Rich Meeusen, The Water Council’s co-founder and the chairman, president and CEO of Brown Deer-based Badger Meter Inc., says the government of Singapore is aggressively backing water research to support its water technology sector, including the creation of a $250 million fund.
There’s a reason behind that, he says. “They can do that because they’ve got a king. He can decide what he wants to do. We don’t have a king and I got a job already.”
Joking aside, Meeusen is glad the Milwaukee region’s water cluster isn’t government-driven. Although the city of Milwaukee and state government have given financial support to The Water Council’s efforts with the Reed Street Yards redevelopment and Global Water Center in Walker’s Point, the water initiative has been mainly led by local industry, universities and entrepreneurs, Meeusen said.