Veolia North America is freshly moved into its new downtown Milwaukee office, located at 648 N. Plankinton Ave., and company leaders are already talking about growing the workforce there.
During a grand opening ceremony held Thursday evening, Veolia’s leaders welcomed the community into the renovated 30,000-square-foot office space.
Approximately 170 employees currently work in the office, 20 more than was first anticipated when Veolia
formally announced the move last October, said
David Heinzmann, communications manager for the company’s central-south region. Veolia employs 600 people across the state.
Workers come into the office twice a week and reserve a desk via an online system. Veolia North America’s HR, legal, IT, finance and other administrative roles are housed in the new space.
Frédéric Van Heems, president and chief executive officer of Veolia North America, teased the possibility of moving even more of Veolia’s workforce into the new Milwaukee office.
“We’ve moved 150 people from Honey Creek Corporate Center in an old data center to this nice office here, and we could move more (people) from New Jersey and other areas,” said Van Heems.
He also said Veolia is working with the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) to turn its wastewater treatment plants into “eco factories.”
“This office is another important step in creating that concept here in Milwaukee," said Van Heems. "An eco factory means it will no longer be just a wastewater plant, but a plant that is able to produce energy, produce fertilizers and be a resource for the city and the region.”
Milwaukee Mayor
Cavalier Johnson praised Veolia for its decision to relocate downtown, saying the company is supporting his goal of growing Milwaukee’s population to 1 million people by providing high-paying jobs.
A subsidiary of Veolia group, Veolia North America offers water, waste and energy management services, including water and wastewater treatment, commercial and hazardous waste collection and disposal, energy consulting and resource recovery.
Veolia Water Milwaukee, a subsidiary of Veolia North America which was not part of the move, is contracted by MMSD to operate and maintain its regional wastewater treatment system, including the Jones Island and South Shore water reclamation facilities, conveyance system and deep tunnel.
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