Jonathan Koepke, '01, M.A. '04, M.B.A. '12, Really Digs His Job
By Lia Kizilbash Gillet
Jonathan Koepke ’01, M.A. ’04, M.B.A. ’12, purchased ENCAP Incorporated in 2020.
(Photo credit: International Erosion Control Association)
Armed with critical thinking and analytical skills honed through earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history at NIU, Jonathan Koepke successfully navigated projects and challenges early in his career — but it was enrolling in the Executive MBA program at NIU that gave him the confidence and business acumen to buy a company.
Today, Koepke is the president and owner of ENCAP Incorporated, a professional services company specializing in ecologically sensitive and water resource-oriented projects.
“We perform ecological consulting, ecological restoration, erosion control, and stormwater management projects large and small,” Koepke said. “We specialize in providing proactive and practical solutions to environmental and ecological challenges on public and private lands. Our professionals work for municipalities, forest preserves and park districts, government agencies, conservation organizations, private landowners and land developers.”
The company is located in DeKalb and employs approximately 45 people.
In 2006, while working at the Kane-DuPage Soil & Water Conservation District, Koepke was recruited to join ENCAP to start a division that performed erosion and sediment control services on construction and restoration sites. He moved into management roles over the next several years and was promoted to a company vice president in 2010. In that same year, he enrolled in the Executive MBA program at NIU.
“There was a lack of business education and expertise in the company, so I decided to pursue my MBA,” Koepke said. “The Executive MBA was an accelerated program and was a huge challenge and time commitment while working full time, but I could not be the successful business leader I am today without that experience and education. It helped propel me to general manager and a minority shareholder, where I managed all aspects of business operations until buying the company in 2020.”
Koepke says taking the leap to purchase the business from the previous owner is the accomplishment he is most proud of in his career.
“It was not without its challenges, but it’s been one of the most rewarding things I have done, and not necessarily from a financial reward standpoint, but more of how I could make the business my own and make decisions based solely on my vision of our company,” he said. “It’s been incredible to see our company and staff grow and develop, and to continue to work together to improve our efficiency, service and quality.”
Koepke is an active leader who enjoys working alongside crews to make a tangible difference in the health of the environment. He is grateful to have a successful business that provides excellent career opportunities while also contributing to the restoration and protection of the natural environment.
“It gives me great pleasure to make a lasting impact on the quality of life for our employees, the communities we work in, and the natural world. I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to do what I do as a career. I also love getting my hands dirty. I am not a president or owner who sits behind a desk. I would rather be behind the controls of an excavator on a stream restoration project. That’s my happy workplace.”
Growing up, Koepke enjoyed getting his hands dirty from an early age. He lived in New Lenox, Illinois, but would spend time with his grandfather on his family’s farm in southwest Illinois, where he learned about soil, erosion and conservation practices. He loved to canoe, camp, fish, hunt and spend as much time as possible outdoors. In addition to his parents, his grandfather had a significant influence on his growth.
“My grandfather, Paul Scheffel, and I had a very close relationship, especially after I finished college,” Koepke said. “He taught me a great deal about life, and we became great friends. He was a mentor to me, helping me throughout my career and personal life. It was my time with him and helping care for the conservation land on our family farm that I got interested in the field that ultimately became my career.”
When it was time for college, Koepke first attended Northland College in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, on the shore of Lake Superior. He found it to be beautiful, but it wasn’t the right fit. He wanted to be closer to home and his family at a university where he could grow and expand his perspective.
“As I looked to transfer to NIU, Marvin Rosen, my undergraduate advisor in the Department of History, convinced me that NIU is where I wanted to be,” Koepke said. “He was a wonderful man who treated me as a person and not just a number. He sought to challenge me and open up opportunities for me that I hadn’t seen for myself. Marvin cared deeply about his students and their success. He really had a passion for teaching, mentoring and his students. I made sure to take every class he offered. He was smart, quirky, and funny, and unfortunately, died far too soon. He was a great person, and I will always miss him.”
Jonathan Koepke stops for a selfie during a prescribed burn of a native prairie. (Photo credit: Jonathan Koepke)Koepke also pursued a minor in environmental science. He combined this with history by studying the history of agricultural advertising by the DeKalb Ag and its influence on the economic and ecological impact of farming in the Midwest. His undergraduate capstone research paper on the topic was awarded the prize for the top research capstone in the Department of History. Later, he continued his research on the same subject for his master’s thesis.
“NIU was an important part of my career and developing me into the person and professional I am today,” Koepke said. “Through taking my education and professional development seriously, and always looking for opportunities, I have been able to make calculated risks to advance my career and take chances that have propelled my success.”
After completing his MBA, Koepke served as an e-mentor for management students at NIU for five years, helping guide them to achieve their own successes.
“I believe in doing the right thing for the right reasons,” he said. “I see myself as measured not by my personal success, but by the success of my clients, employees, and business partners. If all those things are working, then I’m doing right, and my success follows.”
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