WHO WE ARE

Meet our team

Richard Johnson, PhD

RockWind was founded in 2013 by Dr. Richard Johnson, a PhD in Engineering Mechanics, who is passionate about renewable energy and sustainability. Dr. Johnson’s years of experience researching advanced rocket engine technology for NASA and spearheading materials and manufacturing research for companies like Borg Warner and GATX, and 20 years at Chicago universities (Northwestern and Northern Illinois Universities) enlisting university research strengths to move US manufacturing to the future, have given him unique insight into advanced wind turbine repair and refurbishment. He created Rockwind to demonstrate the use of these technologies in order to save the environment while producing a reasonable return on investment.

Rachel Johnson, esq.

After nearly a decade of helping the Rockwind team as a contractor, Dr. Johnson’s daughter Rachel formally joined Rockwind in 2023 as co-owner. A lawyer with a strong interest in environmental law & policy, Rachel brings an eclectic background and a wide range of skills to Rockwind, drawing on her previous experience as an archaeologist to assess land use policies, her legal education to advise on environmental law and policy and to review contracts and legal documentation, and her background in film, writing, and editing to manage Rockwind’s media presence, film promotional material, and review and edit grant proposals.