International Blog: Catalan Water Partnership
By: Beverley Ferrara, European Representative at The Water Council
Certain groups I interact with in Europe more than live up to their name: Like the Catalan Water Partnership (CWP) in Spain. This group is especially welcoming and friendly – as well as extremely astute. Their open approach could mean rich opportunities for collaboration for members of The Water Council if you’re looking to expand your business internationally.
CWP profile
A ten-year-old, non-profit strategic association headquartered in Barcelona, the CWP’s scope is purposely broad: promoting projects and collaborations for developing sustainable water solutions. CWP leadership Xavier Amores and Sara Gabarrón are well known and respected within The Water Council. In fact, the CWP and TWC signed an MOU agreement at WEFTEC last year. Since then, we have welcomed two Spanish companies, SIGMA Daf and CondorChem Envitech, as overseas members of The Water Council.
Ideas in motion
I recently met with Xavier and Sara in Barcelona to discuss how we might grow our relationship even further and to meet with Catalan companies that are interested in exploring business opportunities in the U.S. by working with The Water Council. These companies ranged from fast growing start-ups like BluePhage, which specializes in environmental testing solutions, Createch360º leaders in intelligent control solutions and the Craley Group, innovators in smart infrastructure, to established companies like Unex and ITC Dosing Pumps, which are already active in the U.S.
Going forward
Our goal going forward is to open new doors between the members of our two organizations to facilitate new innovation and business opportunities. In the spirit of deepening these relationships, we have invited CWP members to visit the Global Water Center in person and experience our ecosystem at a two-day event in September following WEFTEC. I will be attending as well. Please let me know if you’re interested in participating.
Here for you
In the meantime, a reminder that overall, I’m here to help facilitate opportunities in Europe for Wisconsin companies. As your overseas liaison I can conduct preliminary market research, help broker introductions and facilitate meetings, among other things. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you’re interested in exploring how we can support your strategies in Europe. bferrara@thewatercouncil.com.