“Really our focus is engagement with our customers’ customers,” said Matt Fortney, CFO and General Manager at Group Delphi. “That’s the key to our success: if our customers are successful.”
The company’s website calls this “creating experiences”, and they have an impressive record of doing exactly that — the brand boasts a world-class roster of clients including Apple, Pixar and Nike. Group Delphi excels at this, Fortney said, because of its commitment to innovation and being on the cutting edge.
This means incorporating newer mediums like digital content and interactive exhibits. And though the company is based in California, the Fort Wayne location — which currently focuses on trade shows, and which recently moved to a brand-new, 200,000 square foot, state of the art production facility — is primed for a pivotal role in its vision for the future.
“We’re a high-growth company,” Fortney said. “And we see a lot of that growth coming here in Fort Wayne.”
In fact, the company is rapidly filling its new facility with people and equipment. The facility was built with the support of Greater Fort Wayne Inc.
GFW Inc.’s expertise in economic development was vital, as the organization helped Group Delphi interact with the county council and navigate the processes of applying for tax abatements and permits. Additionally, the organization’s continued advocacy throughout the process was a valuable asset for the company.
“I would say in general they are a connector,” Fortney said. “Whether it’s of businesses, of businesses and potential employees, [or] expansion opportunities.” And this connector saved the company significant amounts of time and money on the project.
“If we went through our building construction process without GFW [Inc.], it would have certainly taken a lot more time on our end,” Fortney said. “And we would have likely had to hire somebody to help us figure out how to get from groundbreaking through the end of construction.”
“Their service has been invaluable.”
