Until a couple of weeks ago, perhaps the only Radke of any notoriety in the Great Lakes region was Brad Radke, the longtime starting pitcher who wielded pinpoint control more often than not when he took the bump for the Minnesota Twins.Fans of the Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, or Detroit Tigers were happy to see Brad Radke retire prematurely in 2006. But now there's a new Radke on the scene. His name is Roger Radke. He's the president and CEO of Siemens Water Technology. And he recently gave business leaders in Milwaukee a big morale boost when he said "Wisconsin easily is the most important state for us in the U.S."
Water Tech, like renewable energy, is a multi billion dollar global business growing faster than many markets on the planet. And the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel published a smart feature on the significance of Mr. Radke's statement to the Milwaukee region.
But it's the final two sentences of that article that should capture the undivided attention of entrepreneurs, politicians, economic development officials, and the blue-, white-, and green-collar workers across the greater Great Lakes region
"Asked if the global water industry has its own Silicon Valley yet, Radke said he doesn't know of any. That title, he said, remains up for grabs."
