The executive director of Indiana Techapps advanced manufacturing innovation center at Electric Works will start work next week, allowing the university to further its plans for programs, services and partnerships, the Fort Wayne institution announced Monday.
Nate Cheviron comes to Indiana Tech with a background in technology-driven business development, operational strategy and leadership, a news release said.
The university last year received a five-year, $21 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. in support of the Junction 36 initiative. The effort will include the transformation of Building 36 on the Electric Works campus into a place that will help grow local companies by connecting them to university-led research, development and training.
Karl Einolf, university president, said Chevironapps entrepreneurial background, passion for the project and engineering and technical experience made him stand out among those who applied for the critical leadership position.
Cheviron has a bachelorapps degree in physics and physics teaching along with certifications in project management, business development and leadership training, the release said.
appHeappll help us turn our ambitious vision for the initiative into a real-world operation that will serve as a great asset to our areaapps students, entrepreneurs, and companies for years to come,app Einolf said in a statement.
Cheviron, who starts Monday, said he is excited about the opportunity.
appNortheast Indiana has been longing for a facility of this kind to drive innovation, collaboration, and economic growth in our region,app he said in a statement. appThis is a unique opportunity to build something truly transformative app where industry and education converge to create lasting impact.app
Indiana Tech is finalizing the acquisition of Building 36, university spokesman Brian Engelhart said by email. The university has begun the design stage of the building and hopes to start renovations late this year.
The building is expected to facilitate and include research and development, testing and prototyping, small-batch production, workforce training, creator space, enterprise support services and automation innovation and development, the release said.
appWith Nate joining us, weappll be able to jump further into planning the programs, services and partnerships that will take place there, and also here on main campus,app Engelhart said.
Other components of Junction 36 include Public Workshop, a program to help learners and entrepreneurs access support and overcome systemic barriers to advancing their education, the release said. It will also connect participants with wraparound services, such as early childhood education, affordable housing and personal health resources.
Another program, the Talent Connection, will provide learning experiences connecting talent to the community in ways that create strong bonds and lead to enhanced talent attraction and retention, the release said.
It added the Talent Connection Fellowship will recruit student leaders to address the regionapps most complex issues, with challenges submitted by area companies, nonprofits and civic groups.
