Today, the Allen County-Fort Wayne Capital Improvement Board appointed six inaugural members of the Electric Works Public Market Trust.
News release from the Union Street Market:
Capital Improvement Board Appoints Directors of Electric Works Public Market Trust
Fort Wayne, Indiana (March 24, 2022) – Today, the Allen County-Fort Wayne Capital Improvement Board (CIB), which oversees the Grand Wayne Convention Center and disburses funding from the Allen County Supplemental Food & Beverage Tax, appointed six inaugural members of the Electric Works Public Market Trust. The Public Market Trust is an independent nonprofit organization that will monitor the performance of Union Street Market at Electric Works and create food access and educational programs that benefit the community.
“When local government decided to invest public dollars into the rebirth of the former GE plant, we stipulated that the developers would create a mission-driven public market that enhances community wellness and provides underserved residents with access to healthy foods,” said Mayor Tom Henry. “The Electric Works Public Market Trust, working alongside the operators of Union Street Market, will ensure that this happens.”
The Economic Development Agreement between the city, county and developer states that the CIB appoints six of the Trust’s 13 board members. “We are thrilled to announce the six people chosen to help lead this new organization,” said Jim Cook, CIB President. “These volunteers are community leaders on the front lines of nutrition education, getting healthy foods to seniors and kids, local farming and creating dynamic and inclusive public spaces.”
The six board members are:
- Michelle Bojrab-Wray is lead community outreach dietitian at Parkview Health, where she oversees nutrition and wellness initiatives with a focus on health equity. Bojrab-Wray is past president of the Indiana Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
- Riley Johnson is founding director of AMP Lab High School at Electric Works, a new FWCS STEAM high school that will open at Electric Works in August. An award-winning teacher and principal, Johnson has served as an administrator in FWCS since 2019.
- Janet Katz is founding director of the Northeast Indiana Local Food Network, which she launched in 2017 to promote and strengthen the Northeast Indiana local food economy by providing technical assistance, marketing and business support services to the region’s family farmers and local food producers.
- Aaron Parkinson is program chair of hospitality administration at Ivy Tech Community College, where he oversees the six-faculty hospitality program. Parkinson is a certified executive chef and has taught culinary arts at Ivy Tech for 11 years.
- Chuck Reddinger is deputy director of Fort Wayne’s Department of Parks & Recreation. Among his many responsibilities, Reddinger oversees Salomon Park, community centers and Promenade Park, which each have programming related to food and farming, with an emphasis on serving youth and seniors.
- Mary Tyndall is food insecurity & nutrition program officer at St. Joseph Community Health Foundation, where she manages grants to organizations addressing food insecurity and nutrition throughout Allen County and oversees the Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) program, which provides nutrition and cooking classes for underserved residents.
Electric Works Public Market Trust will monitor and report on the accomplishments of Union Street Market, run cooking and nutrition classes in the Market’s teaching kitchen, promote and expand the use of SNAP, Double Up Indiana, and Produce Prescription programs for low-income residents, and engage the community in the life of the Market. The new board will begin meeting this spring, in preparation for Union Street Market’s opening in the fall. As a tax-exempt nonprofit, the Public Market Trust will be eligible for grants and donations to support its programs.
The Market has secured commitments from 15 local independent food businesses to be daily merchants, and more will be announced soon. “The merchants at Union Street Market, along with the outdoor farmers’ market, will provide a consistent and accessible place for Fort Wayne residents to access high quality, local fresh foods year-round,” said Jeff Kingsbury of Ancora, the lead developer of Electric Works. “The Public Market Trust will be a key partner in ensuring that the Market offers cooking classes, wellness activities and creative programming that serve Fort Wayne’s diverse community.”
About Electric Works
Electric Works is a mixed-use district of innovation, energy and culture, developed as a public-private partnership between Ancora Partners and the City of Fort Wayne, Allen County, and the State of Indiana. A redevelopment and adaptive reuse of the former General Electric campus, the first phase of Electric Works includes more than 700,000 square feet of space and offers office, innovation, education, healthcare, retail, entertainment, and community uses to create new opportunities for inclusive economic growth. For more information, visit the Electric Works website at fortwayneelectricworks.com.
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