About Us
About Us
Three decades of building Milwaukee’s northeast side with the people who call it home.
Riverworks Development Corporation is a community development organization dedicated to strengthening Milwaukee’s northeast side through economic development, neighborhood revitalization, and resident empowerment.
For more than thirty years, Riverworks has worked alongside businesses, residents, and community partners to create opportunities that improve quality of life and foster long-term community prosperity.
Riverworks was forged in response to a period of profound economic loss.
As major employers like Square D, Johnson Controls, Coca-Cola, and American Motors Corporation departed the northeast industrial corridor through the early 1990s, the ripple effects were felt across the entire community.
Riverworks stepped in with a long-term commitment:
strategic investment, business support, workforce development, housing stabilization, and deep community engagement. That work helped transform a neighborhood in decline into a more vibrant, resilient place to live, work, and do business.
Today, Riverworks advances its mission through programs and services spanning economic mobility, financial empowerment, neighborhood development, anti-displacement strategies, homeownership support, and community-driven planning.
By connecting residents to resources, supporting local businesses, and building cross-sector partnerships, Riverworks works to create thriving neighborhoods where individuals, families, and businesses can succeed.
What We Do Today
Organizational Pillars
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Financial Empowerment
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Real Estate Development
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Neighborhood Revitalization
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Creative Placekeeping
What Guides Us
We believe values only matter if they are lived and reflected in daily actions, not just written on a wall.
Integrity
We do what’s right when no one is looking.
Community-Driven
We do things with people, not for people or at people.
Respect
We meet people where they are and treat everyone with dignity.
Collaboration
We build better outcomes through partnerships and shared problem-solving.
Equity
We believe in fair access and shared opportunity.
Innovation
We listen, we learn, we adapt.