The Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership recently returned from a European trade mission that was pursued in response to the growing interest that European companies are showing in regards to investing in the United States. Dale Buuck of the Regional Partnership, along with representatives from the Indy Partnership, traveled to Germany to meet with prospective companies, share information about our region and nurture relationships with area leaders.
Delegation members visited the region of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, two German states with the largest gross domestic product (GDP) in all of Europe. The mission was designed to allow for opportunities to attend trade shows, meet with individual companies and establish relationships with key economic organizations. All of the trade shows were specific to advanced manufacturing and renewable energy; two areas of industry that European interests have shown significant interest in.
The Regional Partnership has already responded to many of the European contacts on specific requests for information about the northeast region and a visit by two of the German companies is anticipated for early November. A return visit in 2010 is also being planned to continue moving forward with the relationships created by this trade mission.
On-location summaries from throughout the trade mission can be found at Northeast Indiana Pulse and on the Regional Partnership's Flickr photo stream.
The Fort Wayne Urban League's 2009 Gala will feature Grammy award-winning singer Regina Belle on Saturday, November 14 at the Grand Wayne Center. For more information visit www.fwurbanleague.org.
Manchester has a strong reputation in the sciences, particularly for preparing students for medical and graduate school. The College also emphasizes service learning.
Fort Wayne is a natural fit for the new venture. In addition to numerous medical facilities and opportunities for pharmacy practicum experiences, Fort Wayne offers many amenities attractive to the school’s 250 students, 40 faculty and staff members and their families.
"The decision by Manchester College to start a PharmD program in Fort Wayne is a wonderful investment of financial and intellectual capital in our city,” said Mayor Tom Henry. “As the healthcare sector continues to grow in Fort Wayne and northeast Indiana, Manchester College’s expansion of professional programs is going to be key in creating the highly skilled, highly educated workforce employers demand.”
The average starting salary for pharmacists exceeds $100,000 and demand in the highly competitive profession is expected to grow more than 20 percent in the coming decade, according to Manchester College President Jo Young Switzer. The College’s research indicates many pharmacy graduates – who come from throughout the nation – remain in the communities where they study.
The College’s pharmacy program will help the region achieve its economic development goals, said Switzer. “During our exploration, many told us that this project aligns well with other initiatives undertaken in northeast Indiana to strengthen the economy here.”
Admission to Manchester’s new school will require two years of pre-pharmacy coursework. The College will add that program to its undergraduate curriculum in North Manchester and its students will compete with pre-pharmacy students from other colleges and universities for seats in the School of Pharmacy.
The College has not finalized its plans for a Fort Wayne site for the new school, which will require at least 35,000 square feet for classrooms, offices and laboratories. The pharmacy school will be a part of Manchester College and governed by the College’s Board of Trustees.
The search for a founding dean and building of a leadership team will begin immediately. That team will begin preparing the school’s application for accreditation.
The City of Fort Wayne earned statewide recognition of its use of alternative and biofuels when it won the Indiana Department of Agriculture’s Paul Dana Excellence in Bioenergy Leadership Award.
Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman presented City Fleet Director Larry Campbell with the award Wednesday at the Central Indiana Clean Cities Alliance’s 10-year anniversary luncheon at the Governor’s Mansion in Indianapolis.
The City started using alternative fuels in 2005 with a blend of B20 biodiesel into the diesel fleet and began fueling what was 37 flex-fuel police vehicles at Lassus Bros.’ Wallen Road location. Since then the City has used more than 180,000 gallons of biodiesel in blends from B2 to B20 and are on track to use over 50,000 gallons of biodiesel in 2009.
Mayor Tom Henry has expanded the City’s commitment to alternative fuels with 379 vehicles that can use the E85 ethanol-gasoline blend. Fort Wayne is one of nine partners in the CICCA and Office of Energy Development Clean Cities Grant application funded from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act to add three additional E85 stations in Fort Wayne and a $2,000 reimbursement for each purchase of hybrid vehicles, up to $18,000.
“The use of biofuels creates a win-win for Fort Wayne and Indiana,” Mayor Tom Henry said. “Renewable fuels and hybrid vehicles are the future of energy use yet the City is doing it right now and reducing our dependence on foreign oil. Indiana is also a leading producer of corn and soybeans, which is used to produce ethanol and biodiesel, so we are supporting Hoosier farmers too.”
