About 2.5 million tons of cargo come in and out of the Port of Milwaukee each year.
That's often steel coming in, and Wisconsin grain or soy going out.
But Port Director Adam Schlicht thinks the Brew City can do even bigger business on Lake Michigan.
Milwaukee's Board of Harbor Commissioners hopes the port can boost its business by 10 percent this year.
One way Schlicht hopes to achieve that goal is through a new marketing plan, which will include a new website and extra outreach to potential tenants and shippers in southeast Wisconsin and abroad.
"We're a critical asset for area manufacturers and businesses," Schlicht said. "Folks need to understand what we do."
Schlicht hopes the marketing plan will help increase the total tonnage of items going in and out of the port, as well as the number of tenants who lease space at its facilities.
The extra revenue could help city taxpayers.
"We're a critical asset for area manufacturers and businesses. Folks need to understand what we do." — Port Director Adam Schlicht
A chunk of the Port of Milwaukee's excess revenue each year goes into Milwaukee's Tax Stabilization Fund, which covers city services that would otherwise have to be paid for by taxpayers.
In 2017, the excess revenue the Port of Milwaukee deposited into that fund was more than $834,000.
