Why the Fort Wayne Mayor is Excited About Her City’s Growth
FORT WAYNE, Ind.–Fort Wayne Mayor Sharon Tucker says her city is continuing to rewrite its future and is proud that it’s one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the Midwest.
Just last week, Fort Wayne selected Kansas City-based Price Brothers Development to serve as master developer for the North River District project along the St. Mary’s River. Tucker says this is a vision that includes the $60 million North River Fieldhouse along with residential, retail, and entertainment investment.
“We received almost 20 RFQs back from around the world—great people that were interested in what’s going on here at Fort Wayne and wanting to be a part of that,” Fort Wayne Mayor Sharon Tucker told Inside INdiana Business host Gerry Dick.
An RFQ is a request for quote. Last month, global aerospace company Bombardier announced plans for its first aircraft maintenance center in the Midwest, selecting Fort Wayne International Airport over multiple sites for an investment expected to generate 100 jobs.
Stephane Frija, CEO of the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership, also spoke to Inside Indiana Business. He said there are other signs of positive momentum in this northeast Indiana region that spans 11 counties.
“Some more than others, because they have different capacities. They have different resources,” said Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership CEO Stephane Frijia. “But for even smaller communities, for example, Wabash, they had a great year of expansions with distinct companies [and] negotiating with others. The same thing in Huntington, Noble County—every county has seen good growth and good opportunities come to their community.”
Another marquee project involves Slate Autos, which is investing $400 million to equip the former R.R. Donnelley plant in Warsaw to build an electric truck with the potential for up to 2,000 new jobs.
Growth can bring new challenges, but Tucker says she is excited to meet those challenges.
“Not only is it a great score for the economic investment in growing our community, it’s a great score for the message of our reputation that goes out amongst the public. And because of that, we have other people that are looking to come to Fort Wayne for those very reasons,” said Tucker.
