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The Grindery announces Gary native as new leader

Veteran serial entrepreneur Kenneth ”Biznessman” Allen has secured the rights to the ownership of The Grindery, “the premier urban business incubator in Indianapolis.”

Kenneth Allen is a native of Gary, Indiana. He started his first business at the age of 12, selling candy to the community out of his grandfather’s garage.

Owner and publisher of the “YoungBiz” magazine and curriculum, new direction for The Grindery will be according to Allen, to “build on the foundation well-built, but intentional about new youth programming and specific skilled workforce training.”

A long-time resident of Indianapolis, Allen has been recognized for his significant accomplishments in the area of entrepreneurship, image preparedness and job readiness.

He has been recognized by Indiana Black Expo, Inc. as its 2004 Entrepreneur of the Year. McDonalds of Central Indiana recognized him as a Living History Maker.

Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson designated December 4 as Kenneth Allen Day, recognizing his love and passion for teaching entrepreneurship. Allen’s work has afforded him the opportunity to travel to Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Nigeria, Senegal, and most of the contiguous United States to speak, teach and provide consulting work.

The Grindery is an urban co-work space located in the heart of Northwest Indianapolis, IN. Established June, 2012 as one of the early initiatives of the The NorthWest Vision Development Center Corporation, The Grindery has served a diverse array of entrepreneurs, helping them make healthy decisions for new businesses to have the best hope for success and sustainability.

Founder, Ivan Douglas Hicks, Ph.D., is a serial social entrepreneur and has recently established an Indianapolis location for the Washington, D.C. based educational consulting firm, The AfricaLogical Institute. Dr. Hicks provides cultural consultation and thought partnership to leaders and organizations and has recently assumed board positions for both local and national advocacy non-profits. Grindery Board Chair John McDonald, CEO of ClearObject, one of Indiana’s fastest growing tech companies, has led both instruction and governance for the Grindery since the beginning. “This new leadership represents the regeneration of an organization that has served the community well. The business mentorship services we have provided and the success of our program has allowed us to recruit great new leadership to take us boldly into the future.”

TheGrindery.Org Contact: Kenneth Allen – The NorthWest Vision Development Center Corporation (317) 925-2672 John McDonald – ClearObject (888) 850-2568.

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