John Urbahns

John Urbahns is the President/CEO of Greater Fort Wayne Inc., the chamber of commerce and economic development agency for Fort Wayne and Allen County, IN. At GFW, John has led an economic development team that has assisted with over 200 business expansions and relocations in Allen County, resulting in more than 13,000 new jobs, over $700 million in new annual payroll, and $6.5 billion in new private investment.

John has managed and negotiated aspects of several transformational community investments and has facilitated comprehensive downtown and neighborhood planning processes throughout the community. He has spent much of his career engaging with residents, neighborhood groups, elected officials, and business leaders to cast a visionary future for Allen County’s communities.

John graduated from Ball State University with degrees in urban planning and environmental design and is an AICP-certified urban planner. In 2020, Ball State’s College of Architecture and Planning awarded him an Outstanding Alumni award.

He is a proud dad to three great kids and a lifelong Hoosier.