Saturday, December 20, 2014

HIT THE ROAD MARK KICKED OUT; AND UP AND CROSSTOWN.

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OH- AND BY ALL MEANS- LETS GO HIRE SOMEONE FRM OUT OF TOWN WHO DOESNT KNOW SHT ABOUT FORT WAYNE/ALLEN COUNTY; AND HOPEFULLY- THE HEXT POLITICAL HACK- WILL HAVE A BETTER JOBS CREATION RECORD THAN THOSE LOSERS AT WELL- YOU KNOW WHERE. SEEMS THE ONLY JOBS THEY CREATE ARE THEIR OWN NICE CUSHY OVERPAID DESK JOBS ON THE TAXPAYERS AND WORKERS BACKS- SO- WHERE ARE ALL THE JOBS, MR BECKER?
GATHERING UP ANOTHER NICE FAT CAT PESNION? WHATS THAT MAKE- 5? 6? NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT.. SIGH.
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http://news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20141219/NEWS/141219579/1005/LIVING

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OCAL

December 20, 2014 1:03 AM

Becker leaving job as CEO

To Parkview Health after 18 months at Greater Fort Wayne

Sherry Slater The Journal Gazette

After less than 18 months on the job, Mark Becker has submitted his resignation as president and CEO of Greater Fort Wayne Inc. effective Jan. 16.
The two-time former Fort Wayne deputy mayor has accepted a consulting position with Parkview Health, a Fort Wayne-based nonprofit.
Becker will help coordinate economic development around the Parkview north campus with various property owners. He will also be a liaison to surrounding communities, helping Parkview strengthen its relationships throughout the region.
Mike Packnett, Parkview’s president and CEO, led the effort to form Greater Fort Wayne Inc. by merging the Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce and the Fort Wayne-Allen County Economic Development Alliance.
Becker was hired in July 2013 as the organization’s first CEO after a national search yielded more than 200 applicants. He was the unanimous choice of the search committee and the interim executive committee, headed by Packnett.
Packnett was unavailable for comment Friday afternoon. 
Becker’s departure could affect whether the Downtown Improvement District’s board agrees next month to enter a contract-for-services agreement with Greater Fort Wayne.
Dave Arnold, DID’s chairman, said Friday it’s too soon to say what the fallout might be. He plans to discuss the leadership change next week with fellow board members.
John Urbahns, Greater Fort Wayne’s executive vice president for economic development, made a presentation this week to DID, encouraging the board to approve a contract with Greater Fort Wayne when the issue comes to a vote in January. 
During the meeting, some DID board members expressed concern that their quasi-governmental organization’s staff and priorities could become lost inside the much larger Greater Fort Wayne.
Becker said Friday that DID board members’ doubts about the wisdom of formally joining forces with Greater Fort Wayne played no role in his decision to leave the organization. 
Greater Fort Wayne’s board last week approved the organization’s 2015 work plan and budget of $3.67 million. The documents will guide staff efforts next year. The nonprofit has budgeted for 22 full-time employees, which includes three new positions.
Becker said he’s glad to have those pieces in place before announcing his resignation, although he acknowledged, “There’s maybe no perfect timing for this kind of thing.”
Becker said his biggest accomplishment as CEO has been merging the chamber, the Alliance and Leadership Fort Wayne, which was headed by his wife, Cheri Becker, who will remain with Greater Fort Wayne. 
At the time of Mark Becker’s hiring announcement, then-interim board member Ron Turpin said the organizers wanted a game-changer for the community. Contacted Friday, Turpin, now the board chairman, said Becker has been essential in laying the foundation for Greater Fort Wayne. 
Becker’s replacement should be someone passionate about the future of Fort Wayne who is well-respected by the local business community, Turpin said.
The effort to find a replacement has already begun, he said. But a decision hasn’t been made whether to hire a consulting firm to conduct another national search.
sslater@jg.net 


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doublecheck

Mark Becker to step down as CEO of Greater Fort Wayne Inc., consult for Parkview

Latest News

Economic development group 'well positioned' for future, he says

By Kevin Leininger of The News-Sentinel
Friday, December 19, 2014 - 10:14 am
Mark Becker, is stepping down as head of Fort Wayne's leading economic development organization after less than two years on the job.
Becker, a former deputy mayor who was named CEO of the newly formed Greater Fort Wayne Inc. in July 2013, will serve as a consultant for Parkview Health, specializing in community development and external relations. Greater Fort Wayne Inc. was created through the merger of the Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Development Alliance. His departure is effective Jan. 16.
"The timing (to leave) is never good, but GFW is well-positioned," Becker said today. "Our work plan and budget for 2015 are set, so if there is a good time, this is it."
Becker, who had served as Fort Wayne's deputy mayor since early 2012, oversaw the organization's move into its new office at 200 E. Main St., and the organization recently led a group of local leaders to Des Moines, Iowa, which placed first in a survey of 100 Midwestern cities in a poll by IPFW. Fort Wayne ranked in the middle.
The organization has also become involved in sometimes-confrontational issues, such as opposing a state proposal to ban same-sex marriage and cautioning City Council to do further study before voting to end collective bargaining for city employees. And just this week, The News-Sentinel reported that the city has said it might eliminate its $150,000 annual support for the Downtown Improvement District unless it agrees to a formal relationship with GFW.
“I have been engaged for almost three years helping to bring together the Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce, the Fort Wayne-Allen County Economic Development Alliance and Leadership Fort Wayne to serve as the single point of contact for economic development in greater Fort Wayne,” Becker said in a statement. “It has been an honor to serve" as CEO.
“Mark will be instrumental in helping Parkview to enhance its community development and public affairs with the intent and goal of furthering the organization’s mission throughout the region,” Mike Packnett, President and CEO of Parkview Health, said Friday morning.
GFW Board Chairman Ron Turpin in a statement thanked Becker for his service, noting that "under Mark's leadership over the past several years, we've made tremendous strides in our effort to align and strengthen Allen County's competitive position . . . GFW is well positioned going into 2015 to provide high quality services to our investors and build on the positive momentum being realized in Greater Fort Wayne.”
GFW's executive committee will now begin the search for a successor.
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