc.

Focus

Aquascape's core focus is education. One of Aquascape’s largest educational events occurs every July and is called Pondemonium, which is an educational event for the water garden industry. Aquascape is also home to several publications including Aquascape Lifestyles Magazine.

Recognition

In 1999, Aquascape was named by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest growing 500 companies to watch. To date, Aquascape has listed among Inc.'s "Top 500 Companies to Watch" four times. Also, CEO Greg Wittstock was named one of the best bosses to work for by Fortune Magazine [http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fsb/fsb_archive/2005/10/01/8357491/index.htm] and Winning Workplaces [http://www.winningworkplaces.org/bestbossesaward/previouswinners/bb2005_wittstock.php] .

References

[http://www.inc.com/magazine/20070801/and-there-was-happiness-in-aqualand.html And There Was Happiness in Aqualand] , Inc.com, 2007-08-01
[http://www.inc.com/articles/2005/07/inc500culture.html Creating a Company Culture That Rocks] , Inc.com, 2007-07-25
[http://www.inc.com/magazine/20070201/finance-wealth-management.html The Problem with Passion] , Inc.com, 2007-02-01
[http://www.inc.com/magazine/20031101/aquascape.html Building a Marketing Juggernaut] , Inc.com, 2003-11-01
[http://www.inc.com/app/inc500/viewCompany.jsp?cmpId=1999116 Inc. 500 Top Companies to Watch, 1999]
[http://www.inc.com/app/inc500/viewCompany.jsp?cmpId=2000091 Inc. 500 Top Companies to Watch, 2000]
[http://www.inc.com/app/inc500/viewCompany.jsp?cmpId=2001230 Inc. 500 Top Companies to Watch, 2001]
[http://www.inc.com/app/inc500/viewCompany.jsp?cmpId=2002414 Inc. 500 Top Companies to Watch, 2002]
[http://www.winningworkplaces.org/bestbossesaward/previouswinners/bb2005_wittstock.php Best Bosses Award 2005] , Winning Work Places, 2007-08-01
[http://www.winningworkplaces.org/library/success/aquascape_designs_applyi.php Success Stories, Winning Work Places]
[http://www.epdmroofing.com/index.cfm?act=case_study_detail&Press_ID=483 Aquascape Designs Incorporated Installs Largest Green Roof in North America] , Carlisle's Case Studies, 2002-02-22
[http://interiorbusinessonline.com/news/printer.asp?ID=523&Source=news 'Aqualand' to Feature 5.5-Acre Green Roof] , Interior Business Online, 2004-07-13
[http://www.greenroofs.com/projects/pview.php?id=526 Aqualand: Aquascape, Inc. Headquarters]
[http://www.kcchronicle.com/articles/2007/07/31/business/local/doc46affcedf034a279095463.txt Decker joins Aquascape for opportunity, employee culture] , Kane Country Chronicle, 2007-07-31
[http://www.kcchronicle.com/articles/2005/10/18/business/archive-265421030784.txt Aquascape owner ranks as a best boss] , Kane County Chronicle, 2005-10-18
[http://www.kcchronicle.com/articles/2004/07/15/business/archive-825364812885.txt 'Aqualand' Is About Fun] , Kane County Chronicle, 2004-07-15
[http://www.kcchronicle.com/articles/2006/07/13/local%20news/archive-672866063764.txt Waterfall Wonders] , Kane County Chronicle, 2006-07-13
[http://www.kcchronicle.com/articles/2006/01/13/business/archive-856798237440.txt Aqualand Offers Exercise in Paradise] , Kane County Chronicle, 2006-01-13
[http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/stcharlessun/news/foster/470579,2_6_2_CH18_JOANI_S1.article From Frog Pond to Bubbling Business] , St. Charles Sun, 2007-07-18
[http://blog.inc.com/pondemonium/greg-wittstock/index.html Greg Wittstock Bio, Inc.com]
[http://www.lawnandlandscape.com/news/news.asp?ID=6091 Aquascape Returns To Epcot Center] , Lawn & Landscape News, 2007-02-21
[http://www.lawnandlandscape.com/news/news.asp?ID=6070 Aquascape Plans Water Garden Seminars] , Lawn & Landscape News, 2007-02-14
[http://www.kcchronicle.com/articles/2008/04/12/business/local/doc480182685753e251738180.txt Aquascape Fights Weakness With Barrel] , Kane Country Cronicle, 2008-04-12

ee also

*Water garden
*Landscape architecture

External links

* [http://www.aquascapeinc.com Aquascape Website]
* [http://www.pondlifestyles.com Pond Lifestyles]
* [http://www.watergardenexcellence.com Water Garden Excellence]
* [http://www.aquascapelifestyles.com Aquascape Lifestyles Magazine]
* [http://www.certifiedaquascapecontractor.com/ Certified Aquascape Contractor]
* [http://www.pondemonium.org Pondemonium]
* [http://myspace.com/aquascape_water_gardens Aquascape MySpace Profile]
* [http://www.myspace.com/pond_guy The Pond Guy MySpace Profile]
* [http://www.aquascapeinc.com/about_us/about-pond-guy.php About the Pond Guy]
* [http://youtube.com/watch?v=OMKDOhML_Y0 Aquascape Commercial on YouTube]
* [http://blog.inc.com/pondemonium Pondemonium Blog at Inc.com]
* [http://www.youtube.com/user/Aquascape4 Aquascape YouTube Channel]