Board Member Profile: Betty Nowak

MWTA is the global arm of the

Betty Nowak

Betty is Marketing Manager at the Port of Milwaukee, which is a department of the City of Milwaukee, overseen by a Board of Harbor Commissioners. The Board is appointed by the Mayor of Milwaukee, and they give the Port direction in their daily operations. She meets with ship lines, barge lines, trucking companies, railroads; she meets with oversees steel mills and logistic companies handling large shipments, in other words, coordinating all parties to bring cargo through our port. Betty has worked for the Port for 22 years, and most enjoys the variety of cargoes we work with. “The Port of Milwaukee is one of the few places in the United States where you have so many transportation options available in one spot. We have lake ships, ocean ships, river barges, two main railroads and an interstate that comes right into the Port.” The port is considered a niche port, mainly because we service the Southeastern Wisconsin area, but are also competitive to places like Canada, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois. It makes my job both challenging and rewarding to promote our services and get the business.

As Marketing Manager she is responsible for bringing cargo through the port as well as finding new tenants. Her job also incorporates public relations, community relations, advertising and publicity.

Betty is currently developing an educational program for grade school students about the Port and the Great Lakes in general.

Betty views MWTA as a key organization for the Port to belong to because, “I have been able to meet many of the people who either ship or receive products coming through our port” as well as many of the trucking, rail or logistics companies involved in moving the freight from the port.

Another valuable aspect of MWTA membership for Betty is the exposure to a lot of the legislative and technical issues involved in importing and exporting, helping to make her more aware of the issues that shippers face. MWTA’s educational programs provide a great deal of that information in their sessions, as well as providing opportunities to networking with the Port’s constituent businesses.

Betty has three children, one graduated from Carrol College in 2008, one will graduate from UWM/Froedert Medical College and the other is in his first year of college. “There is nothing more rewarding than seeing your children become successful adults.”

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