Contact: Laura Smith, Office of the Governor, 608-261-2162
Looking to Identify Potential Partnerships on Billions of Dollars in Water Projects
MADISON – Governor Jim Doyle and Commerce Secretary Richard J. Leinenkugel today welcomed officials from Anhui Province, China who are visiting Wisconsin to learn more about the state’s strengths in water technology. Anhui Province is investing billions of dollars in water-related projects through 2020 and is working to identify potential areas for partnership with Wisconsin companies. Wisconsin and Anhui Province have agreed to work together to share ideas and look for opportunities for Wisconsin companies to participate in Anhui’s water-related projects.
“It is a great pleasure for me to welcome the Anhui delegation to Wisconsin to begin an important and exciting collaboration,” Governor Doyle said. “This meeting creates an important framework for Wisconsin and China to further our collaboration in the area of water technology.”
Thanks to Governor Doyle’s leadership in water technology, Wisconsin is the Anhui delegation’s only stop in the United States. The Governor’s trade mission to China in September helped open the doors for Wisconsin companies to become preferred providers for water-related projects in Anhui and other provinces. In November, the Governor traveled to Israel to promote Wisconsin’s water industry on the world stage.
Wisconsin is home to five of the 11 largest water technology companies in the world and the state is making major investments to grow innovative research facilities in Milwaukee and throughout Wisconsin. According to Milwaukee 7, in the Milwaukee region alone, the water industry is a $10.5 billion market that supports 20,000 jobs. Last April, the United Nations designated Milwaukee as the only U.N. Global Compact City for Water in the United States. Many homegrown Wisconsin companies have become water industry giants, such as Badger Meter, A.O. Smith and Kohler.
