Fort Wayne, Ind. – Greater Fort Wayne Inc. (GFW Inc.) announced the kickoff of GFW Fellows, a yearlong investor program created to attract and retain collegiate talent in Fort Wayne and Allen County. An inaugural group of 14 sophomore, junior and senior college students have been named to the Fellows program.
“This is a vibrant, bold program that benefits students, employers and our community,” said Ron Turpin, board chair of GFW Inc. “GFW Fellows combines a high-quality internship with personal development, community service, networking, and connections to young professionals, business and community leaders.”
The Knight Foundation’s Soul of the Community study, released in 2010, identified the importance of community attachment as one of its findings. GFW Inc. responded to this area of the study and identified the Fellows program as a way to develop, retain and attach talent to our community.
Fellows were selected through a competitive application and interview process by GFW Inc. staff and nine host companies in the following industries: mechanical and electrical engineering, health care administration, computer engineering and IT, insurance and financial services.
Beginning with orientation, Jan. 30, Fellows will attend monthly personal development workshops that focus on problem-solving, communication styles, critical thinking, financial literacy, diversity and inclusion, and personal brand protection. A twelve-week paid summer internship begins May 18 and includes housing at The Grove apartments. The project-based internship experience is designed to help fill entry-level talent pipelines for GFW Inc. investors that may result in permanent job opportunities for the Fellows upon graduation.
Tim Minnich, president of TransWorks, a transportation technology company and host employer, said, “Partnering with GFW Fellows enables us to attract promising and highly skilled talent that has been handpicked and helps us secure our future growth in the community.”
The 2015 Fellows are:
Emily Bell
Business Administration, Indiana Institute of Technology
Parkview Health
Devin Gingerich
Computer Engineering, Trine University
TransWorks
Jacob Siegel
Computer Science, Huntington University
Franklin Electric
Kevin Berry
Mechanical Engineering, Trine University
Fort Wayne Metals
Trey Calver
Business Administration, Trine University
Ash Brokerage
Alfonso Costas
Mechanical Engineering, IPFW
Franklin Electric
Stuart Gibbs
Management Information Systems, Butler University
Fort Wayne Metals
Nicholas Hostetler
Informatics, Trine University
Franklin Electric
Tyler Klein
Mathematics, Manchester University
Lincoln Financial
Joe McNelly
Software Engineering & Computer Science, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Extension Healthcare
Martin Muadi
Electrical & Computer Engineering, IPFW
Franklin Electric
Andrew Sparger
Accounting & Finance, Manchester University
BKD, LLP
Tyler Speigl
Business Administration, University of Saint Francis
Lincoln Financial Group
Scott Weidenkopf
Computer Science, IPFW
Extension Healthcare
For more information about GFW Fellows, go to the website www.GreaterFortWayneinc.com/leadership-development/greater-fort-wayne-inc.-fellows.
