Statement as issued Tuesday by the city of Fort Wayne:

Fort Wayne, Ind. – Leaders today from the City of Fort Wayne, Allen County, the Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce, the Fort Wayne-Allen County Economic Development Alliance, and the Downtown Improvement District (DID) announced they will work together to explore ways to enhance economic development opportunities.

Today’s announcement included comments by:

• Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry
• Allen County Commissioner Nelson Peters
• Mike Christman, board chair, Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce
• Jill Perillo, board chair, Fort Wayne-Allen County Economic Development Alliance
• Charles Heiny, board chair, Downtown Improvement District

In an effort to promote stronger alignment and increase the competitive position of the community, leaders have engaged in preliminary discussions to determine if a restructuring of economic development efforts might be possible.

Integrating economic development efforts in other areas of the country have been successful. Examples include Lexington, Ky., Milwaukee, Oklahoma City, and Spokane, Wash. Local leaders have been examining these success stories and will explore how economic development efforts could be stronger aligned to benefit the community through an integrated system.

Each entity is committed to finding the most effective ways to invest public and private dollars as it relates to economic development. A working group will be put in place to move the discussions forward.

The goal of exploring and examining options is to enhance effectiveness and be more aligned as a leader in economic development. Leaders are looking to have a recommendation in place by the end of the year.