WSSI founder Mike Rolband with dogs Boss and Hoover on WSSI’s green roof, 2017.
Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc. (WSSI) emerged from The Michael Rolband Company, a real estate development firm founded in 1988 by Michael S. Rolband, PE, PWD, PWS Emeritus, LEED AP, which specialized in environmentally-challenged sites. In 1991, incorporation under the new name of Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc. reflected our shift in focus to Clean Water Act permitting and the regulatory requirements of state and local water protection efforts, including Virginia’s (new at the time) Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act. Over time we have grown to include more environmental consulting services, expanding with client needs and advancing science and technology.
Today, Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Davey Tree Expert Company, is a leading environmental and cultural resources consultant in the eastern U.S., and has earned a reputation with clients and regulators for setting the standard in environmental and cultural resources consulting. We have worked on more than ±10,000 projects spanning more than 400,000 acres, and created and restored over 1,000 acres of wetlands and designed more than 141 miles of stream restoration. We remain committed to holistically examining environmental and cultural resource issues in the development process and ecosystem restorations. Understanding the unique perspectives of our clients allows us to successfully integrate the practical constraints of economics and land plan requirements with the need to satisfy local, state, and federal regulations.
As a testament to WSSI’s outstanding achievements and unparalleled expertise in our field, we have received numerous industry achievement awards, and our staff are often asked to conduct classes and seminars for local universities, industry associations, and regulatory agencies, including: the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the NAIOP Commercial Real Estate Development Association, the Northern Virginia Building Industry Association (NVBIA), the Engineers and Surveyors Institute (ESI), and the American Law Institute. WSSI staff frequently serve on technical advisory committees and testify before local, state, and national legislative committees regarding wetlands and water resources policy.
WSSI has eight offices in Virginia, Maryland, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Florida.
WSSI Over the Years
1991 | Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc. was incorporated.
1994 | WSSI obtains approval for Julie J. Metz Wetlands Bank, the first private bank in Virginia and the fourth in the U.S.
2000 | WSSI gains approval to sell Virginia’s first stream credits at North Fork Wetlands Bank, the second private bank in Virginia.
2004 | WSSI acquires Thunderbird Archeological Associates; the merger formalized a working relationship between the two firms that dated back more than a decade, and streamlined environmental and cultural resource consulting services with unmatched time and cost-efficiency for clients.
2005 | WSSI opens Virginia’s first Gold-certified office building under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system. Our goal was to incorporate innovative design and sustainability practices into a showcase office building and grounds that support our work and stewardship ideals while allowing us to experiment with important green infrastructure and low impact development practices. Click here to learn more about our headquarters office.
2008 | WSSI starts construction of Virginia’s first dedicated stream bank: Northern Virginia Stream Restoration Bank, five years after formal declaration of intent and four years after beginning the regulatory approval process. WSSI has restored more than 11 miles of stream channel and created 25 acres of overbank wetlands.
2009 | WSSI acquires CivilTraining, LLC, a leading provider of hands-on training, implementation, and consulting services for civil engineering, surveying, and GIS software. CivilTraining’s services boost productivity – and therefore, profitability – through technology. CivilTraining strives to promote knowledge and best practices and has served the industry continuously since 1984, assisting clients with standards implementation, project management, survey automation, and CAD training.
2014 | WSSI becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Davey Resource Group, part of The Davey Tree Expert Company. We collaborate and team with our DRG colleagues to provide a network of services across the country. DRG’s Ecological Consulting Group is similar to WSSI, providing complementary services and extending our geographic range. As a subsidiary of the Davey Tree Expert Company, WSSI has access to additional arboriculture and urban forestry resources to address any tree-related issue for our clients. We are further strengthened by our connection with the Davey Institute, Davey Tree’s technical development and research branch.
2014 | WSSI acquires Klebasko Environmental, a Maryland-based full service environmental consulting firm whose principal, Mike Klebasko, PWS, brought decades of experience to complement WSSI’s own in providing natural and cultural resources consulting on both sides of the Potomac River.
2015 | WSSI establishes its Roanoke, Virginia office to serve clients in western and southwest Virginia.
2017 | WSSI opens an office in Richmond, Virginia to facilitate operations and services in central Virginia.
2018 | WSSI establishes environmental compliance-focused field offices in Raleigh, North Carolina and Tampa, Florida.
2018 | WSSI acquires Kerr Environmental Services Corporation, a Virginia-based environmental consulting firm established in 2002. Led by Bob Kerr, PWD, SPWD, VSWD, the firm’s expertise in natural resource and environmental issues complemented WSSI’s experience and expanded our ability to serve our clients in the Commonwealth and into North Carolina.
2020 | WSSI expands operations in central and southwestern Virginia with the acquisition of EEE Consulting, Inc. (3e). Established in 1998, 3e provided a wide range of environmental and engineering services, including site assessment and remediation; water resource and stormwater management; NEPA document preparation; brownfield redevelopment; certified drone surface modeling; and natural resource investigations and permitting.
2024 | WSSI acquired Louisville, Kentucky-based Riverine Systems, LLC and Riverine Solutions, LLC, founded by Art Parola, PhD, PE in 2003. Dr. Parola and his team established a respected practice providing wetland and stream restoration engineering and turnkey construction services for clients in the eastern U.S. In Dr. Parola’s words, “WSSI was a natural home for the Riverine team due to our shared commitment to innovation and excellence in environmental restoration. We are excited to collaborate and leverage our combined expertise to deliver outstanding stream and wetland restoration projects.”
2025 | WSSI continues to grow, with more than 280 staff providing the highest quality environmental and cultural resource services across the eastern U.S. and beyond.