MILWAUKEE, WIS. – The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), in collaboration with Brookings Metro, convened public and private stakeholders for a discussion about how to leverage the infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to make generational investments in our nation's infrastructure and create economic opportunity for every American.

The event, titled Rethinking Milwaukee's Infrastructure: The Challenges and Opportunities, is the second in a series of events that AEM will host across the country to highlight policy recommendations outlined in the Rebuild With Purpose: An Affirmative Vision for 21st Century American Infrastructure, a Brookings Institution report released in collaboration with AEM last year.

The event featured a fireside chat with Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and Amy Liu of Brookings Metro, who discussed how the city is leveraging newly created federal grant programs to design infrastructure projects that will create greater economic opportunity in the area.

“Infrastructure investment has lagged across America, and in cities like Milwaukee there are pressing needs,” Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said. “We now have new resources at hand to start the work that’s needed. In my city, we are prioritizing the replacement of lead pipes that carry drinking water to individual residences. And with aging roadways, sewers, and streetlighting, we have goals that new resources will help us meet. I appreciate the insight on this topic offered to us by our friends at the Association of Equipment Manufacturers.”

The fireside chat was followed by a panel discussion that featured Milwaukee Department of City Development Commissioner Lafayette Crump, Greater Milwaukee Foundation Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer Kathryn J. Dunn, Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District Executive Director Kevin Shafer, Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce President Tim Sheehy, and was moderated by Brookings Metro Senior Fellow Adie Tomer. The group examined the challenges and opportunities facing communities such as Milwaukee and how the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will help create a modern, sustainable, and equitable infrastructure for all Americans.

"For years, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers has been leading the charge for a generational investment in our nation's infrastructure. With the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed into law, we are partnering with state and local leaders to ensure that we leverage this historic legislation to rebuild roads and bridges, invest in water and wastewater systems, upgrade ports and inland waterways, expand broadband networks, and create more " said AEM President Megan Tanel.

“The United States is well-positioned to rebuild our nation’s infrastructure, but this cannot be accomplished without leaders who are committed to shepherding federal funds to the right infrastructure projects," said Austin Ramirez, Chief Executive Officer of Husco and Chair of AEM’s Infrastructure Vision 2050 Task Force. "The Rebuild with Purpose report can serve as a road map for policymakers for how to leverage federal funding in ways that expand opportunities and improve the quality of life for Milwaukee and the state of Wisconsin."

“We value AEM’s support of our Rebuild with Purpose report and the ensuing collaboration to bring a forward vision of infrastructure to communities across the country, including greater Milwaukee,” said Amy Liu, Vice President and Director of Brookings Metro. “The important conversation with Mayor Johnson and local stakeholders revealed that leaders in greater Milwaukee are in vigorous agreement that clean water, infrastructure jobs, and equitable investments are key to the region’s future economy and quality of life. Further, this is a region eager to partner with the state to realize this shared purpose."

About the Association of Equipment Manufacturers
AEM is the North American-based international trade group representing off-road equipment manufacturers and suppliers, with more than 1,000 companies and more than 200 product lines in the agriculture and construction-related industry sectors worldwide. The equipment manufacturing industry supports 2.8 million jobs in the U.S. Equipment manufacturers also contribute $288 billion a year to the U.S. economy. Visit aem.org/advocacy for more information.  

About Infrastructure Vision 2050
Infrastructure Vision 2050 is the Association of Equipment Manufacturers’ thought leadership policy initiative focused on crafting and supporting the implementation of a long-term, national vision for U.S. infrastructure. Since 2014, IV2050 has developed innovative, transformative solutions to our country’s infrastructure needs. IV2050 is guided by an AEM Task Force of volunteer executive leaders from the association’s member companies representing the construction, agriculture, and utility sectors.