“I spend more time thinking about irrigation and water use than most reasonable people!” laughs Steve Whitesell, CEO of Radian Developers in Park City.

 

Steve’s fascination with wedding systems management with his global perspective has taken him from a USC International Relations degree to the Peace Corps, and eventually to Utah State for a master’s in forestry. His experiences shaped a core belief: “Almost every challenge, from water, to climate and land use, come down to how systems interact. I wanted to help people make better decisions with data.”

Since 2007, Radian Developers has helped organizations from utilities to universities understand the interaction of climate variability, human behavior, and natural systems. In Utah, Radian has teamed with Salt Lake City and Utah State University. Nationally, companies like Scotts Miracle-Gro, Hunter, Rain Bird and many others lean on Steve’s expertise, which includes battling common misconceptions. “One is that all turfgrass is automatically wasteful,” he explains. “Healthy, managed landscapes provide cooling, filter pollutants, and are a strong carbon sink. If the question is the least amount of water for the most carbon sequestration, grass is the answer.”

 

The second misconception is that outdoor water waste is mostly about plant selection, but it is mostly from irrigation system performance.

 

Arriving for grad school in the ‘90s, Steve noticed Utah’s mountain towns are “built around being outside and maintaining a connection to the land. In Park City, the outdoors becomes part of everyday life, with an incredible sense of community and entrepreneurial energy. We attract people who are curious, engaged, and doing interesting things. I love how conversations turn into ideas, collaboration and friendships.”

 

An avid mountain biker and free-heel skier, Steve loves outdoor times with his wife, “trying to keep up,” he smiles. “Time outdoors sparks my best ideas.”

 

“Owning a business is nothing less than exhilarating,” he says. “Our goal is helping communities make better decisions in a changing world.”