Fort Wayne Businesses Receive SBDC Awards

FORT WAYNE, Ind.—The 2019 Impact Awards were held recently in Indianapolis as part of National Small Business Week. These awards recognize the best in Indiana entrepreneurship and the work of the dedicated Indiana Small Business Development Center (ISBDC) regional teams who support small businesses throughout the year.

Brandon Barker and Waylon Fisher of Spectrum Virtual Reality Arcade in Fort Wayne were honored with the Northeast Regional Achievement Award. Founded in December 2017, Spectrum focuses on providing immersive virtual reality experiences everyone can afford.

Wes Shie, regional director of the Northeast Indiana SBDC, explains why they selected this company. “We picked this company for a few main reasons, one is that the business is owned by young entrepreneurs. In high school, the business owners went through the New Tech Academy (a unique project-based teaching collaborative in Fort Wayne) and started this business right out of college. The original location of the business was so successful that ownership opened a second location in year two. It is the only virtual-reality business that I know of in Allen County (if not all of northeast Indiana).”

Prairie Quest, Inc. (PQC) in Fort Wayne was named the 2019 Small Business 8(a) Graduate of the Year. Founded in 2004, PQC specializes in project management, IT services, and training. They are currently represented by more than 200 employees across 24 states.

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