Greater Fort Wayne gives report to county council

By Dave Gong | The Journal Gazette

Greater Fort Wayne Inc. was involved in 33 deals in 2018, helping to net 2,445 new jobs and about $115 million in new annual payroll for Allen County. 

About one-third of the deals done in 2018 were located outside of the city of Fort Wayne, CEO John Urbahns told the Allen County Council Thursday. That represents about $337 million in total investment countywide, Urbahns said. 

"We're making sure we're hitting all the industries within Allen County, and not just the ones people may typically think about," Urbahns said. 

The numbers have increased from 2017, Urbahns told the council, when the organization was involved in 28 deals, which added 1,838 new jobs and new payroll of about $81 million. Total investment in 2017 was $242 million. 

"This is new revenue that's going into people's pockets," Urbahns said. "It's revenue being spent at local restaurants, buying cars, buying homes, buying goods and services. It's also increased income tax dollars for local communities."