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Looking for something to do this weekend in Fort Wayne, Indiana! Check out these awesome events happening near you! Events in Fort Wayne Vera Bradley Classic: Friday 15th - Monday 18 Arts and Music Festival: Friday 15th - Saturday 16th Kuehnert Dairy Farm Fall Festival: Saturday 15th- Recurring weekly Friday-Sunday until October 29th Johnny Appleseed Festival: Saturday 16th - Sunday 17th Oktoberfest 2023: Saturday 16th - Sunday 17th If you have any local events or happenings you would like to promote email Fort Wayne Business Journal! fwbusinessjournal@gmail.com

What are you doing this weekend? At the Fort Wayne Business Journal, we share every Wednesday what is going on this weekend in Fort Wayne, Indiana! If you are visiting Fort Wayne or just want to try something new, check out our business journal every Wednesday! This Weekend 41st Annual West Central and Neighborhood Home and Garden Tour - Saturday Sept 9th-Sunday Sept 10th Fox Face Plate - Saturday Sept 9th Dino Day - Every weekend in Sept Autism Ally Autism Acceptance Walk - Sunday Sept 10th Monarch Festival - Sunday Sept 10th If you know of any local events in Fort Wayne, contact us:

Have you made any plans this weekend in Fort Wayne? We know last minute planning can be tough, but we got your back! The Fort Wayne Business Journal publishes local events happening over the weekend every Wednesday, so you're always informed. This weekend 1. Sweet Breeze Canal Boat Cruise - Bird Watching Tour: Friday September 1st 2. Jurassic Empire: Friday September 1st - Sunday September 10th 3. Last Day of the Season for Hawiian Shaved Ice: Sunday September 3rd If you would like us to share any events you are hosting or know of any that are coming soon email us at fwbusinessjournal@gmail.com so we can share it with everyone!

It was a big day for Surack Entreprise, the Surack Family, Weigand Construction, and everyone involved in the progress of The Pearl. Today, they placed the topmost beam during the Topping Ceremony in Fort Wayne. This ceremony was celebrating the highest point. The Pearl will be coming in at 7 stories tall! More about The Pearl Downtown Fort Wayne Fort Wayne is about to witness a transformation with the upcoming arrival of "The Pearl," a groundbreaking mixed-use development set to reshape the heart of the city. Scheduled to be finished in 2024, this nearly 80 million dollar project aims to be a central hub of growth, offering abundant opportunities for businesses, entertainment, and culture. A Vibrant Hub of Possibilities in Downtown Fort Wayne The Pearl will bring a world of possibilities, giving the local business community a fresh boost. From retail spaces to restaurants, live music venues, and artistic hubs, the Pearl will entertain both residents and visitors alike, making it a go-to destination for all. The Pearl's spot on Main Street, in the lively downtown area, makes it easy for everyone to get to and enjoy. It's packed with exciting things to do and see, blending in smoothly with other neat places nearby. A Haven for Business and Residential Ventures The Pearl also embraces commercial and residential spaces. Spanning 12,000 square feet of street-level retail space, the project will undoubtedly attract dynamic business ventures, supported by the foot traffic from the residential areas above. A total of 76 single and multi-bedroom apartments, along with five distinctive live/work storefronts, will provide a unique style of downtown living, promoting a sense of community and growth. A Vision Brought to Life by Surack Enterprises and the City of Fort Wayne The visionary minds behind The Pearl are Chuck Surack, founder of Sweetwater, and Lisa Surack. In partnership with the City of Fort Wayne's Community Development Division, they aim to create a seven-story masterpiece. The ground floor alone will offer over 35,000 square feet of commercial and event space, while structured parking facilities will cater to the needs of Pearl's residents. Moreover, the development will feature an impressive 75 units on its upper floors, ensuring ample opportunities for tenants. Paving the Way for Community Growth The Pearl is not just a real estate endeavor, it symbolizes the possibilities that can only happen between the collaboration of private and public entities. With the Suracks' investment of up to $7 million to enhance the surrounding streets and public infrastructure, this project showcases how public-private partnerships can benefit the entire community. The city of Fort Wayne eagerly awaits the transformative impact of The Pearl, which promises to elevate the downtown experience for both residents and visitors alike. For more information about The Pearl: https://thepearlfw.com Construction info: https://www.weigandconstruction.com If you have any business news or events, email us at fwbusinessjournal@gmail.com to learn more about how to promote with us! Thank you, and hope to hear from you soon. Fort Wayne Business Journal

