Milwaukee has long built its culture and history on beer, but nowadays, the focus is on water. Much of this comes from the efforts of the Water Council and its devotion to solving the world's water crisis, beginning right here in Milwaukee.
Dean Amhaus, the Global Water Center's president and CEO notes, “those large breweries, many of them have gone away, but the suppliers continue to grow and develop, and these are the ones that are making pumps, valves, meters, pipes, fixtures, all of those gadgets." He believes they're building on expertise in Milwaukee that’s been around for decades, the companies that traditionally serviced large industrial water users like breweries and tanneries.
"Amhaus doesn’t claim water tech can revive the city’s economy on its own, but he believes it can be the most visible Milwaukee industry globally and help lure other investment to the city.
"Some here dream of a “Silicon Valley of Water.” David Garman, founding dean of the School of Freshwater Sciences, said that like Silicon Valley, the city has research and entrepreneurs. It also has investment, but it needs more."
Click here to visit the Global Water Center project page.