News release from Greater Fort Wayne:
Community and Business Leaders Travel to Des Moines, Iowa to Partake in 2014 Inter-City Visit
Thirty-eight community and business leaders, representatives of education, elected officials, and economic development professionals will visit Des Moines, Iowa this week. The trip will take place October 16 through the 19. Organizers of the Inter-City Visit chose Des Moines because it is the number one ranked midsize metro area in Greater Fort Wayne Inc.’s economic index study, and was named by Forbes in 2014 as the number one city for Young Professionals, and number three out of the top ten places with the most job opportunities per capita by Beyond.com.
Participants will focus on studying Des Moines successful economic development plans and initiatives, the Principle Riverwalk Development Plan, downtown development, downtown investments, projects under development, and their successful efforts to retain and attract young professionals. Participants will also have an opportunity to experience the Principle River Walk, the Farmer’s Market (20,000+ individuals gather each Saturday), Pappajohn Sculpture Park, Art Center, and the re-developed historic East Village.
“The 2014 Inter-City Visit is a chance for participants to learn and generate ideas for a greater Fort Wayne – Allen County,” stated Cheri Becker, Vice President of Leadership Development Greater Fort Wayne Inc. “Looking at the success of other ‘like’ cities allows us to see the bigger picture of all the opportunities available to greater Fort Wayne residents.”
This year’s Inter-City participants are:
- Bill Brown - President, Downtown Improvement District
- Therese Brown – Commissioner-Allen County, Allen County Government
- Rob Boyd – SVP-Community President, Salin Bank
- Mark Carboni – President/CEO, Tri State Maintenance, Inc.
- Ron Dick – Owner/Architect, Design Collaborative
- Eric Doden – President, IEDC
- Kathy Friend – CFO, Fort Wayne Community Schools
- Angela Garcia – Sr. Associate Attorney, Carson Boxberger LLP
- Mike King – President/CEO, King &Â Knight
- Ryan Krueckeberg – YLNI
- Ray Kusisto – CEO, Ortho Northeast “ONE”
- Greg Leatherman – Div. Director, City of Fort Wayne Community Development
- Matthew Lesser – Senior Operations Manager, Ambassador Enterprises, LLC
- Susan Mendenhall – President, Arts United of Greater Fort Wayne
- Jerrilee Mosier – Chancellor, Ivy Tech Community College Northeast
- Dan O’Connell – President/CEO, Visit Fort Wayne
- Edmond O’Neal III – Senior Director of WorkOne Services, Northeast Indiana Works
- Don Osika – General Manager, WPTA 21 Alive/WISE NBC 33
- Mike Packnett – President & CEO, Parkview Health
- Andre Patterson – Executive Director, Just for Youth
- Nelson Peters – Commissioner-Allen County, Allen County Government
- Amber Recker – Executive Director, Artlink
- Kim Sabrosky – Community Relations Manager, Indiana Michigan Power
- John Sampson – President/CEO, Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership
- Tom Smith – City Councilman, City of Fort Wayne
- Donald Steininger – President, Steininger Development, Inc.
- Tom Strupp – Vice President of Global HR, Franklin Electric Co., Inc.
- Ron Turpin – Board Chair, Greater Fort Wayne Inc. Board of Directors
- John Urbahns – Executive Vice President, Greater Fort Wayne Inc.
- Irene Walters – Greater Fort Wayne Inc. Board of Directors
- Marshall White – CEO/Founder, Unity Performing Arts Foundation
About Greater Fort Wayne Inc.
Greater Fort Wayne Inc. is the new organization that unifies the Fort Wayne?Allen County Economic Development Alliance, the Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce, and Leadership Fort Wayne, serving as a single point of contact for economic growth in Greater Fort Wayne. In addition, the Downtown Improvement District is also working toward an affiliation with Greater Fort Wayne Inc. Together, we’re growing a more prosperous, vibrant community in Greater Fort Wayne. To learn more about Greater Fort Wayne Inc., visit www.GreaterFortWayneInc.com.
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