When people talk about Milwaukee’s economy, Port Milwaukee isn’t usually the first thing that comes up. But tucked along the Lake Michigan shoreline just south of downtown, Port Milwaukee is a quiet giant, powering commerce and global trade in ways most residents rarely understand. Hosting hundreds of cargo ships each year, the port generates vital income, jobs and resources not only for Milwaukee, but also for southeastern Wisconsin, northern Illinois, and southeastern Minnesota.
This active hub moves everything from steel and salt to grain and cement. Port Milwaukee can store up to 300,000 barrels or 12.6 million gallons of bulk liquid commodities. There is over 330,000 square feet of warehouse space, 30,000 of it climate controlled, and 50 acres set aside just for dry bulk materials. Four massive domes on site can hold up to 50,000 tons. Port Milwaukee connects to two major rail lines and owns 14 miles of track, making it easy to move goods by land or water.
To learn more, I talked with Jackie Q. Carter, the director of Port Milwaukee, at the administration building on Lincoln Memorial Drive. Through the conference room windows, we could view the harbor busy with ships and cranes in full gear. Carter, now in her third year leading the port, is the first woman and first Black American to hold the role. Raised in Milwaukee’s inner city by her devoted grandmother, she climbed her way up through city government, earned two master’s degrees, and now runs one of the city’s most important operations with articulate business sense and a calm confidence…