The Paul Dana Excellence in Bioenergy Leadership Award is named after Indianapolis Racing League driver and biofuel advocate Paul Dana, who was killed in a car-racing accident in 2006.
Glenbrook Mall will be collecting empty aluminum cans this Saturday, October 24 to help Youth United raise money to build a home for a partner family. The goal is to raise $50,000 and all proceeds from the event will go toward reaching that goal.Candidates seeking internships, co-ops and full-time employment are invited to attend Trine University’s annual Career and Internship Fair in the University Center mall Friday, October 23 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Alumni and students of Trine University and other colleges and universities may attend.
Although the fair is free and pre-registration is not required, participants must dress professionally.
The state program Indiana INTERNnet is calling for nominations for the 2009 IMPACT Awards. The deadline for nominations is October 30, and nomination forms can be found here. The categories are Outstanding Intern, Outstanding Career Services Professional and Outstanding Employer. For more information click on the image to the left or e-mail Shannon Wiseman at swiseman@indianachamber.com.
Now through January 3, 2010, visitors to Science Central can explore what happens when you fuse science and art together. The temporary exhibit features artwork created from recycled materials and includes penguins, fish, horses, and more. Interactive stations allow for hands on learning in animal classification and recycling.
Chamber member Steel Dynamics, Inc. (Nasdaq-GS: STLD) announced yesterday net income of $69 million for the third quarter of 2009, or $0.30 per diluted share. The quarter's earnings compared to a net loss of $16 million, or $0.08 per diluted share, in the second quarter of 2009 and net income of $193 million, or $0.98 per diluted share, in the third quarter of 2008. The principal drivers as to why third quarter earnings exceeded September guidance were stronger-than-anticipated cost compression, resulting from higher production and shipping volumes at the Flat Roll Division, and better than expected performance in metals recycling.
All of downtown will come alive for a frightfully good time this Saturday, October 24 for DOWNTOWN FRIGHT NIGHT. There will be the supernatural favorites like the 2nd Annual Zombie Walk and The Old City Jail plus new additions like Lemony Snicket at The Embassy, a scavenger hunt at Parkview Field, and a roaring bonfire in the Harrison and Berry St. parking lot!
It's hard to believe, but the Taste of the Chamber is just around the corner! The Taste is one of the finest holiday celebrations in downtown Fort Wayne, with hundreds of networkers sampling treats and beverages from local restaurants and caterers. The Taste also features a Holiday Tree Silent Auction, allowing Chamber businesses to sponsor and decorate a tree to be auctioned off in support of the Chamber Foundation. If you are interested in sponsoring and decorating a tree, let us know!
The Fort Wayne Philharmonic is addressing the issue of H1N1 in several specific, unique ways. Patrons should be aware that for subscribers who become sick, the Philharmonic will temporarily extend the time limit on the ticket exchange policy from three to seven days after the concert. They are also offering the same extension to single ticket buyers who miss a show due to illness. High filtration masks are being made available for concert attendees as well as hand sanitizer, which has been placed at the Patron Service desk for visitor use.
Thanks to funding provided by a congressionally mandated award through Congressman Mark Souder, those interested in attending a half day seminar on computer security, federal/state regulations and more can now do so for free. The event has been planned by Indiana Tech, IPFW, Ivy Tech Community College, Trine University, and the Public Safety Academy. Topics covered will include data breaches, employee safety, hardware failure, data corruption, identity theft, and how to develop an appropriate recovery plan.
The next session in the Chamber's Business Brown Bag series takes place tomorrow, October 20 from Noon to 1 p.m. Experts from Digital Hill Multimedia will present "Cost Effective Marketing: Facebook." We will take an in-depth look at how to use Facebook to market your business. Topics include:
The Graduate Retention Program: Year 5These statistics represent many hours of concentrated effort and networking activities. Due to additional grant funding for the current program year, the team continues to work diligently, not only to maintain established business and education relationships that primarily benefit students at the post secondary level, but also to expand its high school initiative.
For more information on the Chamber's Graduate Retention Program, click here, or email Kay Anthony, Program Manager at kanthony@fwchamber.org.
Don’t miss the next two Chamber Academy sessions, offered by members, for members. Chamber Academy seminars are 2-hour interactive, informational seminars given by regional business leaders on a variety of topics for professional development.
