Fuse News

Isaac Fincher, 29, and his siblings are proud products the city’s South side. They went to Prince Chapman Academy, then to South Side High School. “We grew up in the church,” Fincher says, noting that his father, Isaac R. Fincher, was and still is a pastor, now at the Eleventh Missionary Baptist Church in the […]

The phrase flipping a house doesn’t speak to the artist in Sergio Perez De Leon, owner of Leon Properties Enterprise, a business that buys, renovates, and sells homes in Fort Wayne. “When you say the word flip, it sounds like a quick turnaround,” De Leon said. “I like to renovate, to bring houses back to […]

Homemade pie. If that brings to mind tempting smells and mouthwatering taste, you’re not alone. “Because pie is meant to be shared,” as the tagline for Bakerson Pie Co. says. Owner Angela Harrison credits her great-great-aunt for setting the baking standard she follows, but the recipes are hers. All of the pies are homemade and […]

During General Motor’s shutdown due to COVID-19, Janice Hodges of Fort Wayne came to a life-altering conclusion. “I thought: There has to be more to life than this,” she says. Hodges has been working for GM for 32 years. While she’s thankful for the position, she’s known for a long time now that it wasn’t […]

Stephanie Ruiz grew up in a large Latino family in California. On holidays, the women in her family would spend hours together in the kitchen, making tamales. “I loved it because you’d hear stories and learn about your family,” Ruiz says. When she was 10-years-old, her immediate family moved to Fort Wayne for her father’s […]

Build Institute Fort Wayne graduate Flora Barron was always concerned with health and wellness. Being in shape, she said, “Is something that I struggle with.” So, when she decided to open Kanela, a new coffee, juice, and smoothie shop at 618 South Harrison St., she steered its offerings and environment so “A family and their […]

“Growing up, I was a shop kid,” Kachell Smith said, recalling the many hours she watched her stylist mom in action at the Something Different Salon. Now, at age 26, Smith has her own salon—Liberty Beauty—which had its grand opening on September 13, 2020. Asked how it feels to be a salon owner, she  said, […]

Meet Dr. Paula Neuman. She owns NE Psychological, LLC, providing neuropsychological and psychological assessment and treatments for adults and children. But Dr. Neuman is much more than the owner—she’s the whole operation. “I’m the front desk person, the doctor, and everyone else,” she said. “The challenge is growing the business in order to hire the […]

Although Britni Eisenmann once planned to have her own marketing firm, a professor’s suggestion turned her to psychology instead. Now, as the owner of a successful consultancy, GenElevate, she helps employers find ways to engage new employees so they want to stay. “Engaged employees don’t think about leaving,” Eisenmann said. “And when they feel valued, […]

As the owner of Be Minked Beauty (BMB), Britney Humphrey says her goal is to “make sure every individual we encounter feels beautiful within.” But that’s not her only goal. Humphrey also plans to become her own manufacturer, as well as open the first black-owned beauty supply store in Fort Wayne. The Wayne High School […]