Dean Amhaus, president and chief executive officer of the Water Council, a Milwaukee-based trade group that promotes investment, research and jobs in water technology, has been in demand as water tech has emerged as a green industry.
Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin invited Amhaus as her guest for the annual State of the Union address in January. On the opposite side of the political aisle, Amhaus joined Republican Gov. Scott Walker in China on a 2013 trade mission when Walker called on Amhaus to represent what many see as the state’s most promising industries.
Amhaus, 56, presides over an organization in growth mode. As recently as 2008, the then-named Milwaukee Water Council consisted of borrowed office space with no budget and a few volunteers who had other day jobs.