Fort Wayne Local Podcast

Fort Wayne is known for its amazing park system.  It is one of the many quality of life benefits of living here.  We chatted with Steve McDaniel, Director of the Park Department for the city of Fort Wayne about how he got started, his vision for our parks, and what the future brings!

We chat with the founder of Pond, Mitch Stein!  Pond is a tech startup based right here in Fort Wayne that aims to help non-profits connect with service providers to save them both time and money, keeping them focused on serving their community and not spending precious resources on infrastructure.  Mitch shares what a battle the startup world can be and how he plans to persevere.  Enjoy!

Electric Works is one of the most exciting and bold projects the city has ever been a part of.  Fort Wayne Community School's role will be no different.  They are looking at starting forward thinking, outside the box, and truly visionary education programs to prepare Fort Wayne's youth for the future of tomorrow.  Riley Johnson has been tabbed with this enormous task and he gets to start from scratch!  On episode 18 we discuss his background that prepared him for this moment as well as the opportunity he sees in front of him.  If you have interest in Electric Works, alternatives to traditional schooling, or people trying something new and bold then this episode is for you!

Unless you've been living in isolation with no human contact, you've repeatedly heard this market is scorching!  With that in mind we chat with FW REIA founder and seasoned investor Drew Wiard on a variety of topics ranging from:  Are there still deals?  Is there a crash coming?  Is he locking in gains by selling some of his portfolio?  Enjoy!

We chatted with the executive director of the local SPCA Jessica Henry the work her and the organization she runs work in caring for those who can't care for themselves:  our city's animals.  We discuss: 

-How to become a volunteer 

-The services offered by the SPCA 

-How the foster care system works 

-Why it's often people who are the ones benefiting from these programs 

And much more!

On episode 15 of the Fort Wayne Local Podcast we were blessed to be joined by the Mayor of Fort Wayne, Tom Henry!  We discuss: 

-Why he feels economic development is vital for the future of Fort Wayne -His involvement in Electric Works 

-The controversial food and beverage tax increase 

-The newly announced North River soccer complex 

Mayor Henry was open and forthcoming with his plans for the city.  We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity and are excited to watch his vision unfold!

You can't talk Fort Wayne commercial real estate without hearing the name Zacher Company.  We were fortunate enough to chat with the president and managing broker Steve Zacher as they are releasing their 2021 Northeast Indiana Industrial Market Report!  We discuss the following : -How'd the industrial market do as a whole? -Vacancy and absorption -Who shut down/vacated -Who's expanding or building -Notable transactions -Predictions for 2021 -Electric Works! Steve is a wealth of knowledge and this is a great introduction to our audience.  You can find Zacher Company's annual reports at www.zacherco.com.  Enjoy!

The hot topic that has the city buzzing is Mayor Tom Henry's proposed tax increase on restaurants to help fund city development.  On episode 12 of the Fort Wayne Local Podcast we discuss with restauranter Jimmie Schindler how this will affect local restaurants and where he stands on the issue.  Jimmie is always extremely gracious and candid with interviews and we appreciate his time very much.  Hope this helps shed some light on the issue.