It’s easy to spend hours at the hair salon; many people have to plan it out in advance to ensure they are saving enough time for their upcoming hair appointment. On the opposite end of the spectrum are those that want a much faster approach, the clients that need a quick haircut or a nice blowout. Unfortunately, quick-quality salon service options are few and far between. Bethanie Morken, a cosmetologist since 2009, noticed this problem throughout her career, among other flaws in the salon industry, and decided it was time to change the narrative. In 2021, she decided to fully commit to an idea she has had in her mind for some time and started her venture into an industry-disrupting project that she now calls 260 Hair Bus. When she described what the company is today, she said, “260 Hair Bus is designed to have W2 employees; my goal with the bus is for it to be a platform for new stylists to build their clientele and find their own identities and build confidence behind the chair with the help of my training and shared knowledge. For clients, I wanted to bring a quick in and out salon service that also provides a quality, uplifting, and positive experience.” Bethanie Morken was born and raised in Fort Wayne, Indiana. When we talked about what her childhood was like, she said she has many great memories from when she was growing up. Like visiting her father in Wisconsin, helping him on projects for his home building business or hearing her stepdad tell her she should be a hairstylist someday after seeing the haircuts she would give her Barbie’s. She also told us, “I was an only child until I was ten, so the word lonely comes to mind. When I grew up, we didn’t have many gadgets like kids have today to stay busy. I entertained myself with arts and crafts or by watching what the adults were doing around me. Throughout my childhood, people would tell me that I was too mature for my age and that I needed to spend more time playing with the other kids, but I never felt like I fit in with the kids my age. I was just too interested in learning about the world around me.” She went on to say that even though her childhood felt lonely at times, she believes that all the observations she had growing up helped guide her in many decisions she’s made in her adult life, and those big decisions have helped shape her into the person she is today. When Morken was a teenager, she remembers thinking about the concept of being a business owner; she said, “I remember in middle school thinking that I never wanted to live my life only looking forward to Friday. I always wanted freedom and flexibility, and being a business owner is really the only way to get that. Being around my dad when I was younger really exposed me to what being a business owner would be like. Watching business be good and bad, sometimes overwhelming while also being rewarding and exciting. It was all the things, and I knew I wanted something like that for myself.” When Bethanie was at South Side High School, she applied for the cosmetology program at Anthis Career Center. At first, she wanted to do the program because growing up, she always heard people talking about how important skilled trades were to have in your back pocket but soon after starting the class she realized this was something she’d actually want to have as her career. In 2009, Morken passed her state boards and became a licensed cosmetologist. She went to Indiana University to study Human Development and Sociology, and throughout her college career, she worked behind the chair at Master Cuts. Master Cuts was a corporate salon, similar to Great Clips or Big League Barbers. This was Bethanie’s first salon opportunity, and she was grateful to have the peace of mind a corporate-backed salon had. She told us, “I’m grateful I had the corporate experience starting out. Today when you work for a local salon owner and, for example, you overprocess someone’s highlights, you’re not protected like you would be on a corporate level. I never felt like I would over-process anyone’s hair, but I always felt a little more protected in the beginning knowing I had corporate backing if I ever needed it. It helped push me along and learn a lot really quickly.” She’s carried this experience throughout her career in the salon industry, among other situations she’s encountered that she felt could be done better or differently. Bethanie has had the opportunity to witness many different versions of the various salon business models out there but has never found anything that felt like a good fit for her. Many of the salons she worked in didn't share the same values as she did, or had toxic work spaces from trying to blend too many stylists into one work environment. In 2020, Bethanie lost her job when the world shut down to stop the spread of Covid-19. Although she lost her job, it gave her the time she needed to think of what she could do to change the industry. As she thought through her business model, she knew she wanted to create a space for a convenient, in-and-out, quality salon service for her clients. With this concept in mind, she knew the services she would offer in this new salon would need to be ones someone could perform in an hour or less. This led to the creation of the first menu, which included a blowout bar and clipper cuts. On the stylist side of the business, she wanted the location to be small so that there wasn't room for too many people to be in the same space to prevent the chance for conflict. This would allow her to always ensure the environment within the salon would stay positive. Next, she knew she wanted to hire newly licensed cosmetologists to give them the opportunity to get comfortable, confident, and find their identities behind the chair with the help of her guidance. Bethanie loves teaching and sharing her knowledge with other stylists, so planning to hire newly licensed cosmetologists would give her the ability to dig deeper into her educational side with those hungry to learn more about the industry. Now that she knew the business model she wanted, she had to find the best way to execute it. The idea of running a storefront salon wasn’t what she wanted for this concept; it needed to be something that was more convenient for people because convenience was one of the main focuses of the business model. She loved the idea of mobile detailing or mobile pet grooming businesses, so she decided to create Fort Wayne’s first mobile hair salon. After months of searching, on June 6th, 2021, Bethanie finally found the perfect vehicle for her business. A 2005 Navistar school bus, once used to transport special needs children for the East Allen County School district. Now that she had the bus it was time to start designing and executing the conversion