The Water Council grew its revenue by more than 23 percent in 2016 and held the growth of expenses to a 16 percent increase, improving its financial performance over 2015.
But the organization also said in its 2016 annual report that revenues were $497,000 lower than expected. The shortfall was offset by $251,000 in revenue from The Water Council’s new ICE Institute members and $143,000 in overall expense savings. Rent and contributed revenues from the Global Water Center was also $135,000 below expectations.
All told, The Water Council had $2.9 million in revenue, up from almost $2.4 million in 2015. Expenses increased from $2.7 million to $3.1 million.
The Water Council co-chairs Paul Jones and Rich Meeusen, highlighted many of the organization’s successes during the year in their annual report letter. Those successes included an invitation to the White House Water Summit, speaking at conferences in Australia, Denmark, Germany, Spain, China, Canada and the U.S, welcoming delegations from 21 counties to Milwaukee, creating a “soft-landing package” for companies coming to the U.S., launching the ICE Institute and hiring the organization’s first chief technology officer.
“The energy doesn’t stop here,” Jones and Meeusen wrote. “Our team understands that water policy and security will play a substantial role from a human life interest to an economic interest to a security interest, and now, more than ever, it’s vital for future-forward technologies to get in front of the right people.”
The report also highlights the success of The Water Council’s Brew Accelerator. Since 2013, The Water Council says 14 of its 25 winners have either been granted patents or have an application pending. The companies have helped create more than 65 full-time positions, 38 internships and raised an additional $2.6 million in capital.
