Que El-Amin's August Travels

I was traveling for the month of August learning from various municipalities on what they are doing right and wrong. I would like to share my experiences and connections that I made along the way. Today we will start with Fort Wayne, IN.

I was invited to Fort Wayne by Jamie Elder of Ambassador Enterprises to give input on ideas can aid some of the challenges facing Fort Wayne. Issac McCoy, Cordell Carter & Mr. Byrd were also on the trip and I learned just as much from them as the formal itinerary. The trip started with the Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce giving us a tour of the city. Led by John Urbahns and Brenda Glock Gerber Vincent, GFW is a combination city and county agency that looks at economical development by simply “Getting It Done.” I find the effectiveness of the progress in their economic sectors to be evident of this.

 My tour of the city was interrupted by a conference call but we were able to see Electric Works, The Summit and Southeast. Typographically, Fort Wayne was like Milwaukee without the pot holes. Similarities include a newly invested downtown sports facility, a segregated color community and a few industry leaders that drive the commercial and political development in the city.

Next we got a chance to meet with Daryle Doden and Dr. Doug Clark of Ambassador Enterprises and I’m glad I had my notebook because there is no way that I could have remembered this many points. But the ones that were most significant were:

3 Keys to Relationships

1. Morality
2. Trust
3.  Economics

4 Parts of Trust

1.        Intent

2.        Integrity

3.        Ability

4.        Judgment

AE Business Principles

1.        Positive Perspective

2.        Integrity

3.        Empathy

4.        Teamwork

5.        Preparedness

6.        Spirituality

Criteria Needed for Investment

1.        Market Demand

a.         Customers Want & Will Pay

2.        Sustainable Organization

a.         Business Model

3.        Strategic Leaders

a.         Impact over Income

b.        Production versus Promotion

c.        They Lead Leaders

Tomorrow, we will talk about Fort Wayne Real Estate specifically.