PlanIT Geo Acquired By Waverock Software. This Is What It Means
We Will Grow Bigger, Better and Faster to Support Urban Greening
April 21, 2023 | Ian Hanou
In early April, PlanIT Geo™ was officially acquired by Waverock Software based in Scottsdale, Arizona. This partnership is the culmination of a years-long search for a partner that could help us meet the rapidly growing demand for smarter, more equitable green asset management. We wanted to provide additional context for what this means for our clients, TreePlotter™ software, and the future of PlanIT Geo.
The gist: Our people, products, mission, and culture are all still the same. What’s changed is our capacity to grow and innovate thanks to Waverock’s long-term capital, resources, and expertise.
What’s Changing
We are scaling up to meet the growing demand for greener cities, and the people, plans, tools, and data it takes to make it happen. Waverock Software is helping us accomplish this through capital investment and years of expertise in software development, strategic planning, and all facets of operational management.
Joining Waverock Software will allow us to quickly expand our team and processes. We’ve hired nine new employees so far this year, with plans to add more staff and resources throughout 2023. Our software development team has already almost doubled in size, giving us the ability to accelerate the release of updates and product improvements to TreePlotter software.
One update we are particularly excited about is to integrate the workflows, views, data, and reporting between TreePlotter INVENTORY and CANOPY. Bigger picture canopy data and on-the-ground tree inventory data points offer different insights, but when incorporated the right way, they will be intricately tied from equitable planning and design to tracking that enables storytelling. This update, along with our upcoming new mobile app for field users, will allow our many types of users to work seamlessly across different types of urban forestry data to connect the dots on how canopy change relates to what’s happening on the ground, and vice versa.
Additionally, we are transitioning to a fully remote operation this year. This is not actually connected to the acquisition, but since we’re talking about changes: We are saying goodbye to our permanent office in Arvada, Colorado in May. This is what our employees asked for and they are increasingly spread across the country. The decision helps us hire more inclusively based on talent rather than geographic location. We’ll shift our priority towards more opportunities for teams and the company as a whole to travel and work together periodically and plan some fun team building activities.
What’s Not Changing
100% of our team of tree and technology nerds is staying and the same goes for me (Ian Hanou). I will continue as PlanIT Geo’s CEO and am happy to report I’ll be spending more time forging new partnerships, engaging with customers, and developing innovative projects or programs now that the acquisition is complete.
Our company vision and values remain the same. It was an essential requirement to find a partner who believed in our vision and matched our values. You’ll have the same 5-star technical support and personalized consulting services as you’ve come to know and expect from PlanIT Geo.
Why We Sought Out An Acquisition
I asked our team very directly if they wanted to grow, and resoundingly they said “YES!”. Growth is a choice. It takes planning, vision, and of course, resources. With unprecedented federal investment, rising average temperatures, and loss of urban tree canopy from development, storms, and pests, there is an accelerated demand for urban green spaces. We wanted to find a partner who was growth-minded, savvy, and believed in the tremendous value of greening communities through trees and technology. We found that home in Waverock Software and are elated for this next phase of our story to deliver innovative solutions to our customers.
Mike Rozenfeld, CEO at Waverock Software is a passionate operator and investor that works on building high-performing businesses, investing in great companies, and helping others along the way. He is an entrepreneur with a diverse experience in operations, sales and marketing, strategy, private equity investing, and management consulting. Mike’s approach to Waverock Software is to build up software operating companies serving niche industry verticals. With a collaborative long-term approach, Waverock strives to be the most attractive partner for business owners looking to scale their companies, while preserving their legacy.
“We are thrilled to partner with Ian and the team at PlanITGeo, and to support the company over long term.With over 83% of Americans and 75% of Europeans living in urban centers, the importance of green spaces within cities will grow and will receive increased funding.We feel fortunate to be joining forces with a technology and thought leader in this space.”
– MikeRozenfeld,CEO of Waverock Software.
Who PlanIT Geo Is and Continues To Be
Vision: To be the premium provider of urban green space solutions globally by 2025.
Core Values: Knowledgeable, Passionate, Help First, Innovate, Reaction Wood.
PlanIT Geo is well-positioned to address the needs and challenges of healthy cities and the climate crisis by providing valuable data, management, and planning tools to help clients improve the quality of life of their residents and businesses. This acquisition and growth investment has strengthened that position.
Cheers to an amazing growth-minded 2023 and mapping a greener future with us hand-in-hand for our next decade and the journey beyond.
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Stay Up To Date With The Latest News and Events
Join Our Newsletter
Stay informed on the urban forestry industry with our monthly TREEbune newsletter, live webinars, and industry-specific content delivered to your inbox.
Urban Forestry Webinars
PlanIT Geo has a substantial on-demand webinar library. Get CEU credits, grow your knowledge base, and stay current on cutting edge industry technology.
Follow Us
We love to share industry-related news, software tutorials, blogs, and company news across our social channels.