FirstPathway Weblog

Monday August 13, 2012- The Global Water Center kicked off renovations today with a ceremony attended by Wisconsin Governor, Scott Walker and several local officials. The Milwaukee Water Council begins renovations this week on an innovative water research & business accelerator center, scheduled to open in early 2013. The facility will be a venue for attracting and creating new businesses in the water industry, and will address key local and global water-quality technology and policy issues. The seven-story building, will house the research operations of Badger Meter Inc., A.O. Smith Corp., University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s School of Freshwater Sciences among other tenants.

Attendees included: Bob Kraft Chairman and CEO of FirstPathway Partners, Chris Abele Milwaukee County Executive, Johannes Britz Provost and Vice Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Richard Meeusen Co-chair of the Milwaukee Water Council and President of Badger Meter, Paul Jones Co-chair of the Milwaukee Water Council and CEO of A.O. Smith Corporation, and Dean Amhaus Executive Director of the Milwaukee Water Council.

The center will feature common area amenities, including a 50 person lecture hall, exhibition space for new prototypes and, most importantly, high-tech, shared, core facilities. These core facilities, such as a state-of-the-art water flow lab, are critical to supporting the cutting-edge water research and product development activities of the cluster. The facilities will be constructed to provide resources and expertise that are not presently available anywhere else in the world.

FirstPathway Partners is proud to be an investor in this job creating project.

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Last Week, Chairman, Huo Guanglai and GM, Yuan Chao of the Beijing Ducks hosted former Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle, Foley & Lardner Partner Marc Marotta, and FirstPathway Partners President Bob Kraft and Director of China Operations Dan Redford at a Beijing Ducks basketball game at the Shougang Steel Arena. The Beijing Ducks are Beijing’s premier Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) team.

The delegation toured the campus of the Shougang Steel’s Arena, which includes an international basketball gymnasium, training facilities, tennis courts, and engineering academy.

This year the Ducks are led by NBA star Stephen Marbury. We are happy to say that the Ducks walked away with a huge victory and are the early favorite for the CBA championship!

Marotta is a former Marquette University basketball player and Chairman of the board for the Milwaukee Bradley Center, home of the NBA Bucks.

FirstPathway Partners is proud to support a growing dynamic partnership between the Beijing Ducks and the city of Milwaukee. In 2006, the Ducks came to Milwaukee to train with Bucks, building lasting friendships and a long-term relationship. We look forward to welcoming the Ducks back to Milwaukee in the near future.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011- Bob Kraft Chairman and CEO of FirstPathway Partners was chosen to moderate two sessions at the 47^th annual Wisconsin International Trade Conference.

During the sessions, Kraft commended the efforts of Milwaukee Mayor, Tom Barrett in expanding international trade, particularly with China. In his speech, the mayor encouraged efforts to further increase international trade and investment in our community, citing his support for EB5. The mayor expressed excitement for such projects as the Marriott which is seeking EB5 financing through FirstPathway Partners.  Mayor Barrett has also dubbed the summer of 2011 “The Summer of China,” featuring the US Table Tennis Open and The Milwaukee Art Museum’s, The Emperor’s Private Paradise: Treasures from the Forbidden City.  Several Chinese delegations are scheduled to visit Milwaukee throughout the summer.

In conjunction with the Wisconsin International Trade Conference,  FirstPathway Partners also attended the Wisconsin Export Awards luncheon where Wisconsin Governor, Scott Walker addressed International business leaders. The Governor’s key message to investors and entrepreneurs was that Wisconsin is open for business. Wisconsin has added 24,000 jobs in the past 3 months, leading the country in new job creation. FirstPathway Partners is committed to driving job creation in Target Employment Areas across Wisconsin.

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Tuesday, September 28 2010- Wisconsin Governor, Jim Doyle signed a “collaborative trade agreement” with Shaanxi Governor, Zhao Zhengyong, during a weeklong trade mission to China. Wisconsin is excited to extend cooperation and exchange with the Shaanxi province.

FirstPathway Partners, Chairman and CEO, Bob Kraft also traveled to Xi’an, Shaanxi’s capital city, last week to encourage cooperation with the province.

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Bob Kraft  FirstPathway Chairman and CEO joins Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle on a trade mission to Shanghai and Beijing this week. Jon Huntsman, United States Ambassador to China will host the delegation at his residence tomorrow to discuss investment and trade between China and Wisconsin.

This Friday at the Grand Hyatt Beijing, Bob Kraft will present on the topic of EB5 during a business strategy & opportunities seminar hosted by the mission entitled “Introducing Wisconsin”. Guests are by mission invitation only.

Doyle and delegation are also to meet with the Ministry of Commerce, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), the Ministry of Science and Technology, Party Secretary Sun Chao, and Officials of the Minhang District of Shanghai.

During his trip to the Pacific Rim Kraft plans to visit FirstPathway offices, partners and agents though out China and South Korea.

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