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Journeys of Discovery: Old GE factory gets new life in Fort Wayne

Correspondent Rebecca Nolan talks with developer Kevan Biggs about his plans to breath new life into an abandoned General Electric factory in downtown Fort Wayne, Indiana.

The General Electric factory in downtown Fort Wayne used to be the economic heart of the town. It employed over 40% of the city’s population during its heyday. But today it sits empty, a crumbling reminder of a once-prosperous industry. Fort Wayne is smack in the middle of the Rust Belt, where many manufacturing buildings have outlived their original use. The campus was closed in 2015, ending more than a century of manufacturing and innovation. Workers, like Kevin Gilliam, lost their jobs, and the economy of the region was decimated. But local developer Kevan Biggs has a vision for the old factory, one that will once again make it a place of energy and innovation.

You are invited to subscribe to the Lowell Thomas Award-winning travel show podcast, Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer, featured on the NPR Podcast DirectoryApple Podcast, the NPR One App & Stitcher.com. Twitter: TomCWilmer. Instagram: Thomas.Wilmer. Member of the National Press Club in Washington D.C. Underwriting support provided by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

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