BizFTZ
is the Foreign Trade Zone program that operates in a twelve county region in Northeast Indiana. Foreign-trade zones are geographical areas considered outside U.S. Customs territory. Companies that import and/or export merchandise as part of their business may be helped by using the foreign-trade zone to minimize, defer or even avoid payment of customs duties. Duties and taxes are only paid if the merchandise enters the United States.
The ISBDC was created to have a positive and measurable impact on the formation, growth, and sustainability of small businesses in Indiana, and to develop a strong entrepreneurial community. The ISBDC creates a positive and measurable impact on the formation, growth, and sustainability of Indiana's small businesses by providing entrepreneurs expert guidance and a comprehensive network of resources.
The Downtown Improvement District (DID) is an Economic Improvement District established under State of Indiana statute. Their services improve the business climate of the district and allow owners of non-residential real property to more easily assess their own economic potential. The Downtown Improvement District's mission is to enhance the image of downtown Fort Wayne for the social and economic benefit of our community by providing special events to promote the downtown Fort Wayne area; providing enhanced beautification, cleaning and security to complement the downtown's wide range of services; and working cooperatively with local government to augment municipal services.
Greater Fort Wayne Inc. is the new organization that unifies the Fort Wayne – Allen County Economic Development Alliance and the Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce, serving as a single point-of-contact for economic growth in Greater Fort Wayne while also complementing and supporting broader, regional efforts.
The Summit City Entrepreneur and Enterprise District, or SEED , was formed by State legislation that took effect January 1, 2018. It replaced the Urban Enterprise Association, which was founded in 1984 to revitalize Fort Wayne's industrial core. The SEED area includes almost seven square miles and many of the City's major urban corridors. Within this area, businesses have access to manufacturing incentives that include investments in innovation, technology and logistics. SEED businesses may be eligible for Real Estate and Personal Property tax deductions. SEED also operates a business incubator that offers manufacturing, research and development, and office space.
The Community Development Corporation of Northeast Indiana (CDC) is a City of Fort Wayne sponsored 501 c (6) not for profit business development organization. Their primary objective is to promote the growth and development of small commercial and industrial for profit businesses in Indiana through creative loan programs. Since their inception in 1978, they have loaned over 52 million dollars to small businesses with an additional 131 million of private funds contributed to those projects and have helped create or retain over 4000 jobs.
The Northeast Indiana Innovation Center (The NIIC) helps entrepreneurs launch and businesses grow. The Innovation Center is the country's only ISO9001:2008 registered business incubation acceleration program, serving entrepreneurs, business owners and existing business owners who want to launch, expand or re-invent a company. The NIIC hosts the Women's Entrepreneurial Opportunity Center (WEOC), one of two U.S. SBA designated Women's Business Centers in Indiana. Innovation takes courage, and the NIIC honors entrepreneurs by taking them seriously and assessing their innovation and business concepts professionally. The NIIC was recognized by Entrepreneur magazine as one of the top four under-the-radar incubators in the country. In the magazine's words, "The NIIC stands out in a state not always perceived as small business friendly."
The Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership is an economic development team serving as a single point of contact to businesses interested in locating to the 10-county region. The Partnership operates on the principle that to create business investment in the region, it must not only generate business leads, but also develop the product that is Northeast Indiana and work on the effectiveness of what we call the regional team—strategic partners who collaborate to better the region.
