Honored
Leader: Greg Wittstock, CEO and President
Company Name: Aquascape Designs, Inc.
Location: Batavia, Ill.
Nature of Business: Water gardening systems
Founded: 1993
Revenue: $48 million
Growth Rate (2004): 14 percent
Number of Employees: 130
Average Tenure: 4 years
Aquascape Designs, a 12-year-old company with 130 employees, has positioned itself as the leading provider of water gardening products and services, with an estimated 50 percent of market share for the contractor segment of the industry. CEO and President Greg Wittstock has built a values-based culture that is reinforced through a weekly internal newsletter, The Froggy Chronicles, and KOI (Kontinuous Operational Improvements), an employee committee dedicated to improving processes, procedures, and communications. The company is now building "Aqualand," a workplace utopia that employees have helped design. Employee benefits far exceed industry averages, for example, employees are encouraged to relieve stress and build camaraderie using the company gym, sport court, pool tables, and other games. Wittstock believes it is important to create an environment that promotes laughter, innovation, honesty, harmony, and healthy lifestyles.