Shindigz CEO: Talent Driving New HQ Decision
Dan Haight became Shindigz CEO in January 2017.
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe head of a northeast Indiana party supply company says plans to shift its headquarters 40 minutes east will provide a boost to talent attraction and retention efforts. Shindigz will keep manufacturing and distribution operations at its longtime South Whitley facility and relocate corporate, administrative and design functions to downtown Fort Wayne. Chief Executive Officer Dan Haight tells Inside INdiana Business the move is part of wider plans at play for the company and northeast Indiana business community to develop a next generation workforce pipeline.
Haight says several factors led to the decision. "Our business is on a really good trajectory right now, we just have a need for IT professionals and digital marketing professionals, and other creative folks, data analysts, things of that nature, that we were really just having a challenge recruiting to get out to South Whitley," he said. "It’s not like Chicago or New York City where people are used to and willing to commute for 60 minutes and when you have a commute of 45-60 minutes in this market, it’s just a difficult time to get people to make that commitment."
Downtown Fort Wayne’s growth and the availability of amenities like restaurants and coffee shops in walking distance, Haight said, also contributed to the Fort Wayne move.
Renovations to the Harrison Place building, which will be renamed Shindigz Place, are set to be complete early next year. Some 40-50 current employees will move once work wraps up and up to 20 new jobs could be added in the future. The 33,000 square-foot space is located close to the new Ash Brokerage headquarters.
Shindigz Chief Executive Officer Dan Haight says several factors led to the decision.