America 250 Ohio: Building an Innovative Water Economy

The Great Lakes are home to 21% of the world’s surface freshwater, and it’s not just an environmental asset: it’s an economic one. With a $6 trillion regional GDP, the region deeply depends on a flourishing water economy: the full range of economic activity that depends on, relates to, or is generated by water. With issues like emerging contaminants and water scarcity on the rise, there is both an urgent need and an economic opportunity to create solutions that can be deployed in the Great Lakes and adopted around the world.

Cleveland Water Alliance (CWA) forges cross-sector partnerships to accelerate these innovations, connecting our region’s utilities, universities, government agencies, and manufacturing leaders. From attracting tech creators to building real-world testing environments on the shores of Lake Erie, CWA is doing what Silicon Valley did for computing: turning concentrated expertise and critical need into a world-changing industry.

President & CEO Bryan Stubbs was appointed to lead CWA shortly after its inception, growing the organization into a renowned technology catalyst and establishing Ohio as a global destination for water innovation.