South Bend on Purpose

It is difficult to imagine a world where INVANTI, West.SB, South Bend on Purpose, and Vested Interest exist without Pete Buttigieg first being elected mayor. His resurgent vision and talented administration have turned South Bend into a “shining model of urban reinvention.”But the resurgence cannot stop at city hall. South Bend and the countless American cities it resembles rely on entrepreneurs to make new things. Enter INVANTI.

INVANTI is a startup generator based in South Bend that activates and attracts entrepreneurial talent to start companies that make communities stronger. The current cohort comprises seven people from New York, Washington D.C., St. Louis, Miami, Ireland, and Mishawaka focused on building scalable ventures to support America’s small business owners.

On Thursday, February 7th Pete Buttigieg interviewed a panel of the cohort members about their time in South Bend and the problems they aim to solve. This evening took place inside a newly renovated wing of The Exner Office, a collaborative workspace currently home to INVANTI, West.SB, South Bend on Purpose, and Hurry Home.

In Season 2 of South Bend on Purpose, we talked to twelve people about their purpose – why they're doing what they're doing in South Bend. People in public service like Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Kareemah Fowler, or Shawn Henderson, who grew up on Haney Street and went on to become the principle of Riley High School. Entrepreneurs like Dave Matthews, Michelle Fitzgerald, and Max Brickman. Faith leaders like Jason Miller of South Bend City Church, and activists like Kintae Lark.

In Season 3 of South Bend on Purpose, we'll tell the stories of people who are betting on South Bend by investing new purpose into old spaces, whether that's an old industrial building or a once lively plot of land; people whose internal purpose has manifested itself into a physical part of our city – the streets, parks, buildings, and restaurants of South Bend. People like Mark McDonnell, owner of LaSalle Grill, who spent almost 30 years investing in the oldest commercial building in our city, or the partners of The Hibberd, who recently opened up a mixed use apartment and retail space in an old downtown printing plant.Each episode will tell the story of a space in South Bend, and the season will be structured around a series of live events where you'll be able to come hear us interview the people that have invested into those spaces. Each of these live recordings will be recorded and editing into episodes that will go deeper into the story. We want to challenge you to consider, while you're driving through the city – whether on the way to work, or to a restaurant, or taking your kids to school – where did these spaces come from and why do they matter so much to our city?

In this episode we talk with Kintae Lark, the founder and owner of Inspiration Barber-Salon and Inspiration School of Beauty Culture. Kintae brings a unique perspective to this season because for him, life in South Bend has been anything but easy and yet his will to contribute is more palpable than most.Our conversation weaves through stories of Kintae’s upbringing and career that together illustrate first, why he chose to start a business in South Bend, two, how the challenges he faced growing up makes him a powerful and positive force for our city’s youth, and three, why he firmly believes that South Bend is “his assignment.” Towards the end of the episode, Kintae, in explaining his personal work and mission, shared a beautiful thought that resonates with many of our discussions this season: We need to be more intentional about helping people, especially who need to make it. That’s why you’ll see me hashtag all the time online ‘inspiration over dysfunction,’ or ‘we rescue ourselves.’ Nobody is coming in here with a cape or in a helicopter to fix our problems. As a city, if we want help, we have to help ourselves, at the end of the day. We’re waiting on a grant, we’re waiting on an opportunity, but what if the grant never comes? … What if the prince in shining armor never comes? We’ve still got to live. We’ve still got to build.

In this episode we talk with Max Brickman, the managing director of South Bend-based venture capital firm Heartland Ventures. Max is originally from Wisconsin where he started his first business at the age of 14, eventually landing in South Bend to follow his then-girlfriend as she attended Notre Dame. Our conversation centers around how he decided to stay in South Bend, his venture capital firm’s unique partnerships with Midwest family-owned businesses, and how this path has shifted the way he values community.

In this episode we talk with Chuck Nelson, the Executive Director of The Judd Leighton Foundation. Chuck was born in Plymouth, Indiana, but soon moved to South Bend, first living on the West Side and later moving to a hot just South of Notre Dame. Our conversation centers around his current interest in economic development and entrepreneurship, Notre Dame’s relationship with the city, and memories about South Bend’s booming past that affect the way he thinks about the city today.

In this episode we talk with Santiago Garces and Brian Donoghue, South Bend’s Chief Innovation Officer and Director of Civic Innovation, respectively. Santi comes to us from Bogota, Colombia while Brian comes from Youngstown, a city that, similar to ours, experienced painful industrial decline and decay. Our conversation centers around the founding of enFocus and the City’s Department of Innovation, our local culture of getting shit done, and stories explaining why South Bend’s name is increasingly being spoken around the world.

In this episode we talk with Marian Hodges, the VP of Operations at South Bend-based technology firm Data Realty. Like our previous episode with Robert Ramsey, Marian falls into the category of people who are from a distant land, but have found a strong purpose working here in South Bend. Our conversation and her initial interest in the internet, how to get invited to people’s homes in the Midwest, and her brief brush with the what’s now known as the 1992 LA Riots.

In this episode we talk with Robert Ramsey, a relatively new resident of South Bend who intentionally moved here in an effort to “get back to the Midwest” and more specifically, to get back to Midwestern culture. Robert and I connected through the West.SB site and I was quickly captivated by his thoughts on South Bend’s value proposition for people who want to live meaningful lives. Our conversation centers around his love of Midwestern values, how we get to know a new city, and why South Bend is the ideal place to build a meaningful life.It’s a fascinating conversation – Robert even turns the tables to hit us with a tough question.

In this episode we talk with Dave Matthews, a real estate developer who was raised in South Bend and later made the decision to move back and become an entrepreneur. Dave is most well known for his investments in the East Bank as he has developed townhomes across from the Morris and helped bring restaurants like Render and Baker & Rose to the neighborhood. Our conversation centers around his decision to come home after college, how he leveraged unique characteristics of South Bend to build new buildings, and why culture is paramount to rebuilding a city.

In this episode we talk with Shawn Henderson, the head principal at South Bend’s Riley High School. Shawn brings a unique perspective to this role because he grew up on Haney Street just a couple blocks from the school. Our conversation weaves through stories of Shawn’s upbringing and career that together illustrate first, how a kid from the South East side became the unlikely principle of his neighborhood school, and two, how that background makes him a powerful and positive force for our city’s youth. It is easy to be discouraged by the state of public school. Talking with Shawn was refreshing and gave us hope that, at least in our neighborhood, school can be a place of growth. It’s a good one.