from a school bus to a mobile hair salon. Without the ability to work the last several months, Bethanie's savings was dwindling but, shortly after buying the bus, covid restrictions began to loosen and Morken was able to start renting a booth at a local salon. Through the mass amount of clients that were coming to see her, she was able to start saving again and putting money aside to start the build. Now that she had money to work with, she set out to find a contractor willing to help her convert the bus into a mobile salon. Unfortunately, this was when the housing market was skyrocketing, and due to this, many contractors were too busy or booked out to learn how to properly handle a project like this. The rejection from contractors left Bethanie with only one other option; she needed to build it herself. As a newly single mom, it would be hard to find the time she needed to complete this project, but she was determined to find a way. So, for the next several months Bethanie would work her shift at the salon, come home and feed her children, load them up into the bus and get to work. During this time there were not many resources out there to reference how to create a project like this so it took a lot of time to ensure everything that was being put into the bus would perform the way it needed to. Morken spent countless hours cutting wood pieces to create counters and shelves, finding creative ways to mount everything inside the bus so it wouldn't shift while the bus was moving, and planning out every last detail that you see today when inside. She even carefully planned out the way the bus would look aesthetically because she knew she wanted to create this space for everyone to feel welcome. When we talked to her about what the most challenging part was throughout the build, she told us it was not being in tune with her mind, body, and spirit. This led her to overwork her body to the point of total exhaustion. She also said not having the support she thought she would get from some friends and family was tough for her too. She said, “You expect the people in your life to be supportive and show up. I’ve gotten advice from people in business who say your friends are not your first customer, and I’ve been aware of that, but doing something that’s such a novelty like the bus and the fact that I had to figure out how to make it all happen while also being a newly single mom was hard. I was so excited and passionate, but some of the people around me tried to bring me down. I had to coach myself throughout this process mentally. I could have sat there and said I couldn’t continue, but I had to teach myself to heal my body to help my mind. Throughout this process, my intuition started to kick in, and things flowed more naturally. I gained the confidence I needed to push through all the challenges of building the bus and knowing every decision I was making was needed for the project.” She went on to tell us about how her father passed away shortly after she graduated from IU, but she felt he still helped guide her in the process. She likes to say that he helped her with the construction, just from the other side. She also said the bus wouldn’t have been possible without the help of her ex-husband, who helped her continuously throughout the construction process, and the ones that did show up for her along the way. She was so grateful to have their support throughout the build. After the bus was finally completed, Bethanie didn’t feel the sense of joy and excitement she thought she would. On the contrary, she felt utterly worn down and burnt out. She needed to find a way within herself to keep pushing; she worked so hard for this moment, it was time for the city to see what she’s created. So, she began calling local businesses in town to see if she could park the bus in front of their location and start accepting walk-in customers. At first, she didn’t get the response from the community that she thought she would. She had hoped that the city would be more excited about this new twist in the salon industry, but instead she was receiving a lot of rejection. She didn’t let it stop her, she continued calling people until someone finally gave her, her first yes, and in October of 2022, 260 Hair Bus was officially open for business. Since opening last year, Bethanie has gotten great feedback from the community. She’s added a few more options to the services menu including scissor cuts, hair add-ins like tensile or feathers, root touch ups, and color conditioning services to name a few. She’s hired her first stylist and has had the opportunity to partner with FWCS to provide kids with a fresh haircut for their first day of school. When we talked about what the hopes are for the future of the bus, Bethanie told us her hopes are to one day open a Kids Cut Bus to provide children with a unique and fun haircut experience. She’d also like to start teaming up with local beauty schools to continue her mission of helping new stylists find their paths into the industry but her biggest dream of all would be to one day franchise the company. She would love to see her buses all around the country and have the ability to help others build out a bus into a mobile hair salon. When we asked Morken what advice she would have for another entrepreneur taking the leap into starting a company, she said, “My biggest advice would be to learn to mentally train yourself and have resources to help keep your mind, body, and spirit in alignment. You manifest your future, so if you think you’ll fail, you will, but if you think you’ll succeed, you’ll always find a way.” If you want to find 260 Hair Bus to get a fresh blowout, try out a new haircut, get your hair done before an event, or just see for yourself what the bus looks like and experience its uniqueness firsthand, follow them on Instagram and Facebook @260HairBus to see where to find them! Bethanie posts where the bus will be for the week every Sunday, so you’ll always be in the loop. We want to give a huge thank you to Bethanie Morken for sharing her story with us and being so vulnerable and open to discussing all the highs and lows of starting her company. Entrepreneurship is a journey, but from one of Bethanie’s favorite quotes by Henry Ford, “When everything seems to be going against you, remember the airplane takes off going against the wind, not with it.” Keep pushing, and you’ll be able to accomplish whatever you set your mind to. Another big thank you to Nike with Creative Roots Media for taking these amazing photos. If you love reading these stories about the people helping shape Fort Wayne into the great city it is today, subscribe to our newsletter so you’re always informed about what’s happening here at the Fort Wayne Business Journal.

