Who we are

Watershed Growth Partners is a New‑York‑based operator-led advisory and investment firm focused on water, wastewater, and resource‑recovery—including domestic and hazardous waste and adjacent environmental services.

  • Cross-border operators. Operational expertise in billion‑dollar platforms across North America, Australia, China, and Europe enables us to guide European sponsors into the U.S. market—and U.S. funds into Europe or ANZ—without the learning curve.

  • Practical ESG. Every diligence includes a quick sustainability score-card and action sketch that map straight to the fund’s ESG goals.

“Eric’s operator-level insight and disciplined board guidance have been instrumental in sharpening Synagro’s growth strategy and accelerating our M&A pipeline. His ability to translate complex operational realities into investor-ready decisions is a genuine asset.”

Bob Preston, Chief Executive Officer, Synagro Technologies

One mandate, four ways we help

  • Test the deal. 15-day tech/ops/ESG red-flag review—kill it or clear it.

  • Stay on the board. Quarterly strategy refresh, KPI heat-map, exit story.

  • Step-in leadership. When asked, we bridge the first 180 days as interim CEO/CRO and hand a cohesive team to the permanent leader.

  • Aligned economics. If invited, we co-invest alongside the sponsor and draw on a vetted bench of functional specialists only when deeper expertise is required.

With board‑room judgment and field-tested operating discipline, we turn solid environmental businesses into high-return platforms—rewarding both investors and management.

Meet the Founder

Eric Gernath

Former operating CEO, SUEZ North America & Australia. Eric Gernath now leads Watershed Growth Partners, working directly with private‑equity sponsors from LOI through exit.

Where Eric fits in a deal

  • Pre-Deal Diligence – 15-day Tech / Ops / ESG “red-flag” review, management reality-check, and value-bridge snapshot to clear — or kill — a target.

  • Board-level accelerator – Quarterly strategy refresh, KPI heat-map, bolt-on sounding-board, and exit-readiness lens from signing to sale.

  • Step-in integration CEO / CRO – 3- to 6-month bridge leadership when the sponsor asks, steering Day-1-to-Day-90 work-streams and handing a cohesive, KPI-driven team to the permanent hire.

Current board roles

  • Atlas‑SSI – Water‑intake and screening equipment (strategy & ESG)

  • Synagro Technologies – Biosolids recycling (M&A pipeline)

Career highlights

  • Board member, Synagro — Re-set service-sales process, supported bolt-ons, upgraded key talents. Pipeline and margins both up.

  • CEO, SUEZ North America – $1.2 B revenue, digital overhaul, +9 % CAGR

  • CEO, SUEZ Australia – Tripled revenue to $1.1 B, +17 % CAGR, integrated $ 250 M acquisition

  • Founder, Guangdong Degrémont (China) – Built SUEZ’s first Chinese subsidiary, now a regional benchmark

  • Earlier: Turnaround CEO at TERIS LLC; commercial leadership at United Water, Nalco, Foster Wheeler.

Credentials & background

  • MSc Project Management (École Centrale Méditerranée) • MSc Chemical Engineering (INSA Rouen)

  • American, French and Australian citizen, he lives in Scarsdale, NY. Invests personal capital when invited by the sponsor.

Contact us

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