Greater Fort Wayne Inc. Names CEO

John Urbahns

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The board of directors for Greater Fort Wayne Inc. has selected John Urbahns as the organization’s next chief executive officer. Urbahns, who has served as executive vice president of economic development for GFW Inc., will begin his new role at the beginning of the year.

Urbahns succeeds Eric Doden, who announced in May he was leaving the organization to focus on his ventures in the private sector.

"John has earned the full faith and confidence of the board and staff," said Andrew Thomas, board chair of GFW Inc. "He has a proven track record of success in this community, and his skills and experience make him the best leader for this organization going forward."

In his previous role, Urbahns led all efforts related to business expansion and attraction, entrepreneurship and innovation, and downtown development, among others. The organization says, since 2014, he has assisted with 132 business expansions and relocations in Allen County, which resulted in more than 7,800 new jobs and $335 million in new annual payroll.

Prior to joining GFW Inc., Urbahns served as director of community development for the city of Fort Wayne.