MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee keeps growing when it comes to corporate jobs coming back downtown.

What You Need To Know

  • Several large companies are planning moves to downtown Milwaukee

  • Small businesses could see increased foot traffic 

  • Restaurants and dry cleaners saw reduction in business amid remote work due to the pandemic

In the last few months, Fiserv announced it will move its headquarters from Brookfield to Milwaukee. Northwestern Mutual also announced plans to eventually shutter its Franklin campus and move workers downtown.

Other large companies like Milwaukee Tool are in the process of moving downtown as well.

The move to downtown Milwaukee is being welcomed by many small businesses in the area.

The London Dry Cleaners has been operating downtown for generations, catering to the business community since 1908.

While business remains strong, manager Tommy Pappas said they were hit hard by COVID-19 as many people began working remotely from home.

“Less people around, not dressing in their normal church clothes or dressier outfits, there is less need to take things to the dry cleaners,” said Pappas

Pappas believes having more workers returning to downtown, or having them come for the first time, will be very good for business. Even if those customers don’t live in the city, they may be more apt to take care of their day-to-day errands close to work.

“Having Northwestern Mutual and the Fiserv people is definitely going to be good for business,” he said. “It is going to give people the incentive to look nice to look proper and gonna need someone to do that, and that is why we are here.”

While corporate growth will likely give longtime businesses like The London a boost, it could also serve as a catalyst for new business as well.

Stacie Callies is executive director of the Westown Association.

Callies said that when entrepreneurs have more assurance of a steady customer base, in this case from corporate employees, they are more likely to open businesses.

“I think small businesses are really no different that corporate, they are going where the activity is,” Callies said. “They tend to cluster together.”

Longtime shops like The London said the corporate growth nearby may also bring some longtime customers back who have been working remotely or in the suburbs after previously working downtown.

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