Aptera Software moving downtown, adding 15 jobs

Verbatim announcement issued Monday by the Fort Wayne-Allen County Economic Development Alliance:

Aptera Software, a Fort Wayne-based provider of software development, web design and web-based applications, has announced the purchase of an office building and is expanding its operations to downtown Fort Wayne.

The company will relocate from Airport North Office Park to the building at 201 West Main Street at the southwest corner of West Main and South Harrison streets. Aptera plans to add 15 employees to its 23-person workforce in its new facility through 2009. The company will invest approximately $900,000 in the building, improvements and new equipment.

“We are very pleased for the opportunity to join the thriving community of downtown Fort Wayne businesses and continue our growth there,” said T.K. Herman, president of Aptera Software. “My partner and I both grew up in Fort Wayne and are very happy to see the progress being made to revitalize the downtown area. We have been able to attract employees from as far away as Idaho and feel our new office will enable us to continue hiring top-notch software developers and web designers.”

Aptera’s building on West Main Street will be the company’s fourth facility in its five-year history, notes Herman.

Aptera began operations in 2003 as a two-person startup consisting of co-founders T.K. Herman and Conrad Ehinger. They originally located their company in the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center (NIIC) and purchased their current office in May, 2006. The company has stated plans to open an office in Indianapolis this summer and in Columbus, Ohio, in 2009. Aptera purchased the West Main Street building from Hanning & Bean Enterprises.

“We want to thank Bill Bean of Hanning & Bean Enterprises for repositioning a building that had been vacant for three years,” said Herman. “Aptera and downtown redevelopment are both benefiting from Bill’s work and investment here.”

“Aptera Software is yet another great example of a significant base employer beginning from an innovative idea and thriving in Fort Wayne,” stated Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry. “T.K. and Conrad are to be congratulated for developing an outstanding business plan that has allowed them to become an important part of the exciting growth happening downtown. From the NIIC to downtown in five years is a testament to a good business plan coupled with a strong entrepreneurial spirit.”

The Fort Wayne-Allen County Economic Development Alliance is coordinating the community’s interaction with the company. Potential assistance to Aptera includes a performance-based grant of $8,000 and up to $15,000 in assistance for building façade improvements from the City of Fort Wayne. At a future meeting, Fort Wayne Common Council will consider tax abatement on eligible real property improvements and personal property investment.

About Aptera Software

Founded in 2003, Aptera Software specializes in helping companies use technology to become more efficient and competitive. At Aptera’s core is a team of IT professionals and award-winning graphic designers who create solutions specifically tailored to businesses’ needs and deliver intuitive user interfaces, compelling web sites and outstanding marketing materials. This unique combination of technical and design expertise has allowed Aptera to solve tough business problems for clients throughout the United States and has led to the development of several commercially available applications. More information about Aptera is available at www.apterainc.com.