The Water Council will establish a program of “soft-landing” services for German firms looking to establish offices in the Milwaukee region under a memorandum of understanding signed Monday with the German Water Partnership.
The program would include space for partnership members in the Global Water Centers.
The German Water Partnership is a public-private partnership that serves as a central coordination and contact office of the German water sector in international activities. It is based in Berlin, has a network of 350 members and is supported by five federal ministries in the German government.
In announcing the new agreement, Dean Amhaus, The Water Council president and chief executive officer, noted the roots of Milwaukee’s connection to the water industry developed from German immigrants brewing beer when they came to the city.
“This industry supplied the breweries with everything from the pumps to the meters that kept the water flowing. With this strong history and trade relationships between Wisconsin and Germany, it was only natural for us to expand our global presence in Germany,” he said.
Michael Prange, German Water Partnership general manager, said the two organizations offer their partners and members “an ideal platform to create integrated solutions for the international water market.”
The memorandum of understanding also outlines a framework for the two organizations to collaborate business development and scientific and institutional research. It is also aimed at promoting economic development and helping companies expand their presence in both U.S. and German markets.
The two sides also agree to share business acceleration best practices and explore the development of a program modeled after The Water Council’s BREW Accelerator for German water technology startups.
