Bringing our landscapes into harmony with nature.
Founded on the simple belief that our landscapes should put the ecosystem first. The landscapes we create reduce maintenance, add beauty, and support the local ecosystem they're a part of.
Our Story
PrairieTech’s founder, Josh Gutman, has always had an entrepreneurial spirit and started a lawn care business as soon as he got his driver’s license. After years of mowing, trimming, and spraying lawns, he began to see the same thing everywhere… vast open spaces devoid of life.
Throughout America, millions of acres of unused grass are watered, mowed, and sprayed with chemicals every year all while providing zero ecological value. Additionally, many of the most popular plants used for designed landscapes are non-native species that aren't adapted to our local ecosystems. Josh saw an opportunity to change this.
PrairieTech was founded on the simple idea that our landscapes should put the ecosystem first. We strive to use exclusively native plants in our designs, creating landscapes that are beautiful, low maintenance, and supportive of the local ecosystems they’re a part of.
In 2024 Josh teamed up with co-founder Zach Goetz and they set out to improve the ecological quality of Wisconsin’s landscapes. They’ve already transformed more than 50,000 sqft of land into thriving native habitat, and they’re only getting started. Work with us to bring your property into harmony with nature, creating beauty, biodiversity, and lasting value.
Meet the Founders
Josh Gutman
(608) 217-9190
After running a lawn care business through high school, Josh became all too familiar with the ecological waste & destruction inherent in the lawncare industry. After college, determined to make a positive impact on the landscapes he grew up in, he founded PrairieTech.
A lifelong outdoorsman, Josh draws design inspiration directly from what he observes in Wisconsin's prairies, forests, and other natural landscapes.
Zach Goetz
(608) 217-6065
Coming from a dull corporate job, Zach was eager to embark on a radical new venture with his childhood friend.
Zach approaches each project with a designer’s eye and a sharp analytical approach to plant selection. As a lifelong nature enthusiast, he is continually learning more about our natural world.
His father and grandfather are both avid gardeners. This early exposure helped Zach gain an eye for landscape design, and an appreciation for the impact outdoor spaces have on us all.
Our Motivation
Populations of beloved neighborhood creatures like bumblebees, butterflies, and songbirds have been in steady decline for decades. For instance, since 1970, America's songbird population has dropped by an alarming 30%. Scientists cite climate change, habitat destruction, and pesticide use as the main culprits of these declining populations. We want to do something about it.
Today in America, 40 million acres of land are devoted to turf lawn. To maintain that lawn, Americans consume 80 million pounds of pesticide, 3 million tons of fertilizer, and 800 million gallons of gas EVERY YEAR. The turf lawn is a resource vacuum that provides ZERO ecological benefit. Its prolific grip on the American urban landscape persists only because we are conditioned to think of it as the standard. Ask yourself: What does your lawn actually do for you? How often do you use it? Could you live without it—or at least part of it?
We want to encourage and enable people to embrace a more ecologically impactful landscape design ethic. The designed prairie or meadow garden provides habitat, complex natural beauty, improves biodiversity, and instills a sense of connectedness with the local ecosystem. We believe we have the power to enact change.
