Partners
Acequia Partners Tim Wiley (left) and Kenneth Cook (right)
Kenneth W. Cook, Managing Partner
Kenneth Cook is the visionary who spent four years developing Acequia's irrigation management software that has saved over 2 billion gallons of water to date. His passion for water conservation goes back to his days in turf production. As a founding partner of Crenshaw-Douguet Turf Grass, Cook helped develop two buffalo grasses that are widely planted today and use significantly less water than traditional landscaping grasses. Cook went on to build two commercial landscaping companies, one of which he sold to ServiceMaster LLP (NYSE) in 1998 as the core of what became TruGreen LandCare.
Inspiration struck Cook when technology advanced to move data across a wireless path. He started to figure out how to transmit information from specific plant beds to his computer, have the computer calculate watering needs, transmit data back to the irrigation system and efficiently control the water flow. Even Cook was initially surprised by the significant water savings Acequia now generates for its clients. He underestimated the amount of water being wasted on commercial properties but today has saved his clients over 50 - 80 percent of their historical water consumption.
Cook and his wife, a landscape architect, have six children. Cook received his Bachelor of Science degree from Texas A&M University. In addition to saving water, Cook's other passion is his ranch in Athens, Texas, where he cultivates pecans and hay.
Tim Wiley, Partner
Tim Wiley, a licensed real estate broker in the state of Texas, joined Acequia in 2004 after spending 20 plus years in commercial real estate development, management and marketing as executive vice president for a regional real estate company. While Wiley doesn't consider himself an extreme environmentalist, he does see the need to find a balance between growth and development without damaging the earth. Wiley found a way to strike that balance when he joined Acequia as a partner, quickly realizing the ease with which real estate companies could add value to their properties at little or no cost. Given the shared net savings between clients and Acequia, Wiley considers water conservation a bonus to his clients and the world.
An Austin native, Wiley continues to reside there with his wife. Wiley received his Bachelor of Science degree from Texas A&M University and today has two children. He spends his free time at his central Texas ranch homesteaded by his family in excess of 90 years. Wiley is passionate about spending time outdoors and says Acequia opened his eyes to massive water waste in irrigation.