Trine Fort Wayne gifted $3M from Surack Foundation
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Trine University has received another significant contribution towards Trine University Fort Wayne, the $40 million, 110,000-square-foot facility that will house programs in its College of Health Professions. The Surack Family Foundation is pledging $3 million to support the facility, which is expected to open in fall 2024.
When complete, the building will employ 100 faculty and staff and serve upwards of 700 students. Earlier this year, the university received $5 million from the James Foundation Inc., as well as a $2.5 million gift from alumnus and Board of Trustees member Larry Reiners and his wife Judy, among others.
“We are grateful beyond words for the Surack Family Foundation’s support for and endorsement of the Trine University Fort Wayne project,” said Trine President Dr. Earl Brooks. “An increasing number of community members and Trine alumni are recognizing the profound impact this project will have on the healthcare and economy of this region, and we thank each one, including Chuck and Lisa Surack, for their generosity.”
Surack, the son of 1956 Tri-State College (now Trine University) graduate Jim Surack, founded Sweetwater Sound in 1979, a four-track mobile recording studio that has grown into an online retailer of music instruments and pro-audio equipment. In addition to Sweetwater, Trine says Surack owns about a dozen other businesses, including SweetCars, Sweet Aviation, Sweet Helicopters and Longe Optical in Fort Wayne.
“As a lifetime resident of and longtime business owner in this region, I’m proud to support Trine University in this effort to improve healthcare education and the overall quality of life for the Greater Fort Wayne region,” said Chuck Surack. “For more than 135 years, Trine has developed innovative ways to meet the educational needs of students as well as industry and the community, and the new Trine University Fort Wayne project will build on that legacy.”
The Suracks have also contributed to construction of Trine’s Thunder Ice Arena on its Angola campus.