Please click here to read the article on JSOnline about the Water Hub.
Please click here to view a video message from Governor Scott Walker to Rich Meeusen when he received the Business Leader of the Year Award.
NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: June 6, 2011
Contact Information: Mary von der Ehe
mvonderehe@badgermeter.com
800-876-3837, ext. 16213
BADGER METER CEO RICH MEEUSEN ACCEPTS 2011 US WATER PRIZE ON BEHALF OF THE MILWAUKEE WATER COUNCIL
Clean Water America Alliance Awards Milwaukee Water Council One of Five US Water Prizes
MILWAUKEE, Wis. – On May 9, 2011 in Washington, D.C., Rich Meeusen, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Badger Meter (BMI), a Milwaukee-based manufacturer of flow management solutions, accepted the inaugural 2011 U.S. Water Prize on behalf of the Milwaukee Water Council. Given by the Clean Water America Alliance, an educational organization whose goal is to unite people and policies for water sustainability, the prize was awarded to five U.S. organizations that have developed watershed-based approaches toward water sustainability. The Milwaukee Water Council was nominated by Laurent Auguste, president and chief executive officer of Veolia Water Americas with recommendations by U.S. Senator Herb Kohl, the U.N. Global Compact Cities Programme, Michael Lovell, interim chancellor of the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, and David M. Smith, Wisconsin state executive of the IBM Company. Other award recipients included City of Los Angeles, The National Great Rivers Research & Education Center, New York City Department of Environmental Protection and the Pacific Institute.
The Milwaukee Water Council, the only organization of its kind in the U.S., works to establish public and private partnerships that focus on water research, education and economic development. Consisting of leaders in both business and academics, the Milwaukee Water Council brings together municipalities, water companies and academia alike to help educate and train talent on the power and importance of water sustainability. Originally started as an all-volunteer organization with almost no public funding, the Water Council now consists of 75 companies, universities and organizations.
Since he co-founded the Milwaukee Water Council four years ago with Paul Jones, chairman and chief executive officer of A.O. Smith Corporation, Meeusen has worked diligently to spread the word about the Milwaukee area being a global “water hub” for technology and research.
“Tremendous credit for the Milwaukee Water Council’s success and our receiving this esteemed prize is due to Rich Meeusen because of his unconventional vision and steadfast evangelism for this region’s water technology cluster,” stated Dean Amhaus, executive director of the Milwaukee Water Council.
Meeusen’s job at the helm of Badger Meter, mainly known for its water metering technology, inspired his dedication to the global water cause. Meeusen says, “Working with Badger Meter has brought to light the fact that societies now see water as a valuable commodity that should not be taken for granted.”
Milwaukee’s water hub future for technology and research
With an industrial history rooted in brewing and boilermaking, Milwaukee has unintentionally turned it into a region now filled with more than 130 water technology companies. “Milwaukee will no longer be known just for brewing and manufacturing, but for global innovative water technologies,” Meeusen said.
The Milwaukee region is home to many academic research programs studying water technologies including the Great Lakes WATER Institute, the graduate-level School of Freshwater Sciences at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, the Marquette University water law program, and the new water business management emphasis at the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater, which was championed by the Milwaukee Water Council. In addition to the academic programs, the Milwaukee area has more than 100 academic scientists and researchers focused on water solutions.
Milwaukee has been recognized internationally as a center of freshwater expertise with its designation as a U.N. Global Compact City. The city is also a national sustainability leader for managing stormwater with green infrastructure, extracting renewable energy from waste products and mitigating and adapting to climate change.
Besides educating the world about the green global water industry and starting new research initiatives, the Milwaukee Water Council hopes to create new local jobs in water-related industries. So far the number of jobs created lies around the 100 mark. Meeusen says, “Job creation has just begun and we hope to make a larger economic impact in the future.”
About Badger Meter:
Badger Meter is a leading innovator, manufacturer and marketer of flow measurement and control products, serving water utilities, municipalities and industrial customers worldwide. Measuring a variety of liquids — from water to oil and lubricants in industrial processes — products from Badger Meter are known for their high degree of accuracy, long-lasting durability and their ability to provide valuable and timely measurement information to customers. Residential and commercial metering technology from Badger Meter is designed for optimal system performance, superior reading and billing accuracy, and maximized revenue generation. For more information, visit www.badgermeter.com.
About The Milwaukee Water Council:
The Milwaukee Water Council is aligning its freshwater research community and water-related industries to further grow the Milwaukee region into the world hub for water research, economic development, and education. For more information, visit http://www.thewatercouncil.com.
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