The View from Europe: Showcasing Milwaukee to Europe

By: Beverley Ferrara, European Representative at The Water Council

Showcasing Milwaukee to Europe

Last month, The Water Council welcomed nearly 30 guests from water organizations in Spain, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK – the largest group of European water executives to ever visit the city. The visit gave us the opportunity to underscore Milwaukee’s image as a global, progressive center of water management — and The Water Council’s role within it – enhancing the city’s image as well as our own.

The guests came from a wide variety of overseas water management companies and organizations, including start-ups, engineering firms, equipment manufacturers, universities, consultants and our EU partners: The Water Alliance, The Catalan Water Partnership and The German Water Partnership.

“I am so happy I joined this event. I learned a lot and you put this area on the forefront of my mind.”

–Comment from member of the Netherlands Water Partnership

While in Milwaukee, the European visitors participated in a series of insight sharing roundtable discussions with U.S., Wisconsin and local government, industrial and academic representatives — and with each other — on topics like how to simplify entry into the U.S. market, mitigate risk, encourage the adoption of new innovation and encourage entrepreneurial thinking. They also enjoyed visits to see the workings of Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District’s (MMSD) wastewater treatment facility on Jones Island, A. O. Smith Corporate Technology Center and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences.

Senior water executives from Spain, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK experience MMSD’s Jones Island during a recent event hosted by The Water Council addressing global water management issues.

Building Long-term Relationships

What was unique about this visit was that guests not only experienced TWC, its partners and the city, they also had an opportunity to learn from each other, peer to peer. The culmination of many months of nurturing, the event is a reminder that it’s personal relationships that foster real progress. And the potential for solidifying long-term relationships is great.

We are delighted that two of our visitors have joined The Water Council as Overseas Members. Welcome Sabine Stuiver and Art Valkieser of Hydraloop BV and Tom Wooley of Aquasuite. We look forward to working with you and helping move your organizations forward in the U.S through Wisconsin based partnerships.

Here for you

As a reminder I can help broker introductions and meetings in Europe for Wisconsin based companies. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you’d like to explore how TWC can support your international business development strategies. bferrara@thewatercouncil.com.