Since 2005, The Gateway to Milwaukee has served as a collaborative force for economic development in the area surrounding General Mitchell International Airport. With deep roots in the business community and a commitment to elevating the region’s manufacturing, transportation, and hospitality sectors, the nonprofit continues to grow its reach and resources, and its latest partnership with Chryspac is helping bring even more businesses to the table.

“The Gateway to Milwaukee […] started back in 2005,” said Executive Director Leif Otteson. “Over the years, hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars have been invested in upgrades and maintenance of landscapes, terraces and gardens along South Howell Avenue, West Layton Avenue, and throughout the district at different key points.” Their grassroots effort has grown into a network of over 1,200 businesses, 10,000 employees, and two active Business Improvement Districts (BIDs). The Gateway to Milwaukee focuses on core areas like beautification, safety and security, marketing, and larger-scale collaboration between businesses. “We’ve only been growing our impacts and connection to the businesses in the area,” Otteson explained.

One of the Gateway’s most widely used resources is its grant program, which is now even more accessible. “We offer three different grants. One is for beautification, one for safety and security, and the third one we offer is for marketing and promotion,” Otteson said. Despite the city pausing their property improvement grant funding for the year, The Gateway to Milwaukee is increasing their grant offerings. “We doubled our grants for 2025. We really wanted to make sure that our businesses knew we were still here to help.” The beautification and security grants are now $2,000 matching funds, while the marketing grant has doubled to $1,000.

These grants, combined with The Gateway’s deep community ties, offer an approachable entry point for businesses to get involved. “We just want people to keep their properties up […] Even if they’re a tenant, we want them to invest in themselves by putting their best foot forward with their business,” Otteson emphasized.

That spirit of shared investment is what led to the Gateway’s growing collaboration with Chryspac. After years of being a part of the district, Chryspac’s Warren Scurlock reached out to organize a roundtable discussion on tariffs, a timely and complex issue for many manufacturers.

The discussion quickly evolved beyond tariffs into something bigger. “It wasn’t the tariff topic per se that really got the businesses interested,” Otteson said. “It was really just the ability to and the willingness of those manufacturers and businesses to get into a room together physically and talk shop. That’s when I saw kind of the spark in these businesses go off a little bit.”

Now, The Gateway to Milwaukee and Chryspac are building on that momentum. “Something Warren has kind of gotten me interested in is creating some sort of centralized opportunity for local manufacturers to find local supply chain opportunities,” Otteson said. “Let’s say Business A really needs this little widget […] but because of tariffs or whatever other reason, they don’t want to source it internationally. Well, guess what – Business B over here can do that.”

Rather than leaving collaboration to chance, the two organizations are working toward structured networking platforms and events where businesses can connect meaningfully. “We plan to continue that,” said Scurlock. “Whether it’s a database or some type of networking vehicle […] now they can talk amongst each other.”

With Chryspac’s proactive leadership and The Gateway’s infrastructure and community insight, the initiative aims to amplify opportunities for manufacturers and beyond. “My job is so much easier and so much more able to focus […] when we have business leaders who have an idea, but maybe just need some help implementing it,” Otteson said.

The Gateway to Milwaukee is more than a business district; it’s a launchpad for ideas, a connector of people, and a steadfast supporter of local enterprise. With new resources available and partnerships growing, 2025 is shaping up to be a year of even greater collaboration.

Discover more about The Gateway to Milwaukee and how it can help your business at gatewaytomilwaukee.com.