The one thing that was clear from The Business Journal’s recent water roundtable is that there is a tremendous amount of energy and excitement about making the Milwaukee area the world’s water hub. To see photos of all of the participants in the roundtable, check out the attached slideshow.
“The fact of the matter is we are the best cluster in the world,” said Rich Meeusen, The Water Council’s co-founder, and chairman, president and chief executive officer of Brown Deer-based Badger Meter Inc. “I have been everywhere and we have something here that nobody else has.” Milwaukee’s water presence is likely to increase over the next several years with the development of the area’s first water business park in the shadow of the Sixth Street viaduct. Michael Weiss, president of General Capital Group LLP, one of the developers of the business park, is hoping to develop up to 1 million square feet for water-related businesses, which would add hundreds of new jobs to the region.