Economy
Can Water Save Milwaukee?
One entrepreneur is trying to remake the city as a capital of water technology
Milwaukee has faced hard times since the industries that long-defined this Midwest city – brewing, tanning and meatpacking – mostly shut down in the 1970s and 1980s. In the last few decades, the city's middle class has shrunk by more than a third.
The tough times have gotten tougher of late. Though violent crime has fallen in recent years, the city is deep in debt and minority unemployment is at a near-record high.* But now a potential magic bullet has emerged, with help from Richard Meeusen, CEO of century-old water meter firm Badger Meter.