Art, Food, Culture, and Cars, if you are looking for something to do this weekend in Fort Wayne, check out what our local businesses are doing near you: Events for August 18th - 20th, 2023. 13th annual Dehaven Chevrolet Cruise-in Car Show: Friday Artlink Market at Taste of the Arts: Saturday Taste of the Arts: Saturday If your business is hosting an event you would like us to share, email us at fwbusinessjournal@gmail.com Have a great day in Fort Wayne!!!

Fort Wayne Business Journal shares events that are happening every Wednesday for this coming weekend, August 18th- 20th, 2023. If you forgot to make plans, swipe below to find your next events that are going on in our Fort Wayne, Community. If your business is hosting an event you would like us to share email us at fwbusinessjournal@gmail.com

We had the chance to go to Fiesta Fort Wayne, an immersive cultural festival. It was a blast for all ages and was a true spectacle of the Latino spirit today at Headwaters Park! Vibrant live music, dancing, and some of the most authentic Latino cuisine in Northeast Indiana was all part of the experience. Browsing items from handmade jewelry and clothing to Hispanic candy and deserts it was an engaging and fun event for all who came. While booths offered a range of enticing Latino goods, the heart and soul of Fiesta Fort Wayne laid in its lively performances and flavorsome food offerings. After ordering an array of fresh authentic dishes, it was relaxing to sit back, and enjoy the rhythmic music and truly feel embraced in the moment. Engaging with the vendors at Fiesta Fort Wayne added a personal touch to the experience, unveiling the stories behind each creation. Conversations flowed effortlessly as these individuals shared their craftsmanship and traditions. These interactions turned each booth into a doorway to the heart of Fort Wayne’s Latino culture, making the festival not just a mere event but a journey of connection and understanding. After agreeing on a mutually fair price, I walked away with a smile on my face, and a sombrero on my head. As the sun set on Headwaters Park, I left with a satisfied palate, full of delicious food, long-lasting memories, and a deeper understanding of the vibrant Latino spirit that thrives in the heart of Fort Wayne For more information for next year follow Fiesta Fort Wayne on Facebook: Let us know if your business has an event coming up by emailing us at: Fort Wayne Business Journal fwbusinessjournal@gmail.com

