Fort Wayne Local Podcast

Drew Wiard joins the pod to discuss why he walked his career as the market clinical pharmacy director for a career in full time investing! We also discuss he current investing strategy in these changing times. Remember, if you enjoy the Fort Wayne Local Podcast to be sure to share it with a friend!

We sat down with the Queen of AirBNB Jacinda Neustel to talk all things AirBNB! We discussed strategies, common mistakes, where's the opportunity, and even swapped a few horror stories. If you're looking to invest in short term rentals, become a better host, or are just curious about the business then this is for you! If you are looking to hire an AirBNB host you can reach out to Jacinda directly.

Tom Didier (R) has served on city council since 2003 representing the city's 3rd district, defeating now Mayor Tom Henry at that time. Tom is a married father of 3, worked in sales for over 30 years with US Foods, and has a strong passion for the City of Fort Wayne! We discuss his top priority as mayor, economic development, and issue he thinks is overlooked, and more. Enjoy!

Jason Arp (R) has served on City Council since 2015 representing the city's 4th district. While running as a Republican, he is a Libertarian at heart, believing in a limited government and empowerment of the individual. He cares very much about our city and is willing to make unpopular choices for the long term good. You can learn more about him at www.arp4fortwayne.com. Enjoy!

The Zacher Company, Fort Wayne's leader in commercial real estate, just released their office market report for 2022! We chat with the owner Steve Zacher about key points in the report, an update on Electric Works leasing, and where he sees the market heading during this economic uncertainty!

Jeff Potter, founder of the Mad Ants and current sports agent/co-owner of Potter Sports Group, joins us to discuss how he helped bring the Mad Ants to Fort Wayne, the challenges early on, winning the D-League championship, navigating a global recession, selling the team, and eventually starting his own agency!

After the city's recent acquisition of the Pepsi building near Promenade Park we chatted with Fort Wayne City Council's Jason Arp about the current events. As a Libertarian, Jason shares his views and concerns with the project and others like it, as well as where he'd prefer to city citizen's tax dollars going. It was another candid and enjoyable conversation with one of the city's representatives!

If you've wanted to reap the benefits of real estate investing with the maintenance, repairs, and headaches of being a landlord you may want to consider note investing. Fort Wayne, Indiana local investors Jay Redding and Kyle Cassidy from JMJ Real Estate Services LLC break down how they have found success in the note investing space, as well as how you can get involved either passively or actively. Have a listen to the interview and then head to their websites jmjrealestateservices.com and cassidyinvestments.com to learn more and connect with these savvy investors!

We chat with local investor and founder of the Fort Wayne REIA about how he's hedging against inflation, where he's finding deals, and why he's shifting to industrial flex space.

We chatted with Fort Wayne local Margaret McAfee about the pros and cons of leaving a great career behind to stay at home with her children. Hopefully this conversation will help advise or add perspective to anyone struggling with the same decision. From there we discuss how she has added 25,000 followers and become an Instagram influencer! She credits consistency and authenticity for her success while giving tips for those looking to grow as well. Hope you enjoy!

Fort Wayne is known for its amazing park system. It is one of the many quality of life benefits of living here. We chatted with Steve McDaniel, Director of the Park Department for the city of Fort Wayne about how he got started, his vision for our parks, and what the future brings!

We chatted with two friends and Fort Wayne locals who chose to walk the path less traveled.  They saw the effect that drugs, gangs, and corruption were having on the children of Medellin, Colombia and decided to do something about it.  So naturally, they started a... little league?!

We chat with the founder of Pond, Mitch Stein! Pond is a tech startup based right here in Fort Wayne that aims to help non-profits connect with service providers to save them both time and money, keeping them focused on serving their community and not spending precious resources on infrastructure. Mitch shares what a battle the startup world can be and how he plans to persevere. Enjoy!

Electric Works is one of the most exciting and bold projects the city has ever been a part of. Fort Wayne Community School's role will be no different. They are looking at starting forward thinking, outside the box, and truly visionary education programs to prepare Fort Wayne's youth for the future of tomorrow. Riley Johnson has been tabbed with this enormous task and he gets to start from scratch! On episode 18 we discuss his background that prepared him for this moment as well as the opportunity he sees in front of him. If you have interest in Electric Works, alternatives to traditional schooling, or people trying something new and bold then this episode is for you!

Unless you've been living in isolation with no human contact, you've repeatedly heard this market is scorching! With that in mind we chat with FW REIA founder and seasoned investor Drew Wiard on a variety of topics ranging from: Are there still deals? Is there a crash coming? Is he locking in gains by selling some of his portfolio? Enjoy!

We chatted with the executive director of the local SPCA Jessica Henry the work her and the organization she runs work in caring for those who can't care for themselves: our city's animals. We discuss: -How to become a volunteer -The services offered by the SPCA -How the foster care system works -Why it's often people who are the ones benefiting from these programs And much more!

