Wells County Has New Development Director

Wells County Has New Development Director

Monday, August 6, 2012, 9:26 am

Staff Reports

Tim Ehlerding was named the new director of Wells County Economic Development, succeeding Mike Row, who left the position earlier this year.

Ehlerding started work Monday. Wells County Economic Development and the Wells County Chamber of Commerce are governed by a single board of directors, with each having its own director.

Most recently, Ehlerding was director of business development at Michael Kinder and Sons Inc. in Fort Wayne, which provides design-build, construction management and general contracting services. He previously worked at the former Gove Associates Inc. and at Concordia Theological Seminary.

A resident of Adams County, Ehlerding is president of the school board for North Adams Community Schools.

Ehlerding said Monday his career has allowed him to work with economic-development officials in the region, and when the Wells County position became available, he knew it was an opportunity he couldnt pass up.

"Wells County is a very exciting county. There's a lot of neat things going on right now, and there's really a lot to offer," he said.

"I'm just excited to be part of the energy that's over in this county."

Ehlerding said one of the first things he wants to accomplish is to meet with community groups and organizations that contribute to Wells County's economic-development efforts and help ensure they're working together toward the same ends.

"My primary overall goal here in probably the first six months is really to create a common voice among all these entities," he said.

Row left March 30 to become chief operating officer at Bluffton-based Edge Manufacturing Inc.

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