Who We Are

Riverwood Educational Services Cares

While Riverwood Educational Services official incarnation wasn’t until 2015, its roots were sown many years prior.  It’s sister company Riverwood Business Consulting, LLC was founded in 2009 by Mark Giese, CPA.   Riverwood Business Consulting used Mark’s unique business background to serve the unmet needs of the small/medium size business market.

While building a successful consulting company with business clients nationwide, Mark had many discussions over the years with his brother Michael, who was the Director of Technology at the Merrill Area Public Schools (MAPS) in central Wisconsin.  Michael’s background is in education which started as a sixth grade teacher and included roles as a technology teacher, certified technology trainer and Director of Technology. He holds Wisconsin licensure as an Elementary/Middle School teacher and has a Masters degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on Technology Education.  The Merrill Area Public Schools was the birthplace for Bridges Virtual Academy, a virtual charter school serving students and families across the entire state of Wisconsin.  In his role as Director of Technology at MAPS, Michael was responsible for handling all of the technology needs for Bridges Virtual Academy.  Having students and technology spread throughout the state created logistic and technology support issues not previously faced by traditional brick and mortar technology departments.

After many discussions, the Gieses realized there was an unmet need for virtual charter schools which could not be effectively serviced by internal school district IT departments or external IT firms that did not have the knowledge or focus on the education market.  Combining Mark’s knowledge of business with Mike’s background as an educator and director of technology within a school district allowed the pair to develop a business plan and service offering which filled a market void.  The result was RESI – providing comprehensive technology solutions to the virtual charter schools being formed throughout Wisconsin.  The Gieses have surrounded themselves with a knowledgeable supporting cast including an Instructional Library Media Specialist, a technology trainer, network administrators, network technicians, and a virtual charter school teacher.

After a very successful start serving the charter school market, RESI found its offerings and skillsets also provided solutions for unmet needs in the parochial school market.  With the addition of several new parochial school clients, RESI officially expanded its addressable market to include parochial schools in 2016.

Contact us for a free consultation.