On episode 15 of the Fort Wayne Local Podcast we were blessed to be joined by the Mayor of Fort Wayne, Tom Henry! We discuss: -Why he feels economic development is vital for the future of Fort Wayne -His involvement in Electric Works -The controversial food and beverage tax increase -The newly announced North River soccer complex Mayor Henry was open and forthcoming with his plans for the city. We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity and are excited to watch his vision unfold!

You can't talk Fort Wayne commercial real estate without hearing the name Zacher Company. We were fortunate enough to chat with the president and managing broker Steve Zacher as they are releasing their 2021 Northeast Indiana Industrial Market Report! We discuss the following : -How'd the industrial market do as a whole? -Vacancy and absorption -Who shut down/vacated -Who's expanding or building -Notable transactions -Predictions for 2021 -Electric Works! Steve is a wealth of knowledge and this is a great introduction to our audience. You can find Zacher Company's annual reports at www.zacherco.com. Enjoy!

On episode 13 of the Fort Wayne Local Podcast we chat with James Khan, local owner of BakerStreet Steakhouse, Hoppy Gnome, Gnometown Brewing, and Proximo about the proposed food and beverage tax. He believes the tax will bring more people to the area which will be a net gain for the city and business owners alike.

The hot topic that has the city buzzing is Mayor Tom Henry's proposed tax increase on restaurants to help fund city development. On episode 12 of the Fort Wayne Local Podcast we discuss with restauranter Jimmie Schindler how this will affect local restaurants and where he stands on the issue. Jimmie is always extremely gracious and candid with interviews and we appreciate his time very much. Hope this helps shed some light on the issue.

We recently chatted with local orthopedic surgeon Dr. Jon Lynch with Ortho Northeast (ONE). We discuss: -What to do if you think you might need surgery -Best tips to prepare for surgery -What to expect during and after surgery -Best practices post-op to make sure you're living your best quality of life. Dr. Lynch is a caring and generous person and hopefully this interview brings some clarity for those of you who are considering or preparing for surgery. Enjoy!

We discuss with new business owner Davey Heritier, Owner of Davey's Delicious Bagels, about moving to Fort Wayne during a pandemic, the keys to his new success, and plans for the future!

Jason Arp from Fort Wayne's 4th district joins us to talk about his stance on Electric Works, as well as government funded developments. If you care about EW or the future vision for Fort Wayne this pod is a must listen. Enjoy!

We sat down with local State Farm agency owner Jon Till to chat about his time in the marines, the challenges, personal growth, and how it went transitioning to civilian life. Enjoy!

We chat with Ft Wayne Real Estate Investors Association founder Drew Wiard about why he founded the REIA, investing in Ft Wayne RE, out of state investing, how coronavirus has affected his portfolio, and more. Enjoy!

On episode 6 of the Fort Wayne Local Podcast we chat with Bishop Luers HS head football coach Kyle Lindsay! We discuss the following: -will there be a season -how they are preparing despite these challenges -advice for parents and younger athletes hoping to play in high school and beyond -SAC preview and who are the teams to watch in 2020 Times like these are when true leadership shines and it's easy to see why he's been successful throughout his life in athletics. Enjoy everyone!

Pediatrician Dr. Giaquinta shares how we can get our children back in school while remaining as safe as possible. We talk masks, in person checkups, and much more!

We chat with Casey Steinbacher about what we can expect for Electric Works and why it matters. Casey helped take American Tobacco Campus in Durham, NC (the model for EW) to the next level. She details what it took to get there and what the benefits have been for the community.

Local restaurant owner Jimmie Schindler (Bandidos and Guadalupe's) gets candid about what he's going through with his restaurants and how he plans to persevere.

Are banks on the verge of collapse? Is it possible to access capital as a small business owner? We've all seen the headlines. Today we get information straight from the source on this week's episode of the Fort Wayne Local Podcast. I was fortunate enough to interview the CEO and president of First Federal Savings Bank, Mike Zahn. Mike was generous enough to discuss the following items: -1:00 are banks still lending? -3:12 who's eligible for the PPP loans? -4:50 forebearance policies -7:00 is there a spike in auto loan delinquencies? -8:15 are lending guidlines tightening? -9:30 where is the opportunity he sees coming out of this? -11:30 What is his favorite thing about living in Fort Wayne/NE Indiana? We did have some technical/audio difficulties, so please forgive the growing pains. But seeing as this was take 2 and Mike is a busy man, I decided to just roll with it. Enjoy!

I was joined by my friend and great guy Dan Westrick with All State insurance. We discussed a variety of issues designed to help you save as much money as possible while protecting yourself and your assets. We discussed where you can save right now, how to interview insurance agents and compare them, why the cheaper options may come with added risk, and why he loves Fort Wayne, Indiana! Enjoy!