Fort Wayne has a rich history when it comes to the world of baseball, and with the help of Logan Wiening, owner of Old Fort Baseball Co, we now have a way to preserve, support, and represent the teams that have called Fort Wayne home throughout the years. When we asked Logan what the word business meant to him, he said, “It’s the ability and justification to live out a hobby. As a designer, I’ve been looking for a while to find something I could do to fill a niche and provide a creative outlet for. I wanted to do something different and not what everyone else was doing; copying something you see online and slapping it on a sticker is easy. I wanted to create something original, and a brand people would want to support, and I found that with Old Fort Baseball Co.” Logan Wiening was born in Fort Wayne and graduated from Bishop Dwenger High School in 2013. When he talked about what it was like growing up in Fort Wayne, he said something that we believe many of us felt ten years ago, everyone he knew wanted to leave the city and go elsewhere. He said, “There wasn’t much to do back then; downtown didn’t have much going on, nothing really happened at the coliseum, and the events around town were not that exciting. Throughout the last decade, that isn’t the case anymore; with all the growth happening in our city, we don’t want to leave. Fort Wayne is a great place to be, and when I talk with people that didn’t grow up here, they talk about how we have so many exciting things happening here, and it’s so easy to fall in love with the town and call it home.” Looking back at Wiening’s childhood, he remembers always liking the concept of being a business owner. He told us about how whenever he would play video games about various professional sports leagues, he always wanted to play as the general manager or other roles that required more of a business outlook on the game rather than just the athlete’s perspective. During his senior year of high school, he had an opportunity to experience the business side of sports when he accepted a position with the Mad Ants. He went on to work with the Mad Ants for six seasons. Throughout this time, Logan realized he enjoyed the business side of things, so he began thinking of ways to create his own company. Logan is a creative; he enjoys making designs and graphics for various things, so he knew he wanted to do something within that realm to ensure he followed his passions. He knew he didn’t want to be like other companies that see an overused design, recreate it, and throw it on apparel. Knowing what he didn’t want for his company, he needed to figure out what he did want. What he came up with came down to three main things; a unique idea, quality products, and to fill a void in an industry. Now that he knew what he wanted, he began sketching out a few different ideas. After several dead ends, he started on a very different concept, creating a logo for The Kekionga's, Fort Wayne’s first and only professional men’s baseball team formed in 1871. After this, he recreated the logo for the Fort Wayne Daisies, a female professional baseball team that played from 1945-1954. During this process, he realized he had a great idea here, and the concept for Old Fort Baseball Co was born. When Logan described what the company is today, he said “The main goal and focus is to celebrate and reinvigorate the love, support, and history of Fort Wayne baseball. Sport is an important part of our community, so we highlight teams people may not know about through our apparel and merchandise to bring more awareness and new life to old teams. Bringing back the nostalgia for people is a lot of fun too.” When we discussed the hardships Logan has been through since the creation of the business, he told us the most challenging part was really in the beginning, when he needed to turn his designs into quality apparel items. He knew he didn’t want to be the person that printed the shirts because that wasn’t his specialty, he was the designer. He wanted to ensure from the beginning that the brand was only providing customers with the best quality products. So, to do that, he needed to use a company with experience in creating quality apparel. After much research, what made the most sense for Wiening and the company was to use a third-party, print-on-demand service. This allowed Logan the ability not to have to invest a ton of money in inventory and gave him the ability to use that money in different areas of the company. Using a print-on-demand service meant that a third-party company would instantly print the item and send it directly to the customer whenever a client purchased an item from his website. After figuring out how the products would get to his clients, the next challenge was establishing the best pricing, deciding what to offer, and thinking through every detail of how the shirt would look and feel. Today, many of the early choices Logan made are still in effect but he has had the opportunity to create a relationship with Nick Morken, owner of Pulled & Pressed, which has given him the ability to screen print more designs locally. Aside from purchasing items on the website, people can also find Old Fort Baseball Co at the YLNI marketplace downtown once a month. Soon they hope to have a small display within a new baseball facility that is currently being built here in Fort Wayne. As for the future of Old Fort Baseball Co, Logan wants to continue expanding into other areas with the help of his Support Local Baseball initiative. This program was Wiening’s first go at a more national approach. Through this process, he’s created partnerships with companies nationwide, helping design and produce apparel for their baseball teams. Wiening enjoys building new relationships with people and hopes to expand on this as the company continues to grow. He has plans to expand the products and teams they offer and has hopes to expand into other local sports industries to help bring more awareness to the Fort Wayne sports community as a whole. Currently, Logan is the only person working for the company, but he can see himself hiring another person part-time when the timing is right. Logan has big visions for the company, and with the ongoing support of the community, he can continue to make them happen. Logan Wiening is an excellent example of what it’s like to be an entrepreneur. He had the itch to start a company and took the time to follow that and create something new and unique to Fort Wayne. When we asked him if he had any advice for other entrepreneurs hoping to start their own business, he said, “You need to be willing to work hard for your company, but don’t get too deep into what you’re doing. You have to be able to notice your shortcomings and be ready to adjust as needed. Most importantly, you need to build your brand because that is what will set you apart from other companies, especially in a town like Fort Wayne. Creating a brand gives the community something to stand behind and want to support. Word of mouth is what will really help your company grow.” If you would like to see more of what Logan is doing at Old Fort Baseball Co, follow them on Instagram @oldfortbaseballco or check out their website at www.oldfortbaseballco.com. We want to send a huge thank you to Logan Wiening for his time and sharing his story with us. We also want to thank Nikeshia Young owner of Creative Roots Media for capturing these photos. If you enjoy reading these stories about the people helping shape Fort Wayne, subscribe to our free newsletter to stay in the loop with what's happening here at the Fort Wayne Business Journal.

If you have nothing to do this weekend in Fort Wayne, check out these local events! Check in every Wednesday to find out what is happening in the Fort Wayne area for the coming weekend. I If you have any events you would like mentioned or highlighted, please email us at fwbusinessjournal@gmail.com